Understanding Collective Trauma: Healing and Moving Forward

What is collective trauma?

The term collective trauma refers to the impact of a traumatic event on an entire society, resulting in widespread psychological distress and trauma responses that become part of the collective memory. This dynamic social-psychological process often emerges from natural disasters, historical trauma, or sexual abuse, and it can alter cultural identity while imposing negative consequences on mental health conditions.

Collective trauma occurs when a traumatic event affects a large group of people in similar ways. This can transform a community, altering every internal dynamic and relationship (Duane et al., 2020). Collective trauma can affect entire societies, with family or friend groups being the most commonly affected.

Its effects extend beyond the immediate aftermath of traumatic experiences, manifesting in post-traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks, and anxiety disorders trauma. Such trauma responses may lead to substance abuse and other negative consequences, highlighting that collective trauma is not only a reproduction of past traumatic events but also a continuous challenge that deepens psychological trauma over time.

Six examples of collective trauma experiences

Collective trauma inflicts enduring psychological distress while reshaping collective memory and cultural identity. Here are six examples of collective trauma experiences:

1. Southern California Wildfires 2025

A series of destructive wildfires ripped through Los Angeles County, causing extensive property loss, major evacuations, and substantial environmental devastation. These natural catastrophes are painful events that not only ruin the physical environment but also cause immediate psychological suffering in afflicted communities.

In the aftermath, the wildfires triggered a variety of trauma responses, including panic attacks and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, which changed the region's collective memory and cultural identity.  This long-term impact highlights the dynamic social-psychological process of collective trauma, as the event continues to influence community resilience and recovery initiatives.

2. COVID-19 pandemic

This global traumatic event resulted in widespread mental health conditions, with many individuals developing post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety disorders, and experiencing panic attacks. The pandemic also spurred increases in substance abuse as communities grappled with its negative consequences.

3. Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre 2012

The name "Sandy Hook" is sort of a shorthand for the heinous nature of mass shootings. This tragic traumatic event deeply impacted communities, resulting in significant psychological trauma, heightened anxiety disorders, and panic attacks. It serves as a stark reminder that the effects of collective trauma are not only a reproduction of isolated incidents but also a dynamic social psychological process that affects the entire society.

4. 9/11 terrorist attack

As a singular traumatic event, the 9/11 attack inflicted severe psychological distress on survivors and witnesses alike, leading to long-term trauma responses such as post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety disorders, deeply embedding itself in the collective memory of the entire society.

Many years later, the events of 9/11 continue to have an impact on Americans' daily lives (Galston, 2021).  Many people are terrified to fly, go inside skyscrapers, and hold anti-Muslim sentiments.  However, stories from 9/11 include wonderful acts of selflessness and assistance.

5. The Holocaust

A devastating historical trauma, the Holocaust not only involved systematic mass violence but also included instances of sexual abuse, which compounded psychological trauma and altered cultural identity. The term collective trauma refers to its enduring effects on subsequent generations.

Research on Holocaust survivors revealed that symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and impaired well-being persisted for decades (Barel et al., 2010).

6. The Great Depression

The Great Depression of the 1930s, which began with the well-known Black Tuesday market crash, was the most severe in modern American history. This prolonged period of economic collapse led to chronic psychological distress and negative consequences for mental health conditions, contributing to increased substance abuse and shaping collective memory through its pervasive effects.

This event had a significant impact on our grandparents and great-grandparents, commonly referred to as '"depression-era children."

Effects of collective trauma on mental health

Collective trauma exerts a profound psychological impact through a dynamic social-psychological process that affects both individual trauma survivors and the fabric of entire communities.

To an individual

Individuals who have experienced collective trauma, whether as direct survivors of traumatic events such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters, mass shootings, or even sexual and physical abuse, are more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, trauma, and other mental health issues (Galea et al., 2005).

These traumatic experiences can result in panic attacks, somatic symptoms from dysregulated nerve systems, and maladaptive behaviors like substance misuse, all of which lead to psychological anguish and low self-esteem.

Collective trauma not only echoes historical events, such as the civil rights movement and the experiences of Holocaust survivors in the Jewish community but also acts as an ongoing process that shapes cultural identity and self-awareness, ultimately influencing how second and third generations navigate their lives.

To the community

Collective trauma has a far-reaching impact on community ties and the social construction of cultural identity.  A traumatic event, whether it occurs during natural disasters, mass shootings, or terrorist attacks, can instill collective fear and trigger trauma responses that disrupt local community bonds and have negative consequences such as ongoing reconstruction challenges and a sense of existential threat among group members.

Social workers and mental health professionals note that collective trauma, as the term collective trauma refers, not only impacts the direct survivors but also casts a long shadow over the entire society, with historical trauma and shared trauma influencing future generations and undermining a fundamental sense of safety in everyday life (Herman, 1992).

How can mental health professionals help groups heal from collective trauma?

Mental health professionals are vital in trauma recovery, addressing the widespread psychological distress caused by traumatic events affecting entire societies. They recognize that collective trauma is a dynamic process that both reproduces historical trauma and continually shapes cultural identity and collective memory.

Trauma-informed group therapy

Trauma-informed group therapy offers a safe space to process events from natural disasters to mass shootings by targeting PTSD and anxiety, reducing responses like panic attacks and substance abuse, and reinforcing self-awareness and collective emotions.

Community outreach and support programs

Community outreach initiatives unite local members and social workers to rebuild relationships and address psychological trauma from events ranging from natural disasters to historical episodes like the civil rights movement. Recognizing that collective trauma is a dynamic process affecting both direct survivors and future generations, these programs mitigate negative outcomes such as low self-esteem, maladaptive behaviors, and ongoing reconstruction challenges.

Culturally sensitive interventions

Culturally sensitive interventions honor the collective memory and identity of diverse groups, such as Holocaust survivors, who have endured historical trauma and abuse. These approaches address collective trauma's impact on group identity and fear, restoring self-esteem and promoting healing across generations.

Interdisciplinary collaboration and social work integration

Effective trauma recovery relies on interdisciplinary collaboration among mental health professionals, social workers, and community leaders. This unified approach addresses the multifaceted impacts of traumatic events, from physical and psychological trauma to the stress of ongoing reconstruction, helping to combat anxiety disorders and restore a fundamental sense of security in everyday life.

Long-term resilience and recovery training

Long-term resilience and recovery training equips survivors and communities with tools to manage psychological distress and trauma responses. These programs mitigate collective trauma’s effects like substance abuse, panic attacks, and chronic mental health issues by fostering self-awareness, adaptive coping, and a renewed collective identity that benefits future generations.

References

Barel, E., Van IJzendoorn, M. H., Sagi-Schwartz, A., & Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J. (2010). Surviving the holocaust: A meta-analysis of the long-term sequelae of a genocide. Psychological Bulletin, 136(5), 677–698. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020339

Duane, A. M., Stokes, K. L., DeAngelis, C. L., & Bocknek, E. L. (2020). Collective trauma and community support: Lessons from Detroit. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(5), 452–454. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000791

Galea, S., Nandi, A., & Vlahov, D. (2005). The epidemiology of post-traumatic stress disorder after disasters. Epidemiologic Reviews, 27(1), 78–91. https://doi.org/10.1093/epirev/mxi003

Galston, W. A. (2021, September 9). Twenty years later, how Americans assess the effects of the 9/11 attacks. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/twenty-years-later-how-americans-assess-the-effects-of-the-9-11-attacks/

Herman, J. L. (1992). Trauma and recovery: Aftermath of violence from domestic abuse to political terror. Basic Books.