At any time in history, there are wars, natural disasters, or other conflagrations. Not only are many people physically injured, but many more people carry the “unseen” wounds of violence and disasters in the form of trauma. In addition, children are the most traumatized and will carry this legacy forward to next generations.

I have observed that wars tend to occur with surprising repetition. I believe that this may be because traumatized children are much more likely to experience anxiety, depression and, also in some cases, predisposed to violence. Our societies will be adversely affected unless we do something to stop this circle of damage and transform it into a circle of grace.

As a young Palestinian woman said to an Israeli man, in one of my Middle East trainings: “If we don’t find peace within ourselves, we will not find peace with each other. It is with this wisdom that we will address in this timely workshop. It is this peace that we will be exploring together.

To help meet these profound social challenges, we are enlisting your concerted clinical and compassionate efforts. In this presentation, we will examine Somatic Experiencing and other body-oriented practices, which may be highly useful in addressing the various traumatic injuries of war, helping to restore our wounded warriors and their families to the wholeness they deserve.