Helping With Collective
Trauma

Events such as a pandemics, natural catastrophe or war remind us of our collective dimension. We are individuals, with our individual experience and memory, and we are also part of a greater whole, or a system: family, community, organization, country, world: a collective.

Collective Trauma leads to Distress and depression

In those moments of intense societal stress our intergenerational or collective traumas are triggered. The sound of sirens, images of displaced populations, hunger, suffering mothers and children, loosing one’s home, running for one’s life, suffering from propaganda and dictators are examples of triggers “remembered” in unexpected and sometimes overwhelming ways. They do not necessarily belong to our own life’s experience, and yet they create distress, depression, bodily symptoms and often, a sense of doom and helplessness.

Collective Trauma leads to Distress and depression

These symptoms, those triggered memories belonging to previous generations, community or country – are opportunities for healing. As they enter our consciousness, they enable us to release long held pain and stuck energy. They often contain a blueprint for transformation, hope and creativity. As it is true for the processing of individual trauma, they contain the seeds for post-traumatic growth.

In our EmotionAid organization and community, we are passionate about the healing of collective trauma and its symptoms. We believe our world is desperate for such healing. Our world desperately needs to stop re-enacting old, obsolete and destructive patterns.

The simple tools of EmotionAid can help each one of us, and together as groups and communities grow and contribute to life affirming behaviours and choices.