This post is going to be a holding space for my initial thought and then as I read more widely I’ll be able to link these initial questions to full posts.
Trauma and burnout – I suspect that trauma and burnout are going to both be common in the teams I’m working with. I need to know what is the difference between the two and if that difference matters for how I might show up for the teams I’m working with.
Working with trauma in the room – I think I will talk about “working with teams with trauma in the room” (rather than “working with trauma” because that might suggest an intervention I’m unqualified to deliver).
Trauma and power – what’s the relationship between power and healing from trauma? I get that part of what makes an event traumatic could be the loss of power but is it an important consideration in recovery? I guess it is because this is how safe spaces in higher education work, if I know I am empowered to leave the room or otherwise not engage with work that distresses me(or has the potential to distress me), then I don’t have to keep my guard up at work. That “keeping my guard up” requires effort that I could instead apply to my role.
Trauma and “being nice” – as a non mental health professional, when I’m working with a team with trauma in the room, does my role basically boil down to being nice? My gut feeling is that there is something more I could be doing. The parallel I’m thinking of is that anti-racism work is more than just treating everyone with respect. A slightly less pessimistic framing might be – if I’m being thoughtful, attentive and emotionally intelligent, is that enough? Or is there more work to be done.
Finally, I’m also going to look into the relationship between trauma and the body. I was first introduced to trauma as a topic through a somatic coaching course so I’m looking forward to digging into the writing of David Trevalyn and Staci Haines.
As ever, I’d love to hear your thoughts or suggestions. Contact me through the website or reply to my email list messages which will be sent every Wednesday.
