What is Collective Healing?

What does collective healing have to do with creativity? And what role can poetry play in a world gripped by so much suffering?

Lori Shridhare, a writer and director of communications at Harvard Medical School, began studying with teacher and international facilitator Thomas Hübl. After years of immersive study of collective and inter-generational trauma, Lori turned to writing poetry. Throughout 2024 as the destruction of Gaza unfolded, she began to experience words and images spontaneously come through her regular writing practice – fragments of sentences that spoke of struggling voices yearning to speak. This process inspired her to write the poem Witness. Target = Rubble, published in Merrion West, which you can hear Lori read in the previous episode of What Is Collective Healing?

In this episode, Matthew and Lori explore how Lori moved beyond a purely intellectual understanding of trauma to gain an ever subtler perception of how the legacy of past transgressions – and the power of present atrocities – can live on in our minds, bodies and cultural soil – and how these forgotten layers can gradually be brought back into the light. They also discuss the mysterious process by which collective healing in groups can unlock new levels of creativity, and the sacred power of poetry to bear witness to the lives and loves of those whose voices have been muted by the violence of war and occupation.

Lori has been collaborating with Thomas Hübl on writing and other projects since 2018, including a recently launched blog series for Psychology Today called "Attuned: Collective Healing During Times of Crisis". Lori lives in Arlington, Massachusetts.

00:00 Introduction: What is Collective Healing?

00:03 Exploring Trauma and Self-Awareness

02:19 Lori's Journey into Collective Healing

05:39 The Impact of the Boston Marathon bombings

06:52 Discovering Thomas Hübl and Collective Trauma

07:46 The Power of Group Healing and Meditation

08:28 Unpacking Ancestral and Collective Trauma

12:01 The Creative Process and Poetry

31:18 The Role of Witnessing in Healing

39:33 Current Challenges and Collective Healing in the US

49:28 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Witness. Target = Rubble. by Lori Shridhare

Published in Merion West, February 2025

I write as both the witness and the experiencer.

We appear as two separate individuals.

We are not.

1. Witness is now the living trace of this encounter. -Gert-Jan van der Heiden

Echoes of seismic blasts penetrate this skin of memory.

I am under.

Boulders on my back. Polygonals, squares, round.

Slabs.

We try to hide from what our vision sees, but we can't.

What comes next is a crumpled blank page. Subterranean dust.

Wet fragments.

I hear "You're next."

You say, "Come closer, my love. If only with your eyes."

Waves of moments

wash our bodies

clearing the lens

for presence.

Droplets taste of

dew, honey, sea salt,

melting, in movement,

in stillness.

The essence of seeing

you remains.

1. The sense of trauma can thus be understood as a particular risk of the way in which a subject matter in a more general sense draws a witness near to or into itself. --Gert-Jan van der Heiden

Why are the parents missing?

We have a family with no elders.

These ruins can't make a neighborhood.

Darkness and the movements within the basement shatter what's above.

Within the clouds of perception, sensing an unknown fluidity,

while this body walks blindfolded, feeling objects in the dark.

I bow down to what's below my feet.

All we have is ground to stand on.

What happens when we lose the ground?

I witness what's below through my inner eye – the only capacity for sight left.

Underbelly of the earth

absorbs screams,

consecrates the silence.

Aftershocks awaken,

bring water to dry tears of

a sleeping world

as we become the

living cells of the dying.

We thought there couldn't be anything more.

But hurricanes can collide with tornados, can join floods.

Beautiful and horrific are the moment's songs.

I can't feel my back.

The rest of us dissolved.

The torment is shredding us.

Only the parents can punish the remaining children.

Forceful strike on my beloved's arm.

Waving our arms to nobody

The flights out of here don't exist.

We've become a landscape nobody can dream of.

Don't kill that which can't exist anymore.

1. Your very body is the matrix of crossings too dense for language to articulate.

You are multiple. You are indeterminate. You are pluriversal.

-Bayo Akomolafe

Joy that absolves all of this. Here, sip from my salivation.

People's hearts don't die in the rubble.

Prison gates can't contain these concave chests,

reservoirs of humility, where whispers still breathe.

I jump to the other side, but my body is stagnating.

Find the life jacket that comes with the lifeboat.

Rubble is not a structure.

From where does silence speak?

What ears can hear the muted voice?

1. If we go down will we ever get up

2. The falling, falling, falling, will you pick me up

3. Time to be held in the arms of the beloved

4. Broken witnesses, limp as wilted filaments in cracked bulbs

The era of the witness. -Annette Wieviorka

We can't become what we refuse to see.

There isn't a different place than the earth we stand on.

Darting in and out of continents.

Glaciers merged and emerged, joining us once again.

The chafed elbows that link together are

our own

not our own

our own

not our own

Parallel structures and discontinuous thoughts

clamor for attention

The razing of entire beings

Razed. Raised.

Beds.

The landscape, the barren field.

Where does creative power meet destruction?

