We explored all areas of collective trauma the group participants and us have encountered in our professional lives. It ranged from Patriarchy, Power Systems, and Discrimination to Mental Health.
We invited all people interested in exploring collective trauma from a career and professional perspective.
We planned a soft start by first investing in building a safe space and group coherence so that the respective collective trauma patterns could emerge and a trauma landscape could form over the first months. The objective was that participants identify the topics that are relevant to them individually, but we assumed that collective patterns would surface. In a later stage, we dive deeper into the collective traumata of most interest to the entire group.We started out with a group of 29 participants and completed with 13 participants. We met for 12 group sessions from (February) - (December) 2024.
We started each LAB with silence, using the 3-Sync and later 4-Sync methods. We introduced ourselves and shared our motivation to host this LAB. We also set an intention to provide orientation and safety for us as a group. We specified the LAB's scope and what we felt was ‘out of scope’ (e.g., the LAB does not serve as a room for individual therapy). We also introduced a framework of ethics we want to honor in the LAB and the steps of the LAB. Later, we journaled, asking participants about their motivation and concerns, followed by sharing in small groups. Before ending, we asked for feedback in the chat on how everybody felt concerning the group. We ended each session with a brief meditation to integrate.
We introduced several definitions for ‘trauma’ from Thomas Hübl and others. We also explained different types of trauma (big and small ‘T’) as well as the three levels of trauma - IAC. We had an exchange within the group of their understanding of trauma. In the next LAB, we introduced our thinking on trauma in organizations (organizational and individual levels). In the journaling, we focused on the personal experience the group had with trauma in their work environments. The collective trauma landscape evolved throughout the year and became more differentiated with time. In the end, we had a good overview of collective trauma related to work.
We used specific journaling questions to deepen the personal, ancestral, and collective conditioning, followed by triad work. We focused on different aspects that did emerge in the LAB process. For example, ‘performance’ was a big theme that we explored more deeply, as well as ‘authority’, ‘inequality & discrimination’, and ‘burn-out’. Examples of journaling questions would be: “How have I experienced performance throughout my career?”, “How is performance represented in your family system?”, “How do you perceive performance in our society?
The participants had a lot of resonance with the ‘A’, and we spent one LAB diving deeper into the ancestral trauma. Other topics from the trauma map have been activated, such as ‘patriarchy’, ‘scarcity - lack of resources (the feeling of not having enough money, time or other essentials)’, and our perception of work in general. The focus was to uncover personal patterns shaped by family systems and ancestors, such as the experience of business insolvency leading to seeking safety in employment. One question was about coping strategies reflected in the personal work life. The work with the ancestral trauma triggered several impactful individual processes. It seemed at that point that we had created a safe space and group container so that deep processes could emerge. For example, it became very clear to one participant how the pressure she puts on herself has its roots in her past. We even discovered a link going back to the German concentration camps, claiming “Arbeit macht frei”, which is still an influence on the German work ethic to date. It appears as a blind spot that impacts many and can even lead to work-related illnesses such as burnout.
We connected our insights to the collective trauma landscape, exploring personal blind spots, ancestral vs. collective trauma, and key patterns in personal and professional environments. We also examined how organizations mask trauma through strategies like filters, selective ignorance, and constructed narratives.
There was a considerable discussion about the definition and meaning of “ethical restoration.” Everyone in the group had a different understanding, and we took some time to develop a common base. We investigated where in my professional life I have encountered ethical violations (personally or as a witness). In the next LAB, we looked at societal institutions and how they need to change to enable restoration. We found that language plays a big part, especially considering the impact of rhetoric in political discourse, such as Trump’s campaign language). We also addressed the question of what personal steps could emerge from our shared journey.
In the last session, we deeply reflected on how the participants perceived their LAB journey and what has changed them or what they would like to change going forward. It seemed more manageable for them to reflect on a personal level. There was less impulse or idea to implement changes on an organizational or societal level.
Some examples: One participant is in the middle of a professional reorientation and connected on a new level with her inner purpose. Another participant became aware of their in-build performance drive and became more mindful. Two of our group will join the TWT 2025 to deepen the journey and inner healing.
"What was essential for me was the experience of sound and productive communication within an open process."
"Trauma in the workplace is everywhere, and it's more of a question of how it manifests rather than if it does."
"I have increased my comprehension of group dynamics and the complexity of dealing with different themes in the relational field. Levels of exchange that appear natural and easy to me seem to be difficult for others, which is a humbling experience for me."
"The LAB is concerned with researching the influence of trauma (self-experienced, trans-generationally transmitted, or collectively experienced) on career paths and the work environment. My motivation is that I have experienced toxic work environments and discrimination. I am interested in the connections with trauma but also where my blind spots exist about existing structures."
"When people work together to be present and remain faithful to this intention, trauma therapy happens."
"Trust in the process of a group, and you will find astonishing ideas, problems, and solutions the mind can not generate on its own. There is more Trauma and Trauma- Response than I thought. It is (nearly) everywhere."
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DonateCrisis Trauma Relief
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Collective Trauma Integration
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Підпишіться на наші інформаційні листи. Допоможіть нам зцілювати колективну травму та зменшувати негативні ефекти для нашої глобальної культури.
Dagmar Attolini 
German