Now available on Amazon

“Using an engaging, accessible, and outstanding analytical style, Transforming Trauma offers a thorough and critical examination of how generational trauma impacts community.” Linda Mahood, Professor of History, University of Guelph

Transforming Trauma through Social Change is a practical guide for educators and trainers to guide students in the understanding of trauma and working towards wellness through justice and examples of social change. In doing so, the author reveals the depths and complexity of oppression and inequity, and illustrates how communities make meaning from trauma.  The book explores key concepts within trauma theory, such as grief, acknowledgment, forgiveness, giving, transformation, and cultures of resistance through the living histories of individuals and communities. As Cher Hill writes in the Foreword, “Theresa hooks readers with the stories of Sinixt Elder Virgil Seymour, environmental activist Briony Penn, immigrant student Gaganjeet Singh, the counterculturists of the Slocan Valley, and Lee Reid of Granny Gardening Tours. We learn about their resiliency and resistance in the face of trauma.” Southam also writes about the oppression and the persecution of the Doukhobors, the internment of Japanese Canadians, the hostility towards asylum seekers and new immigrants, and the isolation of older adults.

The book argues that feeling empowered to change society is critical in these challenging times. Southam does so by applying theories like the sense of coherence, redemptive sequencing, and creating radical imaginaries. Ultimately, she writes, it is all about building a more trauma-resilient and sustainable society. Maureen Wideman, an Accessibility Advisor at the University of the Fraser Valley, says about the book, “In this profound exploration of trauma and the transformative power of learning as a form of resistance, this book delves deeply into the heart of human suffering and the remarkable journey towards recovery and empowerment.”

PRAISE FOR TRANSFORMING TRAUMA

“Theresa Southam has written an exhilarating book about resistance and culture which skillfully weaves people’s lived experience with an engaged understanding of theory to produce an inspirational text that reflects deeply on the issues of our times.” Paul Higgs, Professor of the Sociology of Ageing, Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London

“In light of current events that demand of us to witness and resist horrors, Southam’s invitation to consider trauma as part of a culture of resistance is both timely and necessary. A call to action, humanity, and community, her investigation and ideas bring hope for change and a new positive lens on the transformative powers of trauma.” Rayya Liebich, Award-winning Canadian Writer and Educator of Lebanese and Polish descent

“Transforming Trauma is a valuable read for the curious mind. Using Canadian contexts and case studies to contextualize an understanding of culture, Theresa Southam shares globally relevant insights to show the relevance and possibility of resisting dominant discourses and possibilities for growth.” Ines Zuchowski, Associate Professor, Social Work and Human Services, James Cook University, Australia

“Using an engaging, accessible, and outstanding analytical style, Transforming Trauma offers a thorough and critical examination of how generational trauma impacts community. It illustrates how communities make meaning from trauma. Theresa Southam weaves personal survivor’s stories with global historical events in the Interior of British Columbia—notably, the legacy and contributions of residential school survivors, the children of Japanese internees, and the Vietnam draft-avoiders who settled in the area. The reader sees how, when trauma survivors have rights and dignity, they can move communities forward in meaningful ways.”  Linda Mahood, Professor of History, University of Guelph, Editor of the Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth (JHUP).   

“We straddle a genocidal past and climate crisis future. This book is a lantern that helps illuminate a path to understanding and, ultimately, survival.” John Osborn, Ethics and Treaty Project, Columbia River

“Trauma can give rise to a feeling of learned helplessness—or alternatively to learned resourcefulness. Theresa Southam’s new book finds valuable lessons in diverse cultures of resistance, helping us direct our energies into ways of life that strengthen us as individuals and as communities.” Bart Hawkins Kreps, Author

BUY ON AMAZON