The specter of collective trauma looms large over our world, as disasters, conflicts, and societal upheavals occur with alarming regularity. The psychological wounds inflicted by collective trauma can be deep and enduring, leaving individuals and communities grappling with the aftermath for years to come.
This presentation (for Apa Trauma Division Taskforce 2021) explores the role of therapeutic spaces promoting resilience and growth following collective trauma, drawing on the experience with survivors, families and communities. The MOVING model, grounded in attachment theory, provides a framework for cultivating "islands of security" – safe spaces that nurture growth and connection.
Islands of Security
The concept of "islands of security" was introduced by Shaver and Mikulincer (2021) to describe temporary refuges from anxiety and uncertainty, based on extensive empirical evidence regarding the benefits of security priming. Such "islands" can be found in relationships, environments, and experiences that foster psychological safety. Even those with insecure attachment styles can experience islands of security through interventions that promote hope and connection.
Knowing that people hold us "mind in mind" builds trust and adds to the reservoir of positive beliefs about distress management, others and oneself.
The experience of being feeling safely held in the hearts and minds of others is key to building resilience, “bouncing forward" as well as bouncing back, in face of adversity. Previous research has highlighted various ways in which a felt sense of security can be promoted (Reviewed in Shaver & Mikulincer, 2021).
The Role of Action in Promoting Mental Health following Collective Trauma
- Relief in action : Providing a sense of control and mastery, reducing avoidance behaviors and fostering a sense of purpose and meaning.
- Action contributes to emotional processing:: Facilitating emotional expression and regulation, witnessing and narrative reconstruction (Saul, 2013).
- Fostering a sense of belonging and connectedness: Bringing individuals together, collective action can also contribute to the identification of the individual, family and community current internal and external resources both in the present and in the past and help with removal of barriers to those resources;..
The Core of MOVING
The model consists of interrelated steps:
- Mindfulness: Cultivating awareness of one's thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations in the present moment.
- Openness: Embracing a willingness to explore and accept new experiences.
- Vulnerability: Finding the courage to confront difficult emotions and take risks in fostering genuine connections with others.
- Inclusion: Acknowledging, respecting, and celebrating diversity.
- Nurturance: Providing care and compassion to oneself and others.
- Group connectedness- Cultivating a sense of belonging through collective action
The Hebrew term for the MOVING model is "Magen" which translates to "shield". The programs are designed to provide a protective shield for individuals and communities facing collective trauma. In addition to the workshops for survivors and families, the Moving Model programs include workshops volunteers and mental health professionals to address ongoing issues they encounter in their daily practice and to help them put their clinical work within a community context and landscape of identity and meaning.
Turbulent waters but we are not in the same boat
The shared experience of therapists and the clients can deepen the sense of connectedness but may also blur the lines and differences. The tendency for polarization in face of collective traumatic reality may render it more difficult to see multiple perspectives. It is therefore important to acknowledge differences and that we may all be in very turbulent waters but we are not in the same boat.
Collective trauma can lead to a sense of shared pain, but it's important to avoid overlooking the individual nuances and complexities of each person's experience.
Being "in different boats" was indeed relevant to the challenges of COVID-19 capturing the unequal impacts of the pandemic on different individuals and communities. Some people were fortunate enough to weather the storm in spacious homes with ample resources, while others were struggling in cramped apartments with limited supplies.
Pre-existing vulnerabilities, such as job insecurity or health conditions, exacerbated the challenges faced by individuals during the pandemic. For example, those who lost their jobs or were unable to work from home faced a financial storm that was far more severe than those who could continue their livelihoods remotely.
The metaphor of "being in different boats" is equally applicable to the challenges faced during wartime, as those since 7/10 .Those forced to flee their homes face a storm of uncertainty and hardship that is far different from the challenges of those who are able to remain in their homes, even under constant threat. Some are adrift in a storm on a lifeboat, while others are clinging to a single piece of wreckage.
By recognizing the diverse experiences and challenges faced by individuals during wartime and taking steps to address these disparities, we can work towards a more just and compassionate response to the needs of all affected populations.
