Trauma International

Trauma International offers training courses and projects on trauma-sensitive support, the use of art and music with traumatized people, and selfcare for mental health professionals. With a focus on war zones and (post-)conflict areas.

4 elements that help to calm the alarm bell:

• Movement

• Connection

• Predictability

•  Giving control (or the feeling of control)

The 6-step design system is a tool for designing (creative) sessions that can contribute to psychosocial and trauma-sensitive support. The structure helps to create a safe space and predictability.

This structure is not music related, so it is easy to apply in a different context.

All musical exercises and activities that we did during the workshops are about movement and connection. In addition, in our work we pay a lot of attention to (re)giving control over the process or letting participants choose. This can range from very simple 'do you want to pass the blow left or right?' to 'who wants to be the conductor of our music now?' or giving an assignment in which participants make a melody, song, text, poem, drawing, etc.

You can offer predictability with the way you work. For example, this can be predictable body language or voice, 'saying what you do and doing what you say' and starting and ending your sessions on time. We use our 6-step system to create predictability and we stick to that order unless we receive information from the group during the check-in that causes us to change the plan of the session or the order of it. That is why we often call the check-in a technique for ‘reading’ a group. The core of a check-in is that everyone sits in a circle and is given equal space to share something about themselves based on a question, usually in relation to how you are feeling at that moment or something that is going on in your life. The answers can be verbal, non-verbal, visual or with movement. The others in the group are attentive listeners and observers.