The Future of Psychological Safety: A Trauma-Informed Vision to Safety within the Workplace
Written by Melissa Andrada, MSc (they/she); Dr. Bree McDaniel, Psy.D. (she/her)
You deserve to feel safe and supported
Embodied Safety is the understanding and practice that each person can authentically be themselves and use their voice, transparently share ideas and feedback, fail and make mistakes, express feelings and difficult experiences, and honor workplace requests to effectively do their job and live a balanced personal life, without fear of being penalized or shamed.
Each person feels present and grounded in their body. Their nervous system is comfortable, confident and calm, which allows them to be more focused and impactful at work.
PRACTICE/ BREATHING
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Thank you for being here. If you’re reading this, we invite you to begin with a practice of embodied leadership: intentional breathing.
Beginning with three deep breaths from the diaphragm. Slowly inhaling through your nose, exhaling out through your mouth.
Making your exhalations deeper than your inhalation, activating the parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for sleep and rest.
Notice how you feel in your body now?
What do you need before reading?We’ve got you.
CONTENT
1 - Introduction: Why does Safety Matter
2 - Start with Why: Safety Starts with Ourselves
3 - Your Body Matters Too. Going Beyond Cognitive Definitions of Psychological Safety
4 - Compassionately Naming the Elephant: Trauma Blocks Safety at Work
5 - Organizational Post Traumatic Growth: A Culture of Safety, Belonging and Joy
6 - Somatic Leadership Tools for Challenging Work Situations
7 - Case Study: Building Embodied Safety, Belonging and Joy for City Surf Project & Bay Area Youth
8 - Conclusion: Transforming Collective Trauma and Pain into Collective Imagination and Impact
1. INTRODUCTION
Why does Safety Matter
Safety is a basic human need and right. According to Google’s Re:Work Study, it is the most important attribute of a high performing team. Yet, so many of us don’t feel safe at work.
Do you relate to any of these statements?
I’m worried about our political climate
I’m scared to talk about diversity, equity and inclusion
I’m concerned about our future
I’m anxious I won’t have a job
I feel disconnected from my team
I’m afraid of making a mistake
I feel like I can’t do anything right
I can’t do anything wrong
I have to be perfect
Most People Don't Feel Safe at Work
Just 26% of leaders create psychological safety for their teams
Lower Levels of Safety Lead to Poor Mental Health
61% of workers, who experience lower psychological safety at work, say that during their workday, they typically feel tense or stressed
Poor Mental Health Costs Billions
Employees with poor mental health report nearly 12 days of unplanned absences per year, leading to an estimated $40.6 billion in lost productivity annually.
You’re not alone. Alongside the daily stressors of our personal lives, we are confronted with profound global issues: the climate crisis, ongoing violence and genocide, attacks on immigration and basic human rights and an unstable political environment. In spite of the weight of these challenges, we are expected to show up as our best selves at work, maintain a positive demeanor, and be productive.
How can we truly perform at our best if we
lack a sense of safety in our work environments?
Addressing this concern is crucial for fostering a healthy workplace culture and achieving our organizational purpose and goals. Yet, current approaches to psychological safety rely almost solely on brain-based methodologies. Thinking and talking is not enough. We need a holistic mind-body approach for more efficient and effective results. By embracing this holistic perspective, organizations can foster a more supportive and productive workplace that nurtures the bottom line and the well-being of all employees.
When we feel safe…
we are more creative
we are more collaborative
we are more courageous
Together we achieve innovations that change the world.
This theory of change for Embodied Safety is based on our combined 30+ years of experience supporting thousands of individuals and organizations across corporate and clinical settings in their mental health and wellbeing.
2. START WITH WHY
Safety Starts with Ourselves
Mel on finding safety in their authentic leadership voice
“My passion for embodied safety began with my own journey of authentic voice. When I began my career as a digital strategist, I felt deeply unsafe at work. Well-intentioned colleagues would often encourage me to “speak up more” and “be more confident,” yet their guidance often lacked the emotional skillfulness to achieve the outcomes they were seeking. As a queer Filipine American born in Nigeria who grew up as an undocumented immigrant and survivor of sexual childhood violence, it was rare to see my lived experiences represented in my managers and mentors. My personal development hit a wall with traditional forms of coaching and therapy; somatics transformed my life and leadership. Through an alchemy of trauma-informed executive coaching, music & movement therapy and yoga teacher training, I reconnected with my body and transformed my experiences of trauma and oppression into purpose and innovation. I reclaimed my voice. Now, my life’s work is dedicated to using my voice to help others access their voice.”
