Introduction
This guide is for anyone who is experiencing trauma and/or helping people with their trauma. It is by the Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, a grassroots disaster relief network in the US based on the principles of solidarity, mutual aid, and autonomous direct action.
Sometimes, it’s only through disasters that we unearth a power within that can’t be measured or defined.
Contents
- Introduction
- Understanding Vicarious Trauma
- Three Reactions to Trauma
- Possible Reactions after a Traumatic Experience
- Why Do Some People Recover From Trauma While Others Don’t?
- Essential Components of Recovery
- What We Can Do For You
- What You Can Do For Yourself
- How To Support Your Friend
Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare. – Audre Lorde
Download Resource
Navigating Trauma in Disaster Relief (24 pgs PDF)
Other resources
Here are some more resources about trauma and burnout from Mutual Aid Disaster Relief.
- A Zine on Navigating Trauma from Mutual Aid Disaster Relief
- Mutual Aid Disaster Relief: Navigating Trauma
- Trauma_Overview
- Preventing Burnout
- Understanding and Coping with Traumatic Stress
- Understanding and Addressing Vicarious Trauma
- Grounding and Centering for Activists
- Rising Up Without Burning Out
- Sustainable Activism and Avoiding Burnout
- Psychological First Aid
- Activist Trauma and Recovery
- Trauma and Therapeutic Art
