trauma stewardship
Trauma is a reality that many people live with in their lives, whether it comes from a single-event traumatic experience or abuse experienced over longer periods of time. The 2024 Queer Burn Training in Humboldt Co., Ca. included somatic awareness practices and check-ins, and discussions on the idea that trauma-informed training and awareness of trauma responses during prescribed burn events can be normalized in fire practitioner training.
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Following the training a small group of peers met several times to continue discussing the inclusion of trauma stewardship in fire practices. We hope to continue updating and expanding this page to include resources for self-learning on this topic and developing discussions.
What is Trauma Stewardship?
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Coined by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, trauma stewardship refers to the practice and professions of caring for others who have experienced trauma (physical, social or psychological) while caring for oneself at the same time. In the fire practice context we are using this term to describe the capacity to hold empathic space for someone experiencing a trauma response, whether that is yourself or someone else. In surfacing this subject we also hope to share tips, tricks and best practices for addressing and mediating trauma responses as a part of situational awareness and safety.
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We also hope to expand the conversation on the unique impact of working with fire in discovering and building one's own resilience and capacity to heal from trauma through working with fire as an environmental healing practice.
Metaphors abound!
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Check back here later as we are still working to compile and include resources and links on these subjects.
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