The Struggle for Wholeness: Addressing Individual and Collective Trauma in Violence-Ridden Societies

The present article begins with an overview of how staff at the Center for Dialogue and Human Wellbeing (CDBH)—at Tecnológico de Monterrey University in Chihuahua, México—approach the process of conflict transformation. Specifically, it focuses on CDBH's strategies for dealing with historical injury, as well as the individual and collective trauma existing between and among communities engaged in ongoing conflict. It proceeds to examine how traumatic memories are stored in the mind/brain, and how trauma can impact on individuals and communities locked into a cycle of violence. The ensuing section provides an overview of the debate and the literature concerning psychotherapeutic and holistic-kinesthetic approaches for addressing individual and collective trauma. A hypothetical workshop is then offered to give readers a clear idea of how trauma work is actually carried out. The article ends by asking what approaches can best be applied for transforming collective trauma into sacred memories, which can become the driving force for a continuing commitment to building and sustaining peace among segments of communities that had previously been in conflict with one another.