How Explorations of Art, Trauma-Informed Principles and Contemplative Practices Can Come Together to Support Well-Being and Nervous System Regulation
Jackie Armstrong, Associate Educator, Visitor Research and Experience at The Museum of Modern Art
It was during The Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA) shutdown at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 that Artful Practices for Well-Being officially came to be, however the idea for this initiative had been envisioned much earlier, specifically the desire to incorporate trauma awareness and trauma-informed values and practices into museum work to better address current and longstanding needs of staff and audiences.
One reason it took time for this work to surface is due to preconceived ideas people have about trauma and what it means to work using trauma-informed practices. The questions and concerns most often raised are: How does this relate to my work? Who is this for? I don’t work with people who are traumatized. What if I do something wrong and make things worse? Aren’t trauma-informed practices only for skilled therapists?
Trauma is part of life, and its impact is pervasive in society as everyone is touched by it — either directly or indirectly to varying degrees. None of us are immune to trauma since we all have experiences of our bodies in relation to others. Viewing and using trauma as a lens, and not as a label, helps illuminate the ways trauma can show up. Layers of trauma, from individual and interpersonal, community and place, systems and institutions, as well as histories, legacies and structures, can have impacts at the individual and collective levels.
Without an understanding of trauma and by not using trauma-informed practices we run the risk of traumatizing or re-traumatizing. And as Dr. Peter Levine (2002), Developer of Somatic Experiencing®, writes, “Trauma is perhaps the most avoided, ignored, belittled, denied, misunderstood, and untreated cause of human suffering.” We can help change this by having greater trauma awareness and incorporating trauma-informed practices into all we do.
Trauma-informed practice is not just helpful for people who identify as having trauma, it is a human-centered approach that honors the lived experiences of all people and operates from a place of compassionate intentionality. We don’t need to know who has or is experiencing trauma, what they’ve been through or are going through, or even the symptoms someone might be experiencing as a result of trauma because when we use a trauma-informed model, everyone is tended to and supported in a way that is right for them. By acknowledging trauma, as well as thinking, programming, writing, and working in this way, we also help decrease stigma about trauma.
Awareness of trauma and following trauma-informed practice has specific implications in a museum setting and in our encounters with art, particularly as more museums are starting to incorporate mindfulness, contemplative practices, and social emotional learning into their programming and other initiatives. All these practices, which can be very beneficial, can cause unintentional harm if trauma-informed values and principles are not also incorporated. As spaces where many nervous systems come into contact, particularly some belonging to people who might feel uncomfortable or even unsafe in the museum, it is the responsibility of museums to cultivate and sustain a space and culture of inclusiveness and acceptance. We must also acknowledge that art is layered with both the experiences of artists as well as how people react and respond to artworks through their own insights, lived experiences, and beliefs. By combining contemplative practices with trauma-informed principles art museum educators can help better support people’s engagement with art.
The Artful Practices for Well-Being initiative seeks to build in practices that support well-being, in particular nervous system regulation, and to integrate trauma-informed practices into museum work. We aim to not just design programs and facilitate them with these intentions in mind, but to also think about how we are in relationship with our colleagues, collaborators, and ourselves. The programs, resources and other offerings related to Artful Practices for Well-Being do not advertise themselves as being trauma-informed or specifically for people who identify as having experienced trauma, but instead weave these practices in knowing they have benefits for all.
A lot of thought and care also went into thinking about what Artful Practices for Well-Being should and should not be. To date programs and resources within this initiative include contemplative practices such as visualization and imagery, words of gratitude, loving-kindness meditations, journaling/writing prompts, storytelling and collective poem-making, silence, deep listening, dialogue, music, movement, bearing witness and more. Incorporating trauma-formed practices required education on trauma, a mind shift, and then adjusting elements and program design in support of those practices as will be outlined in this article. We did not want it to be a “positive vibes only” wellness offering that would go against the nature of trauma-informed values (Friedman, 2021, para. 6). We felt it was important to welcome people to show up as they are, to acknowledge difficult emotions and experiences, and simply make space for one another to be there together in all of it.
As museum educators and researchers, we are not doing the work of a therapist or other mental health practitioner, as that falls outside our area of expertise and would be unethical. It’s important to remember that being trauma informed is an approach and way of being; it is not therapy. Something can feel therapeutic but not be therapy. People might be reluctant to take on this work because of the fear of doing something wrong, causing harm and/or doing something outside of their expertise, all of which are normal and valid responses. This work however is something that everyone can do if they take time to learn more, go slow and reflect.
To help illustrate these ideas this article will focus on Slow Looking, a free public program open to all audiences, with virtual and on-site sessions, that is part of Artful Practices for Well-Being at MoMA. Our Slow Looking program aligns very well with contemplative practice as together we slow down the experience of looking by focusing on one work of art the entire time. We also create a multi-modal program that provides many ways for people to participate. Over the course of the program, we gently guide the experience which translates into an unfolding of ideas, thoughts, and reactions to a work as participants make connections, tap into emotions, and expand their awareness (about themselves, other participants, and the art work and/or artist featured).
