In hosted conversations, someone in the room may feel wounded by something that happens, or is said. Words or references to ideas or events that touch something deep in ourselves can make us react sharply, with anger, pain, fear, or anxiety, and interrupt the flow of conversation and the process we are part of. It can even make us shut down, unable to continue. 

 Join us in sharing experiences, perspectives, and insights about what it means to witness trauma - in ourselves, in others, in the field - and host ourselves and each other as we do so.

How can our hosting practices support us in this life-long learning journey? What are we doing that is already trauma-informed and sensitive to the needs of trauma survivors? What else can we do to help (re)establish a sense of agency, connection, and meaning? 

Working with deep wounding is not linear: memories of traumatic experiences tend to show up at unpredictable times, and sometimes come as a complete surprise to the trauma survivor. A smell, a word, a gesture, someone who wears a sweater that reminds us of a loved one we are grieving for - triggers are diverse and can simply not be avoided. 

We’ll be using a World Café format, as part of the World Cafe Live! series of monthly community-led Cafes. Our purpose is to discover together what we have experienced in this field - as hosts, and as participants. We want to consciously slow down and take time to reflect together on our past experiences and on our visions for the future. This is a beginning, a first step to open the floor for a conversation about witnessing trauma.