Bree on embracing her neurodiverse authentic self
“For much of my life, I was often told that I was “too quiet” and needed to be more assertive. Colleagues and supervisors even commented that I was “hard to read.” It took years for me to understand that as a Black queer cisgender woman who is neurodivergent, highly sensitive, and introverted, my experiences and ways of interacting with the world are inherently different from those who are neurotypical and/or who do not occupy marginalized identities. Meaningful self-reflection, engaging in psychotherapy, having a supportive community, and having positive mentors, along with developing a connection to my body and breath through a dedicated meditation practice, spending time in nature, learning to swim, and receiving acupuncture, have all enabled me to embrace my authentic self, set healthy boundaries, and develop systems that empower me to confidently take up space and use my voice. As a result, I have become skilled at creating psychologically safe environments that accommodate diverse needs, perspectives and experiences.
PRACTICE/ PAUSE FOR REFLECTION
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Spend five minute letting your subconscious wander on the page.
What does safety mean to you?
What helps you feel safe at work?
How does safety feel in your body?
3. YOUR BODY MATTERS TOO
Going Beyond Cognitive Definitions of Psychological Safety
According to the heavily cited Google’s Re:Work Study based on 180 teams and 200+ interviews, Psychological Safety is the most important attribute of a high performing team. This study defines Psychological Safety as, “Teams feel safe to take risks and be vulnerable with each other.”
Figure 1. Understanding Team Effectiveness. Re:Work
Note. This model was developed by Google to identify the key characteristics of effective teams, highlighting five essential areas, with psychological safety being the most essential. Copyright (n.d.) by Google.
According to research based on 62 drug development teams at six large pharmaceutical firms, conducted by Harvard professor Amy Edmondson and INSEAD professor Henrik Bresman, diverse teams need psychological safety to succeed.
“People who feel psychologically safe are confident that candor and vulnerability are welcome in their workplace. They believe that they will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes”
To drive sustained transformation, there’s a need to go beyond the mainstream definition of ‘Psychological Safety’ and bring a more contemporary embodied understanding of safety in the workplace, that goes beyond cognition.
Our Definition
Embodied Safety is the understanding and practice that each person can authentically be themselves and use their voice, transparently share ideas and feedback, fail and make mistakes, express feelings and difficult experiences, and honor workplace requests to effectively do their job and live a balanced personal life, without fear of being penalized or shamed.
Each person feels present and grounded in their body. Their nervous system is comfortable, confident and calm, which allows them to be more focused and impactful at work.
4. COMPASSIONATELY NAMING THE ELEPHANT
Trauma Impedes Embodied Safety at Work
We can’t talk about psychological safety without looking at trauma. Natural disasters, racism, sexual violence, death and loss, sexism, illness, accidents, ableism, Islamophobia, antisemitism, transphobia, homophobia, adverse child experiences and more are forms of trauma that impact our safety at work. The intention of this section is to provide an overview of the latest research in trauma and transformation, translating important concepts into everyday practices at work.
Staci K. Haines, somatics leader and author of The Politics of Trauma: Somatics, Healing and Social Justice, who Mel has studied under, posits, “Trauma is an experience, series of experiences, and/or impacts from social conditions, that break or betray our inherent need for safety, belonging and dignity.”
Our responses and capacity to cope matter more than the original event. Black Queer Feminist cultural memory worker and organizer, Cara Page and Black Queer Trans masculine facilitator, consultant, psychotherapist, and healing justice practitioner, Erica Woodland, “...define trauma as an experience or threat that overwhelms our individual and collective nervous system. Trauma is not the experience per se but our physical, emotional, spiritual, and psychic responses to that experience, which are shaped by our lived experiences of intergenerational trauma and structural violence.”