Can language generate life once the blood stops?

What languages are invited to come through that have not yet been spoken?

1. Take the scythe.

2. Remove the debris in the field

3. The filling of the new creation will come

4. Has come.

5. Panic is a vibratory field of fear.

6. It is lodged in the body.

The calling is the echo of our arrival. -Thomas Hübl

Seeing that allows steps into finer gradations of light

awake to both the something and the nothing

sitting to be perfectly awake

crying to the one who knows my soul

loving his unspoken soft depths of beauty

5. Voices of despair, long before our ears hear them

Birthing a new form that comes alive

through soil, consecrated compost

pixelated meteor

decimated granite

crystallized limestone

guts and bones

seeped in sand.

Voice of mourning

wails of sorrow

turn this earth into my

life-giving blood

Eyes that moisten the sand under my knees

buds awaken to new growth

Alive....burning into the night

A new form arising

Taking the handful that's mine

grains of hollowed stardust

ashes of skeletons

future of my bones

soil of my skin

the love I'm making

tumbling me towards home

6. Precision

Finding clay

we mold

to shape

this precious

world,

drawn in contours

of touch -

formed softness,

our delicacy of being

Down on my knees, begging for one right word

for consciousness that is never wasted. Never gone.

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Hosted by Matthew Green. Produced by J'aime Rothbard.

Laura Calderon de la Barca leads us deeper into discovery and exploration of the concept of collective healing as it relates to entire nations. Laura brings us into her personal pilgrimage that led to her realization that much of the shame she felt was inherited from her ancestors. Through her process of deep inner connection with that pain, she was led to a wider stream that merged her personal trauma to the broader collective trauma of colonialism experienced throughout Mexico.

Laura shares stories and insights illuminating her journey to integrate and heal from ancestral wounds, emphasizing the importance of self attunement and authenticity. Through her work with indigenous communities and her studies in narrative therapy and fractals, Laura offers a dynamic and expanded view from which we can more comprehensively acknowledge and heal intergenerational and cultural traumas. She describes how collective trauma lives not not only in human bodies, but also geographic ones, and that the best way for us to do this work is together.

Produced by J'aime Rothbard 00:00 Introduction to Collective Healing 00:08 Understanding Shame and Collective Trauma 01:20 Meet Laura Calderon deBaca 02:55 The Essence of Collective Healing 04:55 Historical Context and Indigenous Wisdom 11:08 Personal Journey and Identity 17:02 Discovering Intergenerational Trauma 23:48 Healing Mexico's Collective Trauma 29:59 Global Impact and Future Vision 56:20 Conclusion and Call to Action

Hosted by Matthew Green. Produced by J'aime Rothbard.

Join Matthew Green and David Young as they dive into the mechanisms of polarization, the significance of grief, and the potential for societal transformation through collective healing. David draws us into his comprehension that collective healing is not just about the sum of individuals but about understanding and attuning to the collective as a single entity. He discusses his approaches to dealing with polarization by giving individuals ways to address social polarization within their own bodies, which in turn can reduce the overall charge in the collective system. David shares insights from his background, including his experiences as a martial artist and a certified mindfulness teacher, and outlines the importance of small groups of committed individuals in healing collective issues.

About David Young

David Young is a collective integration facilitator, certified mindfulness teacher, and leadership coach with over two decades of experience in trauma-informed consulting, systems change, and leadership development. After training in collective trauma integration with Thomas Hübl, David has focused his work on fostering healing in communities through large-scale retreats, intergenerational leadership initiatives, and cultural resilience programs across the U.S. and Europe. His facilitation style—rooted in mindfulness, relational attunement, and design-thinking—guides individuals, teams, and organizations toward deeper connection and transformation. David also co-created trauma-informed training programs like Attuned and The Leadership Dojo, and brings the same grounded presence to his passions for martial arts, tea shops, and outdoor adventures with his children.

Promotional link: The Global Social Witnessing Facilitator Training offers a deep exploration into the practice of attuning to world events with an embodied awareness, fostering a culture of conscious global citizenship. This training is designed for individuals who seek to move beyond passive consumption of news and into a space of active witnessing, where presence becomes a transformative force for healing and change.

Details and Registration: https://pocketproject.org/global-social-witnessing-training/

Relevant Links:

The Art of Collective Integration

The Pocket Project

00:00 Introduction to Collective Healing

00:02 Understanding the Concept of the Collective

00:44 David Young's Approach to Polarization

03:13 The Importance of Collective Awareness

09:31 Exploring the Dynamics of Polarization

11:56 Practical Steps in Addressing Polarization

21:26 The Role of Grief in Collective Healing

28:30 Understanding Connection and Distance

28:53 The Role of Grief in Relationships

29:24 Techniques for Reconciliation

29:54 Historical and Collective Distance

30:56 Personal Reflections and Political Dynamics

35:17 The Need for Collective Healing Spaces

38:47 The Art of Collective Integration

39:04 David's Journey and Commitment to Healing

43:57 The Influence of Thomas Huble

47:12 Future Vision for Collective Healing

51:21 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Hosted by Matthew Green. Produced by J'aime Rothbard.

