Trauma-Transformational Somatic Therapy: Beyond Trauma-Informed Care
Trauma Transformational Care is an evolving paradigm in healthcare and therapy that goes deeper to address the root causes of trauma and facilitate comprehensive healing. I was first introduced to this approach by my social worker friend, Poa Mutino, over homemade gnocchi. He shared what Trauma Transformational Care means for him and I replied, “Oh wow, that’s exactly what we do at Refuge!” Moving beyond a “trauma-informed” approach allows you and your practitioner to not only recognize the profound and lasting effects systemic harm and trauma has had on you and alleviate your symptoms, but also offer a way to transform the impact of that trauma at its core. In this blog post, we’ll explore the principles, strategies, and liberatory potential of Trauma Transformational Care.
What Is Trauma Transformational Care?
Trauma Transformational Care is a whole-person approach that focuses on profound and lasting healing from trauma. It works to transform the way you perceive and respond to traumatic experiences and fosters resilience, empowerment, and a sense of wholeness. Here at Refuge, we never lose site of the systems of oppression that are present, real, and greatly impact especially LGBTQ+, BIPOC, Neurodivergent, Femmes, and other marginalized communities. Our take on Trauma Transformational Care guides you to heal deeply from these harms, while acknowledging their ubiquity and building robust rest and resiliency practices into your daily life.
What does Trauma Transformational Care Emphasize?
Moving beyond trauma-informed care, Trauma Transformational Care gets at the root of trauma to help you rebuild yourself, experience both joy and rest, and reengage with the collective.
Personal and Collective Power and Agency: Trauma Transformational Care aids you in unearthing your own sense of power and voice, and directs this embodied knowing into reclaiming agency over your life. With a more solid sense of your own power, you can explore and develop your role in your immediate circle of loved ones and in your wider community.
Identity and Self-Concept: This approach acknowledges the impact of trauma on your sense of self. Trauma Transformational Care fosters positive identity development and a healthy self-concept by helping you to redefine your narrative and build a more liberated and resilient sense of self.
Community and Connection: Trauma can often isolate you. Trauma Transformational Care places importance on building supportive communities and fostering meaningful connections as integral components of the healing journey.
Whole Body Wellbeing: Beyond addressing immediate symptoms, Trauma Transformational Care considers the whole body. It encompasses physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions, recognizing the interconnectedness of these aspects in the healing process.
Rebuilding the Mind-Body Partnership: This approach emphasizes the integration of mind and body in the healing process. Somatic Therapy techniques such as mindfulness, eye movements, breathworks, body scans, and expressive arts may be employed to facilitate a deeper connection between mental and physical experiences.
Somatic Therapy Strategies for Trauma Transformational Care
Narrative Therapy: Helping you reconstruct you narrative is central to Trauma Transformational Care. This involves exploring and reshaping the stories you tell about yourself and your experiences, promoting a sense of agency and resilience. Part and parcel of this process is acknowledging the harms of dominant culture while unearthing the resiliency and brilliance that has brought you to survive up until this point.
Present-moment awareness: Practices that cultivate knowing what’s happening right here, right now, such as meditation, are integral to Trauma Transformational Care. These techniques enhance individuals' ability to manage overwhelming emotions and to cultivate a sense of internal calm.
Expressive Arts: Creative and expressive arts therapies, such as art therapy, music therapy, and dance/movement therapy, are employed to facilitate non-verbal expression and processing of traumatic experiences. Your body has a lot to “say.”
Embodied Practices: Somatic techniques, eye movement, slow body movements, intuitive movement, yoga, and breathwork are utilized to promote body awareness and release the physical tension patterns associated with trauma. These practices enhance the mind-body connection, fostering a sense of groundedness and body sovereignty.
Peer Support and Group Therapy: Creating a supportive community through peer support and group therapy is a key strategy. Shared experiences within a safe and empathetic group setting can contribute significantly to the healing process.
Trauma Transformational Care represents a revolutionary approach to healing that goes beyond symptom management, aiming for profound and lasting transformation. By prioritizing your power and voice, identity reconstruction, and whole person healing, this approach paves the way for you to not just to survive trauma but to thrive in its aftermath. Trauma Transformational Care has great potential to bring about transformative change in the lives of trauma survivors and practitioners here at Refuge employ this significant advancement in the field of trauma-informed care.