Therapist, yoga teacher and somatic experiencing practitioner Hala Khouri, who Mel has studied under, defines trauma as, “Anything that overwhelms our capacity to cope and respond, and leaves us feeling helpless, hopeless and out of control.” Clinical psychologists, Drs. Carrie Clark and Catherine C. Classen, along with occupational therapist, Anne Fourt, and psychiatrist, Dr. Maithili Shetty , co-authored the book, Treating the Trauma Survivor: An Essential Guide to Trauma Informed Care, further include “...and unable to assimilate or integrate [the traumatic experience].”
Building on Haines’, Page and Woodland’s, Khouri’s, and Clark’s et al. work, this is our definition:
Our Definition
Workplace trauma is an experience or set of experiences - within and outside of work -that disrupts our safety, belonging and dignity, leaving us feeling helpless, hopeless and out of control at work. This can be further impacted by unequal access to resources due to one’s social location, including, but not limited to adverse adult and childhood experiences, race, gender, sexual identity, ability, class, religion, and other forms of oppression, while simultaneously having little-to-no capacity internally or externally to cope, due to the impact of said trauma.
Each person may feel fear, anxiety, stress and tension. Their nervous system is more likely to enter into a freeze, flight or fight response, disrupting strategic thinking, collaboration and productivity at work.
The impact of trauma within the workplace can result from:
a) Experiences that occur at work that impact our capacity to feel safe and perform to the best of our abilities, including but not limited to:
Microaggressions, harassment, discrimination, bullying, public humiliation, gaslighting or psychological manipulation.
Unrealistic expectations & overwork
Favoritism, gossiping, withholding information, & unfair work practices connected to promotions, firing and career development
Sudden job losses, layoffs, furloughs, & organizational restructuring
Requests for support or resources, not compassionately met by managers and colleagues
Environmental and safety hazards, accidents and workplace injuries
b) Experiences that occurred outside work that impact our capacity to feel safe and perform to the best of our abilities.
Natural disasters, racism, sexual violence, death and loss, sexism, illness, accidents, ableism, Islamophobia, antisemitism, xenophobia, transphobia, homophobia, ageism, adverse child experiences and
The trauma that occurs within the workplace can exacerbate the trauma that occurs outside, and vice versa.
Grounding into Trauma-Informed Leadership:
Supporting an Individual who Struggles with Public Speaking
Imagine you have a colleague who doesn’t feel safe presenting in front of big groups. The default canned response from a manager is often, “You don’t need to be nervous, just be confident. Nobody cares.” Our communication and language needs a more nuanced and individualized consideration of their needs.
A trauma-informed perspective and response from a manager would consider:
What might be impacting this person’s ability to feel safe in their voice?
What does this person need to feel safe in their body while presenting?
What can I do to support them as a manager?
Based on their reflection:
What might this person need to hear?
What somatic tools can we use to help this person feel safe?
Can you relate to the aforementioned experience? This was something I faced. For many years, I (Bree) struggled with feelings of being different, believing there was something wrong with me because of my neurodivergent sensory sensitivities to fluorescent lights, loud or repetitive sounds, and temperature fluctuations. I experienced social anxiety and often felt more comfortable in quieter environments. Public speaking was a challenge for me, and I relied heavily on routines.
It is common to assume that everyone on your team is neurotypical, but it is essential to acknowledge that each person’s brain functions in a unique way. Research on neurodiversity in the workplace conducted by Dr. Nancy Doyle, psychologist and founder of Genius Within, and Merianne Kay, digital strategist, suggests that approximately 15 to 20 percent of the global population may exhibit some form of neurodivergence. According to Dr. Nicole Baumer, neurologist at Boston Children’s Hospital, and Dr. Julia French, neurology resident at Boston Children’s Hospital, “Neurodiversity describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one ‘right’ way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits. The word neurodiversity refers to the diversity of all people, but is often used in the context of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as other neurological or developmental conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or learning disabilities.”
Unfortunately, in environments where this compassionate understanding of neurodiversity was lacking, I found it incredibly difficult to be productive and fully engage with my work. I often felt the need to mask my neurodiversity to fit in, which sometimes meant my true self was hidden from view. In workplaces where leaders genuinely understood and supported their team members, I truly thrived. My strengths were recognized and celebrated. I was encouraged and supported in working on my growing edges in a compassionate way.
