Whether or not we have experienced personal trauma, we are all—in very real ways—impacted by the legacy of familial and cultural suffering. Recent research has shown that trauma affects groups just as acutely as it does individuals; it bridges families, generations, communities, and borders. “I believe that unresolved systemic traumas delay the development of the human family, harm the natural world, and inhibit the higher evolution of our species,” writes Thomas Hübl. However, just as trauma can be integrated and healed for a single person, groups large and small can also find recovery. With Healing Collective Trauma, this world-renowned spiritual teacher presents a hopeful road map to mending the mind, body, and soul.
Here, Hübl explains the most recent science of trauma and shares the principles of his Collective Trauma Integration Process (CTIP), a protocol he has facilitated for groups in the US, Germany, Israel, and elsewhere. He examines collective trauma both from the perspective of the latest research and through a spiritual lens informed by 15 years as a meditation teacher. Including contributions from renowned experts from across the field of trauma treatment, as well as meditative practices to support both counselors and clients, Healing Collective Trauma presents a fresh perspective on trauma integration along with practical tools for beginning the journey to wholeness.
Published in November 2020 by SoundsTrue

For the past three years, Dr. Subramaniam has been studying the neuro-physiological effects of meditation when practiced by pre-op and post-op patients. He conducts social behavioral research on the role of meditation in supporting surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses, and has been offering meditation workshops to healthcare providers across the US and India. As Thomas and Dr. Subramaniam engaged together in dialogue, Dr. Subramaniam said, “I am impressed by your level of looking at collective trauma and (how you go into) organized societies and take care of their biggest problems, the big elephant that no one wants to touch like the German Jewish problem or another collective trauma. For example, the occupation in India – now people are just coming out of that occupation and slavery and trying to have a different mindset.”

More than 5,000 people joined the talk from across the world via livestream, as comments and questions poured in from India, Germany, Mexico, and Hong Kong, among other countries. At the end of the first week, more than 20,000 people had viewed that talk. In responding to a question about his work with collective social bodies, Thomas said, “Individual (trauma) work is very important, and that needs to continue, but I think we need larger containers because we have so many collective scars around the world.” After the talk concluded, several people waited to speak with Thomas to discuss practices that promote healing of collective trauma.

Later in the day, Thomas spoke at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, a Harvard-affiliated imaging institute at Massachusetts General Hospital. Approximately 100 scientists and post docs filled the room to hear his talk “Understanding & Healing Trauma: Moving from Individual to Collective.” During this event, Thomas opened up a dialogue around the future of brain imaging. Will it be possible one day to map the experience of collective trauma in our brains? How can we utilize scanning technologies to elucidate relational capacities as they manifest in our neurobiology?

These talks, normally presented by Harvard faculty, opened up new possibilities for discussing the impact of collective trauma on our healthcare systems. They also provided a much needed opening to further the conversation around preventing burnout among physicians, improving our medical education systems to include awareness-based practices, and offering trauma-informed care to patients and communities.

Here is the recording of the talk:

 

Dr. Christina Bethell, an advisory committee member of the Pocket Project and a leading expert on childhood trauma in the US testified in the nearly four-hour hearing on the science and policies she’s been researching and implementing as professor at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and director of the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative.

Watch video of hearing

 

“The science of ACEs and resilience shine a light on the importance of moment by moment lived experiences and relational health, and require a paradigm shift in how we think about child development, human health and disease and social dysfunction,” Bethell testified. “When enough people such as the two-thirds of adults and half of US children carry adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the trauma and toxic stress that can result we find ourselves in a syndemic, or synergistic epidemic, where what ails us cannot be addressed without addressing the long reach of childhood trauma and we adopt a salutogenic approach focused on factors that proactively promote human health and well-being.”

Drawing from twenty-three years of data-driven research and evidence-based policy design, Bethell stressed the importance of creating a social infrastructure in the US that will comprehensively address the urgency of this problem, much like the national highway system connects the country. In this way, she stressed, the evidence base of trauma combined with the knowledge of the impact of lived experiences would finally meet with policy, creating impactful programs and policies that will save money and increase well-being in the country.

