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A wound of the spirit, from Trauma to Resilience, is the name of the new Inside-Out class just piloted at Vancouver Island University, in British Columbia Canada. This course brought inside and outside students together to learn about exposure to individual and structural trauma and the power of voice, community, belonging, identity, culture, and safety in healing and wellness.
Students started the course by creating individual wellness plans and then collectively came together to grapple with many societal issues linked to trauma, including abuse, neglect, colonization, trauma and the law, and many other topics. The class was deep, reflective, and inspirational and it is our hope that, with this new knowledge, students will walk forward with compassion towards themselves and others.
The class followed Trauma-Informed Practice Principles which had students examine topics such as childhood exposure, intergenerational trauma, culture and identity, and various forms of healing. This course was created to be an educational experience, not therapeutic, meaning we were there to learn and not disclose. However, we quickly realized that the more we learned about trauma exposure and its impact on one's behaviour, learning, and relationships, we also witnessed personal healing occur. Knowledge is power and this course clearly demonstrated that.
Ashleigh Martinflatt
Vancouver Island University
Note: The class spent a lot of time discussing the above image in relation to trauma and resilience.
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