It is important to create spaces where everyone feels seen and supported, so we can all reach our full potential together.
5. ORGANIZATIONAL POST TRAUMATIC GROWTH
A Culture of Safety, Belonging and Joy
We bring a holistic trauma-informed lens to safety in the workplace. In the this video, professor of psychology, Dr. Sonja Lyubomirksy shares how with the right support, people can become more impactful at work, transforming post traumatic stress into post traumatic growth, achieving an even higher level of happiness and impact than before. Going beyond resilience and the original baselines of wellbeing and performance, survivors of trauma can become even more highly resourced and highly empowered leaders and catalyzers of change and innovation, with a deeper sense of magnetic purpose and motivation.
We need an embodied approach to post-traumatic growth. Dr. Cathy Malchiodi, trauma specialist, shares how trauma can have a profound impact on the limbic system of the brain, the “seat of survival instinct and reflexes,” which includes the hypothalamus, hippocampus and amygdala. Long after a traumatic experience or series of experiences, the slightest potential for danger, such as a stern tone of voice, arrival late to a meeting, or criticism over text, can secrete stress hormones and difficult sensations and emotions. It is therefore beneficial to address trauma physiologically through body-based sensory and processing.
Dr. Albert Wong, the Director of Somatic Psychology at JFK University, shared the following about trauma and the limitations of relying solely on a cognitive behavioral framework:
“There have, however, been recent advances in neuroscience that challenge the completeness of a purely cognitive behavioral model—particularly when dealing with the impact of trauma. What we are learning now is that trauma is not just something that impacts our cognition and behaviors alone.
Trauma impacts much more than just our thoughts and actions. Trauma is far-reaching and systemic—it cuts us to our bones. It can dissolve our sense of identity, diminish our capacity to locate ourselves accurately in time and space, inhibit our tolerance for interpersonal relatedness, disrupt the coherence of our experience, impair our capacity for emotional regulation, and so much more.”
Note. This illustration of the brain was created by Laci McGarry in 2022 to demonstrate the various ways in which trauma can affect brain structure and function. Copyright 2022 by Laci McGarry @laci.mcgarry
Going beyond the limitations of the mainstream modality of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), somatic psychology is a methodology focused on connecting the mind to the body, particularly potent for moving through trauma and over time, bringing a deeper sense of acceptance and peace to painful experiences, thoughts and feelings. Dr. Wong writes, “somatic psychology does not pretend that the body does not exist, that feelings are immaterial, or the unbidden, persistent images have no meaning. It is a way of treating a whole person—including each aspect, each channel, every vortex.” In the context of the future of work and organizational development, somatic psychology is a critical component for embodying equitable and inclusive transformation at scale.
According to psychotherapist and trauma specialist, Resmaa Menakem, who authored the book My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies, “Recent studies and discoveries increasingly point out that we heal primarily in and through the body, not just through the rational brain. We can all create more room, and more opportunities for growth, in our nervous systems. But we do this primarily through what our bodies experience and do—not through what we think or realize or cognitively figure out.”
Figure 3. Somatic Experiencing for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Outcome Study
Embodied Organizational Post Traumatic Growth: Towards Joyful High Performance and Innovation
Figure 4. 6 Guiding Principles to a Trauma-Informed Approach
Note. This poster was created by the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Office of Public Health and Preparedness and Response (OPHPR), in partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMSHA) National Center for Trauma-Informed Care (NCTIC). Its purpose was to enhance trauma awareness among OPHPR employees and train them on SAMHSA’s six principles for a trauma-informed approach.
Building off the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Office of Public Health and Preparedness and Response (OPHPR), in partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMSHA) National Center for Trauma-Informed Care (NCTIC) within the United States, we’ve boiled down six guiding principles to a trauma-informed approach into three embodied practices and values for organizations and the post traumatic growth of their people.
Our Definitions
Embodied Safety is the understanding and practice that each person can authentically be themselves and use their voice, transparently share ideas and feedback, fail and make mistakes, express feelings and difficult experiences, and honor workplace requests to effectively do their job and live a balanced personal life, without fear of being penalized or shamed.
