Grief, trauma and recovery: ideas for passive participation in shared public events to promote connection and healing following traumatic loss

This project examines the potential benefits of passive participation in public events or activities for individuals recovering from traumatic loss. To establish the context of this project, the current understanding of grief, traumatic loss, resilience, recovery and passive participation is reviewed. Throughout this review, specific attention is given to how posttraumatic stress and other factors interact to affect recovery outcomes. This analysis suggests posttraumatic stress poses unique challenges to individuals recovering from traumatic loss, especially when posttraumatic stress symptoms interfere with social support. To further inform the project, individual interviews were conducted regarding personal experiences of passive participation, including positive and negative aspects of these experiences. An informational pamphlet was then developed to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and provide ideas for passive participation as a recovery tool following traumatic loss. The pamphlet was distributed to adults in the community and a survey was conducted regarding the clarity and usefulness of the information presented. The survey responses were overwhelmingly positive. In closing, the author suggests avenues of further research, as well as additional ideas for education and outreach.