Protesting? Parading? Practice this.

Trauma-informed care is what would make this moment revolutionary.

A sticker on a sign post in Washington, D.C, June 2025. (Credit: Kate Woodsome)

Nearly every day this week, people have asked me different versions of the same question.

”Are you going to the No Kings protest?”

”Are you leaving town?”

Are you going to the military parade?

Reading between the lines, these queries are about one’s voice, choice, agency and dignity. These concepts are related to self-determination and independence and are the foundations of a healthy body, mind and spirit. They also happen to relate to trauma-informed care.

That’s not what most people were asking about, but I hope that during Saturday’s mass civic engagement, people will practice care with themselves and each other.

Trauma occurs when people experience events that overwhelm their ability to cope with stress, whether that's a single incident or ongoing threats to safety and wellbeing. It is a biopsychosocial wound that affects how we think, feel and respond to the world, often triggering fight, flight, freeze…