What would you have done differently</a>?

The indigenous research paradigm is based on the fundamental belief that humans are a part of nature, and therefore, humans are not at the center of nature. I would have liked to explore this further in my work. All of the explicit trauma-informed design processes that I found while researching had an anthropocentric view. Because of this, I struggled to comprehend how to move beyond the human perception of the impacts of trauma. Given what I’ve learned throughout this project, I know that the impacts of trauma can extend far beyond the human body. Trauma is translated through our behaviors and relationships. In future research, I would like to pursue this perspective and more fully incorporate the land, animals, and plant experiences into the trauma-informed process.

Further, the land on which Everyone Village is situated is within an important ecological context. The site is surrounded by a number of protected wildlife preserves. Given more time and direction, I would have liked to understand the ecological context and influence of the land.

Finally, brain research shows that community is a large antidote to trauma. And the most important relationships are not always the ones that we have with humans. Instead, pets, especially dogs and horses, are known to be quality companions for someone overcoming the lasting impacts of trauma. Additionally, through discussions with the villagers, we discovered that specific plants play important roles in their lives. I would like to unpack these non-human relationships to understand the full capacity of healing from trauma-informed landscapes.

What would you have done differently?

What did you learn about yourself from this process?

Did anything surprise you?