The nervous system feels comfortable and calm, which allows them to be more present and focused at work.
Embodied Belonging is the practice and belief that everyone is valued and affirmed in who they are, has a sense of connection and collaboration, alongside trust and freedom of choice and autonomy, is honored in their differences and accommodated with what they need to be successful at work.
The nervous system feels at ease and supported, which allows one to feel confident pursuing their goals.
Embodied Joy is the practice of engaging in work that feels purposeful and pleasurable, spending our time in flow aligned to our unique gifts and values, and collectively moving towards a future vision, limitless and greater than ourselves.
The nervous system feels open, light and optimistic, which allows them to be more creative and innovative at work.
6. RESOURCES
Somatic Leadership Tools for Embodied Safety, Belonging and Joy
Note. This image was created by Aldebaran Healing in 2023 to demonstrate how Polyvagal Theory works.
Psychological Safety necessitates the incorporation of Polyvagal Theory, a physiological and psychological model, developed by psychologist, Dr. Stephen Porges, explaining how the automatic nervous system -- especially the vagus nerve -- controls our emotions and behaviors, even if we have different cognitive, strategic or intellectual intent.
When we feel a sense of safety, the vagus nerve facilitates calm and effective communication with other people. This promotes an environment of trust and collaboration, free of concerns about judgment or unfair treatment.
Conversely, when we feel emotionally or physically unsafe, our executive function— responsible for planning, problem-solving and decision-making— becomes disengaged. In this state, our sympathetic nervous system activates, making us more likely to respond with freeze, fight, or flight reactions. Consequently, we are less inclined to feel safe, be creative, or communicate openly.
Self-regulation is an important component of Polyvalagal Theory. When we have tools to calm and regulate our nervous systems, such as intentional movement and breathing, we can more readily transition from states of freeze, fight, or flight to a more calm and centered state. This encourages us to more easily reach our full potential and be more impactful and collaborative as leaders in our workplaces.
PRACTICE /PAUSE AND REFLECT
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What are your core practices for regulating nervous system in high-stress and high-pressure situations
“The autonomic nervous system is at the heart of our lived experience. It influences the way we live, love, and work; it guides how we move through the world. The nervous system is the common denominator in our human family designed to help us successfully navigate the challenges of daily living ensuring we survive in moments of danger and thrive in times of safety”
Building on our definition of Workplace Trauma in the context of Polyvagal Theory, we’ve created a toolkit of leadership practices you can use to partner with your nervous system in times of stress and crisis at work.
Self Awareness & Self Regulation
Develop a holistic embodied awareness of how your body and nervous system are feeling moment-to-moment to ensure you’re resourcing yourself at work for the greatest impact.
Embodied Practice: Body Scan
Facilitate a body scan from the feet all the way to the crown of your head.
What are you noticing in the body?
How are you feeling?
What does the body need?
I might notice my shoulders are tightening, which signals I’m experiencing stress and should probably stretch and take a break.
Connection & Co-Regulation
Feeling connected to others is a key for a joyful and calm nervous system. “Co-regulation creates a physiological platform of safety that supports a psychological story of security that then leads to social engagement.” -Deb Dana
Embodied Practice: 5-Min Meeting Check-In
Taking a moment to pause and ground as a team.
Invite each colleague to share: How are you feeling in one word?
Ask each person to reflect: What does your body need? Invite your colleagues to stand, stretch, move, and/or drink water before diving into the meeting agenda.
The Breath
The breath is one the most potent tools of leadership and resilience you can access any moment. It is a bottom-up stress management tool that helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, particularly potent if you’re experiencing a limbic state of flight or fight.
Workplace Scenario:
Receiving difficult feedback in a 1:1
Potential Default Somatic Response:
Getting ‘defensive’, experiencing anger and entering into a fight response
Potential Embodied
Leadership Tool:
Taking a moment to pause.
a) Taking deep breaths from the diaphragm
b) Humming, vocal toning or singing
The Voice
The voice is a potent tool for calm, confidence and courage. It can activate the vagus nerve and release unhealthy stuck emotions, particularly if we are stuck in a ‘freeze’ response, feeling like we might fall apart or shut down at work.