Therapeutic Spaces as a Secure Base
From an attachment-based perspective, therapeutic spaces—especially those intentionally designed within workshops—serve not only as containers for emotional experience but also as secure bases from which participants can explore inner and relational worlds. According to Bowlby’s foundational theory of attachment, a secure base is a reliable, responsive presence that allows individuals to venture outward into exploration, knowing they can return to safety if needed. In therapeutic workshops, facilitators can embody this secure base by offering consistent, attuned, and empathic responses, thus fostering psychological safety within the group and a basis for healthy self relating for each participant.
Creating such a space involves more than the physical setting; it requires cultivating relational safety through mindful facilitation. When participants feel seen without judgment, when their voices are welcomed, and when vulnerability is met with respect, they are more likely to take emotional risks, share personal narratives, and engage in reflective processes that promote growth and healing. This is particularly significant in groups that bring together individuals with histories of loss, trauma, or caregiving exhaustion, where the need for safety may be heightened.
Nature-based settings, in particular, offer a compelling dimension to this concept. The presence of trees, open skies, and the gentle rhythms of the natural world can amplify the experience of groundedness and support. In this context, nature itself becomes part of the secure base—a nonjudgmental, containing presence that invites openness and calm. When therapeutic encounters unfold in such spaces, they can reinforce attachment-based dynamics of safety and exploration, enhancing participants' capacities for self-compassion, emotional regulation, and connection with others.
Schaller (2007) posited that secure attachment is so foundational to psychological functioning that it may serve as the mental health equivalent of a "broadband antibiotic" (p. 191)—an underlying mechanism that supports a wide array of positive emotional, relational, and cognitive outcomes. In a similar vein, Mikulincer and Shaver (2003) argued that priming a sense of attachment security not only strengthens interpersonal bonds but also fosters a generalized sense of psychological safety. This broadened sense of security becomes particularly vital in the aftermath of trauma, when individuals are highly susceptible to retraumatization and may struggle to trust others or feel safe within themselves and their environments.
Nature as a Resource
Resilience can also be promoted through nature–based practices, such as spending time in nature and engaging in outdoor activities together with others. Such activities can help to reduce stress, promote physical health, and foster a sense of connectedness to the natural world (Pardess, 2019).
Harnessing the transformative power of metaphors from nature is an additional part of the support programs informed by the MOVING model. Such metaphors can reduce feelings of alienation and isolation, as they remind us that we are part of a larger, interconnected web of life.
For example, a metaphor of a tree growing through a storm can remind participants of the latent constructive forces that enable us to grow and flourish even in the midst of chaos. In Hurricanes, research has showed, for example, that trees growing in groups with intertwined roots survived the winds better than individual trees. Such metaphors may inspire us to see our struggles in a new perspective
Emerging research from the field of nature-based psychology further reinforces the significance of attachment-related processes, extending the concept of secure bonding beyond human relationships to include the natural world. A growing body of literature highlights the multifaceted ways in which human-nature connection functions as a basic psychological need—encompassing cognitive, emotional, and physiological dimensions. A secure sense of belonging in nature has been linked to improved well-being, emotional regulation, and even existential grounding, suggesting that the natural environment can function as a form of secure base or safe haven for many individuals ().
In a compelling series of empirical studies, Nisa et al. (2020) explored the intersection between interpersonal attachment and environmental bonding through the lens of place attachment—defined as the emotional and psychological bonds that individuals form with specific geographic or symbolic settings. Notably, their research demonstrated that experimentally inducing attachment security increased participants' sense of connection to place, particularly among individuals with insecure attachment styles. These findings offer novel support for the idea that a felt sense of secure connection with others can facilitate or even potentiate one's capacity to form deep, restorative relationships with nature. Across four studies, Nisa and colleagues (2020) found that individuals with secure attachment tendencies were more likely to report strong place attachment, and that interventions aimed at enhancing felt security could effectively increase this bond.