Bethell also emphasized the importance of awareness and healing practices in integrating trauma. “Also critical to promoting the self-awareness and self-regulation key to healing and health are practices that involve sitting silently with intentional awareness on one’s breathing, body sensations and current thoughts and feelings. These mindfulness practices enjoy strong scientific evidence to assist in neuronal rewiring toward regulation and building capacity for other self-care practices, like exercise, healthy eating and engagement in learning. They may also contribute to reduction in body and brain inflammation and symptoms of autoimmune conditions and mental illnesses.”

Bethell speaks widely on childhood trauma and ACEs throughout the US, and will be speaking specifically on ways to promote healing and self-regulation in dialogue with Thomas Hübl, founder of the Pocket Project, at the Celebrate Life Festival that will be livestreamed from Germany later this month.

The Pocket Project is a non-profit organization based in Germany that trains facilitators and leads conferences and other international events around the topic of collective trauma. Their mission is to contribute to the healing of collective and intergenerational trauma, and to reduce its disruptive effects on our global culture. The Pocket Project is guided by spiritual teacher, author, and systems thinker Thomas Hübl who has led large-scale events with international groups, including with Israelis and Germans, to heal from the impacts of collective trauma. Active Pocket Project practice groups and competency centers currently work in the US, Israel, Germany, and Argentina.

With your donation, we can bring hope, inspiration and real survival tools to where they are most needed. You can bring the devices you wish to donate to the Celebrate Life Festival 2019, making sure they are in general good condition, clean and restored to factory settings, and any minor faults clearly reported.

We will then make sure they get to our network of outstanding leaders at the forefront of community-led strategies for sustainable change. These are key figures in rights and peace movements, poverty reduction, climate change and social justice.

Let’s weave webs of kindness and trust together, bringing sweet hope to places of harshness.

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The event was an exploration and included a panel of:

• Dr Tatjana Buklijas – Senior Research Fellow, Liggins Institute, University of Auckland
• Tui Ah Loo – CEO of PARS, an organisation focused on long term Maori recidivism
• Professor Chris Marshall – Diana Unwin Chair of Restorative Justice, Victoria University
• Karlo Mila – Pacific Poet and mental health scholar

Also two young people played a large part in the day to demonstrate intercultural healing – one pakeha (white) whose ancestor translated the Treaty of Waitangi (the treaty New Zealand is settled on between the British and the Maori) and the other whose ancestor signed the treaty.
As the leader of the event I also spoke about the Pocket Project and the potential healing of intergenerational and collective trauma and the training. A circle of support from the collective field of the pocket project supported the event.

The event raised the bar on what might be possible in Aotearoa and canvassed ideas and ways forward to enter into a 20 year healing conversation . These included setting up a national restoration centre and process that brings national and international expertise together, and also setting up circles of support for those wanting to build competencies and support the young people who are wanting to take some lead in this area.

The tragic mass shooting this month has escalated that conversation and many are willing and ready to head towards a racially inclusive society under the Treaty of Waitangi. We now have groups exploring how this might be progressed with respect, care and depth.

We are also working through a process to see what work is already happening throughout the country and how we bring these people together to learn, share and support this mahi (sacred work).

By Louise Marra, member of the Pocket Project one year training.

Coming Together
The Power of Collective Presencing

A LIVE Online Event with Thomas Hübl & William Ury
Sunday, January 27, 2019
11:30am PT / 2:30pm ET / 8:30pm CET

SIGN UP TO ATTEND

Attend, and learn how you can:

• Join with a community to create a “third side” to conflicts
• Become a conscious participant in collective presencing
• Expand your capacity to contribute meaningfully without feeling isolated or alone
• Stay open-hearted and authentic – even in overwhelming moments
• Bring people together without needing to agree, disagree, or take sides