Holding Space: Trauma-Informed Practices for Difficult Times
One of the privileges of working in the helping profession is being invited to listen deeply as people share their inner experiences of joy, sorrow, and fear. In my recent work—with clients, ministry candidates, colleagues, and community members—I have witnessed the ways many of us are experiencing strain on our well-being as we take in global events and local challenges alongside the ordinary ups and downs of daily life. I have listened as people share their dismay and distress about the toll of war, the degradation of the earth, and harm toward neighbors near and far—at times carried out in the name of religion.
These conversations have led me to reflect on some of the words we tend to use to describe these difficult feelings and experiences, such as stress or trauma. Stress occurs when the demands or challenges of life exceed a person’s resources and readiness to manage them. More intensely, trauma arises when our response to a deeply distressing event overwhelms our ability to cope, whether from a single tumultuous event or from a slow drip of painful circumstances that feel beyond our control. Another concept that feels especially relevant is moral distress, or its more intense form, moral injury. While related to trauma, it captures something more specific: the suffering that comes from witnessing or participating in actions that violate one’s deeply held moral beliefs, whether individually or systemically. It refers to the destabilizing experience of being unable to act in ways that align with one’s values or moral compass—and is sometimes described as an emotional or psychological wound, an injury to the soul.
How do we hold space for and support others—and ourselves—through these difficult experiences with both wisdom and skill? Trauma-informed care calls us to respond with awareness, stability, and compassion. It recognizes the impact distress can have on both caregivers and those receiving care, including the emotional burden that comes from proximity to suffering. It means creating spaces where vulnerability is honored, boundaries are respected, and people feel safe and supported.
When distress around us—or within us—feels overwhelming, it can help to remember that easing distress often begins with reducing demands and increasing resources. Where possible, we can release nonessential commitments, protect our time and energy, and clarify what is—and is not—ours to carry. Even when circumstances are beyond our control, we can still strengthen our capacity to withstand stress, often in small but meaningful ways. Some examples include:
Cultivate connection rather than isolation. In difficult or uncertain seasons, it is especially important to turn intentionally toward relationships that ground and sustain us. This may mean leaning on loved ones, friends, colleagues, teachers, mentors, therapists, or spiritual directors. It may also mean drawing strength from those who came before us and laid a foundation for us.
Find meaningful ways to express our inner experience. Whether through conversation, prayer, art, music, writing, movement, or other creative practices, expression helps us process what we carry. Naming our thoughts and feelings—rather than suppressing or bottling them up—can support clarity and a sense of release.
Take steps to steady and regulate our nervous systems. This may include spending time outdoors, stepping away from screens, and reconnecting with the present moment through our breath and our senses. The summer months especially invite us back into the rhythms of the natural world—placing our feet on the trail, pulling oars through the water, digging our hands into the soil, feeling sunlight and wind on our skin. These practices can help restore a sense of grounding and perspective.
Replenish our well-being through rest, nourishment, and movement. It is important for us to pause and quietly check in with ourselves to notice what is truly needed—whether that be sabbath and stillness, restorative sleep, physical movement, nourishing food, the healing gift of play, or meaningful conversation.
Return to our core values. In times of overwhelm, it can be grounding to pause to reconnect with what matters most to us, remembering the values and commitments that shape how we live and who we hope to become. Bringing these to mind, speaking them aloud or writing them down, helps us move forward with greater clarity and intentionality in our actions.
These seemingly small practices can go a long way toward strengthening our resources and building our reserves. Letting go of nonessential commitments reduces demands on our time and energy, freeing us to release what’s not ours to carry. Combining movements of both building and letting go can help increase our capacity to withstand stress and to help us hold space for and support others—and ourselves—through challenging experiences.
