Plain-language publication summaryEmbodied Trauma & Recovery
How trauma is experienced beyond words
Explores how integrative silence can create space for embodied awareness, relational safety and trauma processing, offering an alternative to the expectation that survivors must rely on words to communicate and heal.
In plain language
What the research found
This publication explored how trauma-informed therapy [ITIC] can better support adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse by creating safer, more collaborative therapeutic relationships. The study found that healing does not always depend on talking about traumatic experiences. Instead, moments of shared silence, embodied awareness and other non-verbal ways of processing trauma can provide meaningful opportunities for healing, particularly for survivors from historically marginalised communities. By addressing power imbalances within therapy and centring survivors' lived experiences, the research contributes to more compassionate, culturally responsive and justice-oriented approaches to trauma-informed care.
Key finding
The study found that healing does not always depend on talking about traumatic experiences.
The publication
Where this comes from
Further reading
Plain-language publication summary2025
Understanding wellbeing beyond the individual
Provides a detailed methodology and explores how community-centred, feminist and restorative approaches can support trauma recovery by strengthening connection, agency and embodied healing among survivors of childhood sexual trauma in marginalised communities.
From the publication
Healing Bodies, Healing Communities: A Community-Based Qualitative Study of Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Trauma in South Africa. Healthcare, 13(20), 2601, 2025.Plain-language publication summary2026
Rethinking how trauma care is provided
Develops a qualitative Integrative Trauma-Informed Care model for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, highlighting tailored, equitable trauma recovery that responds to individual needs and the realities of marginalised South African communities.
From the publication
A Qualitative Model for Integrative Trauma-Informed Care for Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse in Marginalized South African Communities. Health Psychology Research, 14(1), e81240046, 2026.
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