This suggests that human-to-human attachment and human-to-place connection are interrelated psychological processes. Facilitating secure interpersonal experiences may thus open pathways for deepening one's sense of rootedness and belonging in the world—a process especially relevant in therapeutic settings designed to foster healing, resilience, and post-traumatic growth. Such findings lend empirical and theoretical support to the integration of attachment-informed approaches within nature-based interventions, particularly for individuals navigating trauma or loss (Pardess, 2019).
Facilitators can consciously draw on these attachment principles by designing rituals of opening and closing, establishing clear strategies of grounding, and modeling emotional availability and attunement. In doing so, they help participants internalize a sense of security that can be carried beyond the session into their everyday lives, supporting resilience and the reweaving of a coherent narrative.
References (updated 2024)
,Branham L (2024) Embodied earth kinship: interoceptive awareness and relational attachment personal factors predict nature connectedness in a structural model of nature connection. Front. Psychol. 15:1400655. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1400655\
Mikulincer, M., and Shaver, P. R. (2003). The attachment behavioral system in adulthood: activation, psychodynamics, and interpersonal processes. Adv. Exp. Soc. Psychol. 35, 53–152. doi: 10.1016/S0065-2601(03)01002-5
Nisa, C. F., Bélanger, J. J., and Schumpe, B. M. (2020). On solid ground: Secure attachment promotes place attachment. J. Environ. Psychol. 70, 1–9. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101463
Nisbet, E. K., Zelenski, J. M., and Grandpierre, Z. (2019). Mindfulness in nature enhances connectedness and mood. Ecopsychology 11, 81–91. doi: 10.1089/ECO.2018.0061
Pardess E. (2019). Promoting caregiver satisfaction and regeneration. In Serlin I. A., Krippner S., Rockefeller K. (Eds.), Integrated care for the traumatized: A whole-person approach (pp. 189-202). Rowman & Littlefield.
Pardess, E., Mikulincer, M., Dekel, R & Shaver, P. (2014). Dispositional attachme
Schaller, M. (2007). Is secure attachment the antidote to everything that ails us? Psychol. Inq. 18, 191–193. doi: 10.1080/1047840070151280
Shaver, P. R., & Mikulincer, M. (2021). Defining attachment relationships and attachment security from a personality–social perspective on adult attachment. In R. A. Thompson, J. A. Simpson, & L. J. Berlin (Eds.), Attachment: The fundamental questions (pp. 39–45). The Guilford Press.
References related to COVID challenges
Bergen, H., et al. (2020). Well-being and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review.” BMC Public Health, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 1-12.
Ewing, P., et al. (2020). Psychological resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic: A review of the evidence and recommendations for practice. Mental Health Review Journal, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 103-116.
Wang, Y., et al. (2020). Psychosocial interventions and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 11, pp. 1-15.
White, C., et al. (2020). Supporting mental health resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. The British Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 217, pp. 95-97.
Zhang, H., et al. (2020). Covid-19: A review of psychological resilience and psychological support programs. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 17, no. 8, pp. 2859.
Additional references related to promoting resilience in face of collective trauma-
Ajduković, D. (2013). Introducing the notion of social context of collective trauma to ESTSS. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 4Participatory and action research as a transformative praxis: Responding to humanitarian crises from the margins
Ortega-Williams, A., Wernick, L. J., DeBower, J., & Brathwaite, B. (2020). Finding relief in action: The intersection of youth-led community organizing and mental health in Brooklyn, New York City. Youth & Society, 52(4), 618–638.
Parham, W. D. (2011). A call to action: Responding to large-scale disasters, catastrophes, and traumas. The Counseling Psychologist, 39(8), 1193–1202.
Ullman, C. (2014). Introduction to panel: Dissociation, enactment and collective trauma: The role of psychoanalysis. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 24(4), 441–443.
Weingarten, K., Galván‐Durán, A. R., D'Urso, S., & Garcia, D. (2020). The witness to witness program: – Helping the helpers in the context of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Family Process, 59(3), 883–897
Additional Resources related to the pathways to nature connectedness or nature as a resource in supporting health care workers can be found in the following links.
Handouts from THE MOVING MODEL programs, toolkits, resources and scholarly articles are avaiable upon request