Workplace Scenario:
Giving feedback to colleague who has unintentionally committed a microaggression
Potential Default Somatic Response:
People pleasing and entering into silent rage and a ‘freeze’ response
Potential Embodied
Leadership Tool:
Free speaking or writing on everything you’re thinking and feeling in a private location.
a) Releasing big energy or extreme pain by shaking, grunting, yelling into your hands (use care and discernment for the latter)
b) Processing and co-regulating through speech and breath with a trusted and safe colleague or friend
Re-entering the conversation with your colleague to skillfully communicate your needs, boundaries and feedback.
Sound
Sound healing can help you manage anxiety and stress hormones at work. Listening to soothing music or resonant frequencies can nourish a sense of calm in the nervous system
Workplace Scenario:
Getting hard news at work (e.g. layoffs, not getting a promotion)
Potential Default Somatic Response:
Experiencing debilitating fear and anxiety, entering into a ‘freeze’ response
Potential Embodied
Leadership Tool:
Taking a moment to pause.
Listen to a playlist of soothing music while lying down or going for a walk
Movement
“Movement is a language, our first language. Nonverbal and movement communication begins in utero and continues throughout the lifespan.” -American Dance Therapy Association
Creative movement is a potent modality for leadership transformation, known to help develop confidence, self awareness and emotional regulation.
Workplace Scenario:
Delivering an important presentation to senior stakeholders.
Default Somatic Response:
Getting nervous and entering into a ‘flight’ response.
Embodied Leadership Tool:
Taking a moment to pause.
a) Going into a private location to shake out the big emotions (fear, anxiety, terror) and energy out of your body, centering into a posture that makes you feel powerful.
Re-entering the conversation calm and confident.
Touch
Touch is a shortcut to a calm nervous system; it is a key tool for connection and co-regulation. According to compassion researcher Dr. Kristin Neff, “Research indicates that physical touch releases oxytocin, soothes distressing emotions and calms cardiovascular stress.”
Workplace Scenario:
Making a mistake or failing at work
Potential Default Somatic Response:
Experiencing overwhelming shame and anxiety, disassociating and entering into a ‘freeze’ response
Potential Embodied
Leadership Tool:
Taking a moment to pause.
Holding grace for yourself, giving yourself a hug or holding your hands together
We invite you to adapt these tools to your unique individual needs and context. These tools are more effective when they truly become a daily consistent practice. You won’t have the same efficacy and organizational impact if you only use them when you are in moments of distress or dysregulation at work. When you commit to practice, you have more capacity to rewire your conditioned automatic tendencies. You can more quickly re-center back into your parasympathetic nervous system to embody your most calm, creative and confident expression of leadership.
If you feel overwhelmed, seek additional external support with a trusted and highly skilled psychotherapist, coach and/or somatic practitioner.
If you need resources for mental health support at work in the U.S., Mental Health America offers toolkits for employees and employers. The Center for Workplace Mental Health offers information about anxiety in the workplace.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988 lifeline.org. You can also visit the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) website, or call 1-800-950-NAMI(6264). In an emergency, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK(8255) or go to the nearest emergency room.
PRACTICE /PAUSE AND REFLECT
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How is your body feeling as you read this? What do you need?
A glass of water?
A stretch?
A walk?
7. Case Study
Building Embodied Safety, Belonging and Joy for City Surf Project & Bay Area Youth
We have spent 4.5+ years partnering with City Surf Project, a 10-year-old nonprofit based in the Bay Area, to support their organizational vision of equitable access to the ocean and surfing.
Our partnership began in summer 2020, amidst the Pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement, when Mel facilitated a multi-day socially distant team outdoor retreat at Precita Park in San Francisco, in close partnership with Executive Director Johnny Irwin and Operations Director Meg Hanebutt. The purpose of the retreat was to nourish a deeper sense of trust and community with the team, empower their people to have more skillful honest conversations around feedback and belonging, and refine their organizational vision and values.
SAFETY
We create a trauma-informed environment of embodied psychological safety at the retreat through Community Agreements, Team Mindfulness and Titration.
