Center for Political Trauma Integration, founded by the Salaam Initiative.
This is one of the few spaces exploring how politics and trauma intersect. Through my dissertation journey, I share research and reflections on how political events and systemic stress shape our minds, bodies, and collective behavior. At the same time, this work is building a center dedicated to creating new modalities to address political trauma directly — offering both understanding and tools for healing in a world where the personal and political are deeply connected.
What is Political Trauma?
Political trauma refers to the psychological, emotional, and physical impact of living through harmful political events and systems. It goes beyond individual experiences of distress to capture how war, terrorism, systemic oppression, displacement, racial violence, and political polarization affect entire communities. Unlike personal trauma alone, political trauma is collective in nature — shaping identity, belonging, and trust in institutions. It shows up in survival responses like fight, flight, freeze, or fawn, but also in civic behaviors such as withdrawing from political participation, clinging to rigid ideologies, or mobilizing in protest. At its core, political trauma highlights the truth that politics is not only about policies — it touches the nervous system, relationships, and the very way people feel safe (or unsafe) in the world.
How does political trauma show up in survival responses?
Political trauma doesn’t just live in the abstract — it shows up in the body’s most primal survival responses.
Some people enter fight, channeling anger into protest, advocacy, or political confrontation.
Others shift into flight, withdrawing from the news, disengaging from elections, or even emigrating to seek safety.
Many experience freeze, feeling paralyzed by helplessness in the face of overwhelming systemic forces. And some move into fawn, accommodating authority or aligning with powerful groups to preserve a sense of security.
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These responses are not simply “political choices” — they are nervous system strategies for survival, shaped by histories of violence, oppression, and instability. Recognizing them allows us to see that political behavior is often less about apathy or aggression and more about the body’s attempt to stay alive in the face of collective threat.
How can I resolve political trauma stress responses?
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Resolving political trauma stress responses begins with understanding that these reactions — fight, flight, freeze, and fawn — are not flaws, but survival strategies shaped by overwhelming events and systemic forces. Healing starts with awareness: noticing when your body contracts in fear, when you shut down, or when you overextend yourself to maintain safety. From there, regulation practices such as grounding, breathwork, and somatic awareness can help restore a sense of balance.
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At the same time, knowledge is power. Educating yourself on the intersection of politics and psychology gives you language and context for why these responses arise — helping transform shame into self-understanding. This is part of what my work offers: trainings, writing, and resources that bridge the personal and the political so individuals and organizations can see the bigger picture of how trauma operates in our collective lives.
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For those who find these stress responses overwhelming or persistent, working with a trauma-trained clinician — ideally one who specializes in political trauma — can provide deeper relief. Trauma therapy modalities such as EMDR, Brainspotting, and somatic approaches are particularly effective in helping the nervous system process and integrate political trauma.
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In short, healing is both an educational journey and a therapeutic process. The more you understand how politics affects the mind and body, the more you can reclaim choice, safety, and agency — and if you need support, my services are here to provide that bridge between knowledge and healing.