Our Research
Cycles of Trauma and Journeys of Wellbeing
In 2023, the Think Tank released the executive summary of "Cycles of Trauma and the Journey to Wellbeing: A Framework for Trauma-Informed Practices and Positive Social Change".
Written by the Think Tank's multidisciplinary, cross-institutional Research and Design Team, guided by 12 leaders in academia and the social change sector, the framework offers a synthesised view of trauma, healing, and social change, and invites changemakers to reflect on how they can adopt a trauma-informed approach in their work.
This research is highly valuable for any individuals and organisations working on the front lines of social change who encounter, experience, and address individual and collective traumas through their work. It comes at a pivotal moment where, collectively, the world’s view on trauma has never been clearer and our capacity for action has never been stronger – meaning the best opportunity to explore this concept further is right now.
A Framework for Trauma-Informed Practices and Positive Social Change
This framework identifies the ongoing presence and impacts of trauma as inhibitors for individual, collective, and systemic wellbeing; in doing so, it illustrates how processing and healing from trauma can unlock social transformation, resilience, and human flourishing. It explores the diverse manifestations and effects of trauma today and intergenerationally – locating both at the heart of historical systems of oppression and ongoing social challenges including poverty, violence, and inequality. The research confirms the inseparable relationship between trauma and wellbeing, emphasizing the critical role of individual and collective healing in unlocking social transformation.
The framework presents a compelling case for embedding trauma-informed and strength-based practices into social change work, inviting dialogues to help everyone, especially survivors of trauma, move through resilience to wellbeing and healing. Healing through strengths-based practices is essential, and changemakers and changemaking organisations can play a key role in empowering survivors through their healing process. In supporting survivors’ sense of safety, agency, and community, changemakers can help create space for survivors to express their stories and take action for their own wellbeing.
Our Framework
Connecting the dots between a plethora of existing scientific, cultural, social, and spiritual insights, our research offers the social change sector a new, synthesized perspective on the relationship between trauma, wellbeing, and social change.
While there is no single, one-size-fits-all approach to healing from trauma, we believe that there are key elements that, when included in trauma-informed practices, can build on strengths to encourage healing and wellbeing.
We invite changemakers to use this framework as an initial tool for opening up or expanding important conversations on the presence of trauma within their lives and work. In doing so, changemakers can reflect on their own traumas and healing – enhancing their wellbeing and capacity for welldoing – and consider the role of trauma in the social challenges they face. While by no means comprehensive or complete, our framework provides key questions for reflections, dialogue, and action – all of which we hope can inspire human flourishing for generations to come.
Framing the Cycles: Vicious Cycles of Intergenerational Trauma & Virtuous Cycles of Intergenerational Wellbeing
Our Approach
We created this framework built on the understanding that the journey through trauma toward wellbeing requires a holistic approach to health and living, as well as an appreciation for the value of hearing diverse voices and points of view. Our Think Tank takes a global, multidisciplinary, cross-sector and participative approach. We have dived into the subject, intentionally bringing together perspectives from actors worldwide, and continuously engaged with The Wellbeing Project's global community in a fundamentally participative way. Read the executive summary to learn more about methodology.
The framework was written by our multidisciplinary, cross-institutional Research and Design Team, guided by 12 leaders in academia and the social change sector. For a full list of Think Tank participants, learn more about the team here.