1. Community Agreements: Co-create Community Agreements that shape the culture of your organizational retreat. Connect the agreements to new positive patterns of organizational behavior.
Retreat community agreements
An invitation for:
Beginner’s mind
What is said here, stays here. What is learned here, leaves here.
If you tend to speak less, take space. If you tend to speak more, make space.
Understand the difference between intent and impact.
Be present, listen to really hear.
Celebrate vulnerability, have the courage to share what you really feel and think - your dreams, fears, life experiences and insecurities.
Embrace failure. It’s better to show up imperfectly than not at all.
No one knows everything: together we know a lot.
Breathe into discomfort, pause if things get heated
We repeated the agreements at the start of each afternoon to remind the team of the container we were trying to create, emphasizing the agreements that people found most difficult, such as "Celebrate vulnerability, have the courage to share what you really feel and think."
2. Team Mindfulness: Sloowwwwww down, breathe. Practice collective mindful meditation.
Every workshop following the community agreements started with a short meditation and a practice of collective breathing to help people stay present and grounded. According to psychiatrist and trauma researcher, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, bottom-up regulation practices, such as collective deep breathing, are more effective in calming and emotionally regulating the nervous system. These practices help our minds and bodies slow down, enabling us to think more clearly and respond in a thoughtful manner, rather than instinctively triggering the fight-or-flight response or entering freeze-or-collapse mode. This approach is more beneficial than simply telling someone to be ‘calm.’
This powerful leadership technique can be employed when discomfort and difficult emotions arise at work. Intentional team breathing increases our resilience and capacity to lean into feedback and conflict, core facets of healthy teams and innovation.
3. Strategic Pause: Compassionately pace and titrate difficult team discussions and practices.
Dr. Peter Levine on the Somatic Experiencing Approach and the Concept of Titration
When discussing difficult topics as a team, whether around feedback, conflict or mental health, we recommend the process of titration, slowing down with strategic sensitivity and care, so that the collective nervous system of the team does not get overwhelmed and fall into a state of dissociation, therefore, consciously and unconsciously stifling organizational behavioral change at scale. This concept was created by psychologist and founder of the Ergos Institute of Somatic Education, Dr. Peter Levine: “It’s a process that I call titration. I borrowed that term from chemistry. The image that I use is that of mixing an acid and a base together. If you put them together, there can be an explosion. But if you take it one drop at a time, there is a little fizzle and eventually the system neutralizes. Not only does it neutralize but after you do this titration a certain number of times, you get an end result of salt and water”
We know people may be used to operating at much faster speed in day-to-day meetings, yet we strongly recommend slowing down to speed up. Mel once told a client at a large tech company, “View this training as a strategic pause for your team.” Initially there was resistance and skepticism around the efficacy of this approach, but when they saw the impact of slowing down on trust, vulnerability and psychological safety on their team, they immediately came up on board.
BELONGING
We created a culture of authentic connection and belonging at the retreat through Executive Vulnerability, Intentionally Designed Small Groups and Youth Co-leadership.
1. Executive Vulnerability: Inspire the most powerful person in the room to nourish belonging by role modeling vulnerability.
Leadership sets the tone and example for what is permissible and what is not, who belongs and who does not. The Executive Director Johnny Irwin did an incredible job of creating safety and belonging at the outset of our retreat by sharing a heartfelt story of his life, from navigating the shame of a learning disability to admitting to selfishly taking the best waves and not sharing the ocean. Johnny’s vulnerability signaled to the team, “It’s ok to be human. It’s ok to bring your whole self to work. We are all collectively working through hard things.” Johnny and I collaborated closely together before the retreat to workshop through their story and vulnerability, whilst honoring their boundaries.
2. Intentional Pair & Group Assignments: Foster belonging across functions and difference. Consider which people and groups you’d like to bring closer together.
Mel intentionally worked closely with Deputy Director Meg Hanebutt to design small groups throughout the retreat that brought people from different teams and backgrounds together. We invited team members to take part in a Leadership Story exercise with time to silently reflect on key questions:
What is your story? What have been your most
life defining experiences and realities?
