The Whole Again Podcast

Trigger Warning

It is important to mention that the content of this podcast discusses trauma. Listeners are encouraged to use the information presented as a supplemental resource while engaging in other healing modalities.

Introduction

The podcast is presented by Leslie and Teddy, advocates for universal access to healing. Their aim is to help individuals reclaim wholeness after trauma. Each episode will focus on one of the five statements of the integrative healing and trauma framework, which they refer to simply as "the framework." The intent is to share theory, practical examples, and relevant stories to help listeners understand and integrate these concepts into their lives.

Hosts

Teddy

  • Birthplace: Upstate New York; currently resides in Bulbancha (New Orleans).

  • Background: Politicized healer, book DJ, aspiring tea farmer, small business owner, social worker, and educator.

  • Experience: Directed a trauma-informed schools project and facilitated work helping individuals and organizations create social change.

Leslie Briner

  • Birthplace: California Bay Area; raised on Indigenous land of the Ohlone.

  • Background: Social worker and educator for almost 25 years, experienced in witnessing trauma in individuals and systems.

  • Notable Past Experience: Collaboration with Teddy and understanding the limitations of traditional definitions of trauma.

Meeting and Purpose

Leslie and Teddy met in 2008 at the University of Washington School of Social Work, where they realized their different perspectives on trauma and healing embodied a comprehensive understanding of the topic. They emphasize that while existing definitions of trauma aren’t necessarily incorrect, they are incomplete. They aim to facilitate a journey towards wholeness.

The Framework

The framework revolves around several pivotal concepts:

  • Universal Access to Healing: A mantra and guiding principle developed during a walk where they aspired to help all individuals access healing resources.

  • Five Domains of Trauma: Individual, collective, systemic, intergenerational, and historical.

  • Trauma as Disruption: Defined as the interruption of safety, agency, dignity, and belonging, experienced through overwhelming physical and emotional responses.

  • Pathways to Healing: Identified as actions that promote restoration of these fundamental aspects of being whole.

Wholeness and the Four Fundamentals

The podcast emphasizes the idea that "we begin whole." The four fundamental needs identified are:

  1. Safety: Defined as a sense of physical, psychological, and emotional security. Safety includes having all basic needs met without exploitation.

  2. Agency: The ability to act on one’s own behalf and make informed choices, comprising decision-making, experiencing reasonable consequences, and making subsequent decisions.

  3. Dignity: The intrinsic self-worth not based on harm or dehumanization, emphasizing worthiness even in imperfection.

  4. Belonging: The state of being a full member of a group, embodying relationships and connections that provide emotional support and a sense of home.

These fundamentals not only define human needs but are also essential for the recovery process after trauma, offering a guide for rebuilding one’s sense of self and community.

Historical Context and Foundations of the Framework

Leslie shares a crucial lesson from Dr. Karina Walters about historical trauma, emphasizing that harm interrupts previously existing wholeness. Historical trauma affects communities and the understanding of trauma must include recognition of contexts before harm occurred.

Chimamanda Adichie's TED Talk, "The Danger of a Single Story," underscores the importance of diverse narratives in understanding trauma, advocating against defining trauma solely by its impacts. This ties back to the framework's rejection of defining trauma through limited, conventional definitions.

Critique of Existing Definitions of Trauma

  1. Focus on Impact, Not Cause: Current definitions of trauma often center around the effects rather than the origins. They are skewed towards the immediate symptoms rather than the psychosocial factors contributing to traumatic experiences.

  2. Individual-Oriented: Most traditional definitions focus on singular experiences while neglecting collective and systemic patterns of trauma that necessitate broader healing approaches.

Notable Definitions Discussed

  • DSM-5: Defines trauma as related only to severe threats to life or bodily harm, excluding many valid experiences of trauma.

  • WHO: Describes trauma as a response but still falls short of establishing a robust framework for understanding its causes.

  • SAMHSA: Acknowledges trauma at individual and community levels, emphasizing the reuse and development of trauma-informed practices.

Collective Healing and Community Engagement

The discussion moves to collective trauma, reinforcing that healing should occur on multiple layers: individual, systemic, cultural, historical, and intergenerational. Additionally, they highlight how fostering relationships can enhance safety and belonging, serving as solutions in addressing trauma within communities. An example of a school initiative involved recognizing vulnerable students by mapping positive relationships with caring adults, exemplifying how communities can actively promote belonging to enhance resilience.

Practical Closing Exercises

Reflection Exercise

Listeners are encouraged to reflect on their environments (family, workplace, community) concerning the four fundamentals. They are asked to identify how these spaces address or fall short in denoting safety, agency, dignity, and belonging.

Breathing Practice

A guided practice to breathe into the concept of wholeness with each fundamental:

  • Visualizing breathing into each chamber of the heart while affirming the presence of safety, agency, dignity, and belonging in their lives.

Conclusion

The podcast concludes with a call to action, reiterating its mission to be a resource for those impacted by trauma. They invite listeners to engage with their materials at wholeagainpod.com and emphasize the communal aspect of healing. They also introduce a Patreon for continued support and to facilitate further dissemination of resources.

Based on the Integrative Healing and Trauma Framework presented in the notes, here are several facilitation questions categorized by the four fundamentals of wholeness and general reflection:

Questions on the Four Fundamentals

  • Safety: "In what ways does our current environment (family, workplace, or community) provide a sense of physical, psychological, and emotional security?"

  • Agency: "How are individuals here empowered to act on their own behalf and make informed choices?"

  • Dignity: "How can we better acknowledge the intrinsic self-worth of every person, emphasizing their worthiness regardless of imperfection?"

  • Belonging: "Which specific relationships or connections in this group provide the strongest sense of emotional support and 'home'?"

Environmental & Systemic Reflection

  • "Identify a specific space you inhabit: How does this space address or fall short in supporting your sense of safety, agency, dignity, and belonging?"

  • "Looking at our community, who are the caring individuals we can map to ensure that vulnerable members feel a sense of belonging?"

  • "How can we shift our focus from just the 'impact' of trauma (symptoms) to the 'origins' and the restoration of wholeness?"

Historical and Collective Context

  • "When discussing historical trauma, what were the states of wholeness that existed for this community before the harm occurred?"

  • "How do we ensure that we are not defining individuals or communities solely by the single story of their trauma?"