Hosted by Kosha Joubert. Produced by J’aime Rothbard.

What happens in a Pocket Project Integration Lab? And how does the process contribute to individual and collective healing?

In this episode, Adrian Wagner, part of the Pocket Project’s research team, explores his work using software known as SenseMaker to capture the subtlety of the processes that occur in collective healing work. 

After gathering personal stories from participants in the last round of International Labs in 2024, Adrian curated the Sacred Story Book  – which opens a window into how hundreds of people explored collective trauma across diverse themes and cultures during the year-long process.

The freely viewable e-book shows how encounters with grief, resilience and reconnection in the context of the supportive community provided by each Lab helped participants begin to see their own lives and global issues in a new light, and meet each other in deeper ways.

“Within the Labs you see that the intelligent function of trauma is fully appreciated, so that what is frozen can melt in the right time,” Adrian tells co-host Kosha Joubert. “So the trauma is not pushed open or broken open, but people do some resourcing and then slowly more and more perspectives show up.”

“It’s not about solving, much more about growing space to hold more of the messiness, beauty and complexity that we call life,“ Adrian adds. 

This conversation will provide invaluable insights to anybody considering participating in one of this year’s round of  Integration Labs, which are starting soon and address more than 40 collective trauma themes.

This episode will also support anyone who wishes to gain a deeper insight into what Adrian calls the “magic” of collective healing – and hear a rich discussion about how to make this work available on a larger scale.

Integration Labs 2026

Applications Open: The Pocket Project is offering more than 40 Integration Labs in 2026, each dedicated to exploring and addressing specific dimensions of ancestral and collective trauma. To access a complete list of the Labs and to apply to participate, click here.

Further Resources:  

Sacred Storybook: A Journey Through Collective Trauma and Renewal (Report on the International Labs 2024) 

Overcoming Polarisation in Crises: A Research Project on Trauma and Democracy with 350 Participants (Report by Adran Wagner et al. synthesising influences including Dave Snowden and Thomas Hübl)

Complexity Partners

Adrian Wagner on Linkedin

About Adrian Wagner: 

Adrian Wagner is moved by the possibility of dancing between applied complexity and precise emotional attunement — holding space for both individual and collective blind spots with care and discernment.

He is working with Complexity partners as a free consultant and as a researcher with the Pocket Project. Adrian is focused on developing the academic resource library for the organization’s website. Over the past 15 years, his professional journey has unfolded across roles as a teacher, researcher, coach, and transformational facilitator. His work has served diverse institutions including the European School of Governance, the German Foreign Ministry, Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, the European Commission, and the University of Witten/Herdecke.

He co-published a research report titled Trauma and Democracy, synthesizing the insights of Dave Snowden and Thomas Hübl to explore innovative approaches for integrating collective trauma.

At the heart of his ethos is a deep commitment to pioneering new pathways for collective growth and resilience—interweaving complexity, compassion, and transformative leadership into everything he does.