Collective Trauma: Moving Through It / Patrick Dougherty
Patrick Dougherty is a veteran, clinical psychologist, and founder of Moving Through It, an organization that raises public awareness and cultivates a deeper understanding of collective trauma, helping to provide a means for individuals and groups to move through the various states of feeling we have all begun to experience as we enter a time of great uncertainty and instability.
For many of us, the world isn’t what it was just a few short years ago. Endless war, terrorism, the refugee crisis, rampant inequality and corruption, assaults on civil and workers’ rights, and the myriads of problems contributing to climate change, along with the growth of ultra-nationalism, xenophobia, and hate groups, have together shattered a sense of order many of us felt until recently.
For others, the changes in their social and economic lives haven’t just lost its order, it has actually gotten much worse. This has been especially true for many low income and minority groups, where things have only gotten worse, sometimes much worse.
The abrupt tearing of the social fabric and shared worldview that have bound us together has been traumatic for many of us. And the ongoing nature of the turmoil, for those who have experienced it for a long time already, and those of us getting accustomed to the world around as it is today, leads many of us to despair. We can do something about our trauma and despair, both personally and collectively. Working with them and doing what we can to move through them will help us make better decisions personally and collectively.
We discuss this, and much more, in this conversation.
Episode Notes:
To learn more about collective trauma and Patrick’s work, please visit the Moving Through It website
The music featured is by Nick Vander, used with permission by the artist
