


“The healing of the land and the purification
of the human spirit is the same process.”
Masanobu Fukuoka


trauma informed Permaculture,
for recovery, regeneration, resilience and healing of the land, people and communities.
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Trauma-Informed Approach
According to the concept of a trauma-informed approach, “A program, organisation, or system that is trauma-informed:
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Realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for recovery;
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Recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff, and others involved with the system;
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Responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices; and
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Seeks to actively resist re-traumatization."
A trauma-informed approach can be implemented in any type of service setting or organization and is distinct from trauma-specific interventions or treatments that are designed specifically to address the consequences of trauma and to facilitate healing.
Six Key Principles of a Trauma-Informed Approach
A trauma-informed approach reflects adherence to six key principles rather than a prescribed set of practices or procedures. These principles may be generalizable across multiple types of settings, although terminology and application may be setting- or sector-specific:
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Safety
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Trustworthiness and Transparency
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Peer support
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Collaboration and mutuality
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Empowerment, voice and choice
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Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues
From this perspective, it is critical to promote the linkage to recovery and resilience for those individuals and families impacted by trauma. Consistent with this definition of recovery, services and supports that are trauma-informed build on the best evidence available and consumer and family engagement, empowerment, and collaboration.
Trauma-Specific Interventions
Trauma-specific intervention programs generally recognize the following:
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The survivor's need to be respected, informed, connected, and hopeful regarding their own recovery
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The interrelation between trauma and symptoms of trauma such as substance abuse, eating disorders, depression, and anxiety
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The need to work in a collaborative way with survivors, family and friends of the survivor, and other human services agencies in a manner that will empower survivors and consumers
Green Kashmir Permaculture trauma informed approach.
We use multidisciplinary holistic “whole system” approach of Health & Wellbeing, Permaculture and Agroecological systems for potential paths for recovery in Kashmir.
In our work we have found that the ravages of trauma on the land, the soil, the environment, the ecosystem, the community, and the people living in a conflict zone requires a gentle touch and a patient, compassionate approach. A framework and system that is time hungry and requires small and slow solutions.
We hope that the scope of this humble foundation for communicating the power of Permaculture to create imaginative solutions in earth and human ecosystems and how the two can inter-relate to create nature-based solutions that are trauma informed for recovery and resilience.
Since 2016 GKPT has been empowering people and building capacity in Kashmir via education in nature-based solutions according to the framework of Permaculture to include healing of the land, people, and their communities, and building resilience.
GKPT Aligns itself with the social and therapeutic aspects of engaging with nature, and growing food. The well-being of people is addressed with nutrient rich chemical free food whilst using trauma informed techniques to encourage recovery of the nervous system in mindful therapeutic ways for those living in conflict zones. By supporting individuals sensitively and compassionately, a window of opportunity is created whereby a human being can make a recovery, normally via the nervous system initially, that then impacts on the whole of their cognitive outlook on life so that healing and regenerative approaches can be embraced to create the new way of living that is required for the health of the planet, its people, and its ecosystems. Regeneration takes place when well human beings interact synergistically with the earth to create more potential that either could otherwise create alone.
The model for trauma informed regeneration and resilience that the GKPT has been working on in the conflict zone of Kashmir is a model that could be of use for guidance, to be adapted to other areas of the globe where people live in conflict. The formula for the way that we worked can be shared in other settings, or indeed GKPT can deliver sessions so that new facilitators can be developed in the given situation.
After the recent global pandemic created by the Coronavirus one of the aftereffects has been a new pandemic in mental health issues, for example social isolation, stress, and anxiety. By developing trauma informed Permaculture adaptations and building on the health and spiritual well-being of people, human capacity automatically grows, and individuals are empowered to find their own creative solutions. By taking the model that GKPT uses for trauma informed regeneration and resilience in a conflict zone, communities all over the world not actually living in a conflict zone could benefit from this model as an antidote to the mental health pandemic that we now face.