We then invited people to step into a place of trust and connection by sharing their story with someone they didn’t know as well on the team. This exercise cultivated a deeper sense of compassion and understanding between the small groups and larger organizational culture.
3. For and by the community: Invite youth voices to take the lead.
As a youth-centered wellness organization, it was critical to have youth leadership in co-creating the vision for the organization. To build on the offsite, Mel collaborated with surf program alumnus Jared Cruz Aureus, 23 years old at the time, to refine the content and language of their organizational values. This collaboration reinforced the concept that youth belong in the boardroom and on the beach.
JOY
We create a culture of joy by surrounding ourselves with nature and delving back into our common purpose, connecting to music and our shared love of surfing.
1. Access to the outdoors. Host your team retreat in a beautiful location in nature.
Studies show nature can help boost creativity and team performance .
“When in nature our brain emits alpha waves that help calm the stress response and reduce anxiety levels, allowing the brain to enter a more relaxed, clear, and creative state.”
Amidst the restraints of the Pandemic in 2020, we had to get imaginative with the ways in which we cultivated team connection. We hosted our retreat in Precita Park in San Francisco to provide a sense of safety, accessibility and play. The support of the grass and fresh air enabled us to go deeper around more difficult conversations.
2. Bridge difference. Foster intentional group connection through music
One of our favorite ice breaker questions: What song brings you joy? Music bypasses the natural defense mechanisms of the mind and reduces cortisol, the hormone connected to stress. We exchanged playlists during post-retreat surf trips to promote a deeper connection amongst team members. Bonus: create a shared playlist to use during team retreats and training, particularly during breaks and silent reflection.
3. Somatic Joy. Incorporate physical movement into your retreat.
Following the last workshop on organizational values, we took a team field trip to surf at Ocean Beach. After an intense two days of processing and healing together as an organization, we needed to rinse off difficult emotions and recenter together in nature and be on with the water. It reminded everyone of our shared purpose: “a city where everyone, no matter where they grew up, went to school, or what they look like, feels like they belong at the beach.”
Even if you are facilitating a remote workshop, find a way to incorporate physicality and movement into the experience-- whether it is a short yoga session, kickball tournament, or walk in the woods. Cognition alone is not enough to achieve our objectives and facilitate lasting culture change. We need the physical now more than ever.
OUR IMPACT
An intentional trauma-informed approach to facilitation and culture can have a profound impact on your organizational vision and goals. Over the course of the organization’s ten year history:
87% of students feel they belong at the ocean after participating in our programs
96% of students believe they can overcome challenges after participating in our programs
“CSP makes space for each student to pursue their passions and encourages them to be the best they can to achieve their dreams”
Together, we can create an intentional space of safety, belonging and joy.
9. CONCLUSION
Transforming Collective Trauma and Pain into Collective Imagination and Impact
Every person is worthy of safety.
Every person is worthy of belonging.
Every person is worthy of joy.
Amidst the collective grief and trauma evoked by climate change, war and global violence, and cultural attacks on basic human rights, we need to go beyond the limitations of cognition. We need a holistic embodied approach to psychological safety and people development to release untapped human potential and innovate towards the impossible.
When we somatically hold space for our trauma and grief, we clear the collective path of difficult stuck emotions and energies that impede our capacity to grow and lead. When we hold space for the fullness of our humanity, we can transform collective post traumatic stress into collective post traumatic growth, manifesting an even higher level of imagination, innovation and impact.
Every organization, every team, every leader has the capacity to create a culture of joy, safety and belonging. When change feels impossible, remember we can always start with ourselves.
“I am a cell-sized unit of the human organism, and I have to use my life to leverage a shift in the system by how I am, as much as with the things I do. This means actually being in my life, and it means bringing my values into my daily decision making. Each day should be lived on purpose”
We invite you to start with three simple questions:
Facilitate a 1-hour team conversation on safety, belonging and joy with individual reflection, small group sharing and large group discussion:
What supports you in feeling safe at work?
What helps you feel connected to others?
What brings you joy?
Each person is a microcosm of the organizational collective. Each of us has the capacity to influence change. Safety, belonging and joy begins with ourselves. How we are at a small scale is how we become at a large scale.
What legacy do you want to leave behind in the next ten years?
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