When Violence Reawakens Old Wounds: Community Trauma, Values & Collective Care

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When violence occurs in a shared public space, it doesn’t only impact those directly involved — it ripples through communities, values, and our collective sense of safety.

In this short, reflective episode of Growing Tall Poppies: Thrive After Trauma, Dr Nat Green explores community trauma, collective memory, and why events like the recent violent attack at Bondi during a Jewish Hanukkah gathering can feel deeply triggering for so many Australians (and audiences worldwide).

Violence in familiar, public places can shake us in ways that are difficult to explain. Even if we weren’t there. Even if we don’t know anyone directly affected.

Dr Nat speaks gently to the community trauma — and why these events can reawaken old wounds, both personally and collectively. Drawing on decades of trauma-informed work, including her involvement in community recovery following the Port Arthur massacre, Dr Nat reflects on how trauma memory lives in the nervous system and why reactions such as fear, hypervigilance, sadness, anger, or numbness are deeply human responses.

This episode also acknowledges the specific impact of violence on communities gathering in faith and celebration, and speaks directly to the Jewish community with compassion and validation.

Importantly, listeners are offered clear, practical, trauma-informed strategies to support themselves in the days and weeks following community violence — not to fix or bypass what’s happened, but to help the nervous system settle and feel supported.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• What community trauma is and why it affects all of us
• How collective and historical trauma can be reactivated by current events
• Why heightened vigilance, sleep disruption, emotional swings, or numbness are normal trauma responses
• The impact of violence on communities gathering around faith and culture
• Trauma-informed grounding strategies to support the nervous system
• How compassion, connection, and shared values support collective healing

7 Trauma-Informed Strategies Shared in This Episode

• Creating psychological distance from distressing news and social media
• Orienting the body to present-moment safety
• Grounding through movement, breath, and sensory awareness
• Normalising emotional fluctuations after community trauma
• Staying connected to others as a buffer against isolation
• Lowering expectations and prioritising self-care
• Seeking additional professional or community support when needed

Resources & Support (Australia) If you are struggling, support is available:

• Lifeline — 13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support)
• Beyond Blue — 1300 22 4636
• Headspace (for young people) — headspace.org.au
• Your GP — for referrals and mental health care plans

If you are part of the Jewish community, consider reaching out to trusted community leaders or culturally safe support services.

If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen

Intro and Outro music: Inspired Ambient by Playsound.

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be deemed or treated as psychological treatment or to replace the need for psychological treatment.