Healing is What Makes Peace Work: A Healing-Centered Peacebuilding Approach

The book "Healing from Trauma: A Peacebuilding Approach" emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach to peacebuilding that addresses the impact of chronic violence on individuals and communities. It highlights the need to prioritize healing and address emotional distress as a critical factor in violent conflict and instability. The practice-based approach includes inclusion, customization, contextualization, breaking cycles of violence, systems thinking, and trauma-informed tools.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 124 pages
Publication date: 14 September 2022
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG

The book takes a comprehensive and holistic approach to mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), going beyond the traditional realm to focus on healing. It sits at the crossroads of peacebuilding, global mental health, and development, recognizing the interconnectedness of these fields in addressing the challenges faced by communities worldwide. In many regions, entire generations endure chronic violence, struggling merely to survive. The long-term effects of exposure to violence, including abuse, neglect, and marginalization, are often overlooked in conflict analysis, stabilization efforts, peacebuilding, and governance initiatives. Extensive exposure to such violence negatively impacts resilience levels and hinders the transition from violence to peace. A healing-centered peacebuilding approach necessitates fundamental shifts in the design of systems, organizational functioning, and practitioner interactions with individuals, communities, and institutions. Key components of this practice-based approach include inclusivity, customization, contextualization, breaking cycles of violence, systems thinking, and trauma-informed tools. The approach recognizes emotional distress as a critical factor in violent conflict and instability, understanding that trauma not only arises from violence but also contributes to its perpetuation. By addressing trauma, the book aims to promote healing and foster a more peaceful and stable world.

Weight: 226g
Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783031052507
Edition number: 1st ed. 2022