In our inaugural episode, we are joined by Manda Johnson, co-founder of the Pocket Project's Global Social Witnessing Competence Centre. Amanda shares her journey of integrating her personal and ancestral trauma, which led her to the practice of Global Social Witnessing. Together, they explore how this practice connects personal healing with collective healing and how it can transform our response to global crises. Discover the profound impacts and the potential for this practice to reimagine how we conceive of trauma, reshape our media system, and support collective evolution.

Promotional link: The Global Social Witnessing Facilitator Training offers a deep exploration into the practice of attuning to world events with an embodied awareness, fostering a culture of conscious global citizenship. This training is designed for individuals who seek to move beyond passive consumption of news and into a space of active witnessing, where presence becomes a transformative force for healing and change.

Details and Registration: https://pocketproject.org/global-social-witnessing-training/

Relevant Links:

World Witnessing

The Pocket Project

Resonant World

00:03 Personal and Intergenerational Healing

01:23 The Revelation of Collective Healing

01:55 The Role of Large Groups

02:46 Th journey into Collective Healing Work

03:06 Interconnectedness of Personal and Collective Trauma

04:10 Path to Collective Healing

04:11 Personal Healing Journey

06:31 Family Background and Early Trauma

07:51 Impact of Childhood Trauma

08:39 Exploring Ancestral Trauma

12:23 Integration and Healing

18:04 Global Social Witnessing

21:45 The Practice of Global Social Witnessing

28:32 Personal Evolution and Global Impact

32:33 The Future of Collective Healing

44:53 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Production by J'aime Rothbard

Matthew Green is joined by Laura Calderon de la Barca, who shares her own process of unpicking the knot that she discovered had not only deep ancestral and collective origins, but also has geographic dimensions.

Laura is a psychotherapist specialized in collective and intergenerational trauma, as well as a collective healing researcher, educator, consultant, linguist and cultural analyst.

Beside her private therapeutic practice, she collaborated with research and facilitation in the Academy of Inner Science and the Pocket Project, both founded by contemporary mystic Thomas Hübl, in collective healing courses and programs, such as the Collective Trauma Summits, where she participated as a panelist and host, bringing the wisdom of Latin American voices to over four hundred thousand people in a global audience.

"Polarization isn't the end; it's an invitation to open new pathways for the ways we understand ourselves and each other." - David Young

Tune into this preview of our second full episode, where Matthew Green drops in with David to explore the incredible and unexpected opportunities we are presented with in the times we are living in today. Walk away with a new and broadened perspective of what Collective Healing is.

Subscribe now to receive the full episode when it lands!

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David Young is a collective integration facilitator, certified mindfulness teacher, and leadership coach with over two decades of experience in trauma-informed consulting, systems change, and leadership development. After training in collective trauma integration with Thomas Hübl, David has focused his work on fostering healing in communities through large-scale retreats, intergenerational leadership initiatives, and cultural resilience programs across the U.S. and Europe. His facilitation style—rooted in mindfulness, relational attunement, and design-thinking—guides individuals, teams, and organizations toward deeper connection and transformation. David also co-created trauma-informed training programs like Attuned and The Leadership Dojo, and brings the same grounded presence to his passions for martial arts, tea shops, and outdoor adventures with his children.

Here's a preview of our first episode, where Matthew Green sits down with Manda Johnson to talk about the origins of Global Social Witnessing, what it is and how it can transform how we think about trauma.

Click here to learn about our next Global Social Witnessing Facilitator training

Manda Johnson is a co-founder of the Pocket Project's Global Social Witnessing Competence Centre and has been at the forefront of developing and refining GSW practice since 2017 alongside her partner, Robert Buxbaum. Together, they co-created the webinar series Witnessing the World in Me/And Me in the World and The Art of Witnessing, and founded WorldWitnessing.org in partnership with the Pocket Project. A seasoned facilitator, Manda works with business executives in leadership development and integrates her background as a coach and somatic therapist. She has studied with Thomas Hübl since 2015, is a graduate of the Timeless Wisdom and Pocket Project trainings, and is a member of Thomas' Core Group.

The Pocket Project is delighted to announce the launch of a new weekly podcast exploring how people around the world are coming together to find new ways to heal individual, inter-generational and collective trauma.

What Is Collective Healing? features moving conversations with participants in the work of the Pocket Project and practitioners who have trained with Thomas Hübl and other leaders in the field. Hosted by Kosha Joubert, Sonita Mbah and Matthew Green.

Be sure to catch our first episode on Wednesday, May 21. Click on the links below to subscribe:

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

Follow on Spotify

The Pocket Project was founded by Thomas Hübl and Yehudit Sasportas to help induce a shift from trauma-inducing to trauma-informed, trauma sensitive and, finally, trauma-integrating institutions and societies.