However, first it’s important to frame and define trauma and trauma-informed principles. Following this are 10 take-aways from working on Slowing Looking, with a focus on how we combined trauma-informed principles with contemplative practices.
What is trauma?
Trauma is anything that is too much, too soon, and too fast for our nervous system to handle, where there isn’t time or space to process and integrate that experience (Banschick, 2015). Trauma causes a break in the meaning of experience, narrative memory, body processing, as well as affecting cognition and emotional regulation or put more simply “trauma is that which causes dissociation” (Howell, 2020, p. 30). Another way to think of it is, “Trauma is not what happens to you, it’s what happens inside you as a result of what happened to you” (Maté, 2011).
Trauma is also what didn’t happen, but should have, such as receiving attuned care and appropriate support. These perspectives acknowledge that trauma is more about a person’s response or responses, than an actual event or actual experiences, and that emotions and trauma can live inside people’s bodies outside of their consciousness.
What are trauma-informed values and practices?
Trauma-informed practices are connected to accessibility, inclusivity, and social justice. In fact, a practice is not trauma-informed if those lenses are missing. Trauma-informed principles and values include:
- Multi-layered safety and trust;
- Choice, voice, agency, and mastery (i.e., empowerment);
- Collaboration, communication and transparency;
- Relational, relationship focused, and humanized;
- Curious, empathetic, understanding, kind, reflective and compassionate;
- Seeing behavior as communication and being curious about it;
- Considering cultural humility and responsiveness;
- Integrating and connecting people, ideas, systems, and the brain (Treisman, 2020) (1)
Shari Tishman (2016) defines Slow Looking as a mode of learning, and a way to means of gaining knowledge through observation. She suggests four ways to guide looking through categories, open inventory, scale and scope, and juxtaposition. This approach is well aligned with trauma-informed practices and in fact very similar to exercises that somatic experiencing practitioners and/or trauma therapists might have their clients do to slow down the intake of potentially activating material and to integrate traumatic experiences. The difference is that a provider skilled in trauma would be specifically dealing with traumatic content and is able to safely hold space for that, whereas in a museum program we are using similar strategies for exploring art. The nervous system can benefit in both instances.
We realized at the outset that a slow looking program paired well with contemplative practices and that creating, facilitating, and holding a space for people to reflect could be a really powerful experience. Having time and space to reflect and connect in today’s world is a luxury not many people have, so designing spaces that invite are important and can be a reprieve in someone’s day-to-day life. However, we know that contemplative practices can also be activating for people with unresolved trauma (Sudakov, 2021) and that responses to contemplative practices are individualized. Factors such as a person’s nervous system and the environment/setting can come into play so we take care to weave trauma-informed practices into the program to help support all nervous systems (Treleaven, 2018). Contemplative practices can be beneficial to everyone, whether someone identifies as having unresolved trauma or not, and in fact is often connected to healing from trauma, however they can still cause unintended harm if they are used in a one-size-fits-all kind of way and if an understanding of trauma is missing. In designing a program, or anything else, it’s helpful to return to the guiding values of trauma-informed practice and to remember how trauma impacts someone’s whole being, body, mind, and spirit.
Here’s a look into our process for the Slow Looking program and 11 take-aways:
1) What happens behind the scenes is as important as what happens during our programs. The way we work together matters — a lot.
Embracing vulnerability, authenticity and intentionality have been critical to our process. This takes time, so we take it slow and are modest about our scale. One decision we made early is to do fewer programs so that we could take our time with the planning process, and we always reschedule if one of us can’t make it to a meeting. We start our meetings with an optional check-in question (e.g., “What’s one rose, bud and thorn from this past week?”, “What’s one thing you can do to care for yourself today?”), which was part of an overall decision to take time with one another and acknowledge we are more than our work selves. Peer support amongst this team makes this work possible. Our relational work behind the scenes is felt by our audiences as they hear us genuinely interact with one another modeling belonging and connection. The group reflects this relational spirit back and each person helps to hold space with us. The relational aspect is also key to setting up a space where participants feel comfortable and open to engaging in contemplative practice.
Furthermore, multiple voices are included throughout the program. Voice modulation has an effect on emotions, and changes in tone are picked up by our nervous systems. Each of us has a different way of speaking, and those differences, as we shift between speakers, invite in more opportunities for listeners to connect somatically. Voice tone is another way we can help regulate our nervous systems, or co-regulate together; emotionally and energetically (Sterling, personal communication, July 15, 2021). It is very common for participants to share something like, “Loved the way the MoMA team shared leading different activities — hearing your different voices and skills”, or, “I was very impressed by the consideration given to the overall ‘containment’ of the session and how the hosts made participants feel very comfortable” (Program participant, personal communication, July 22, 2022).
2) Looking at artwork serves as an entry point to noticing our internal responses, being with our emotions, acknowledging our bodies as sources of information, and when combined helps us understand ourselves and examine the world we live in.
Engaging with art can be a starting point to explore our emotions and experiences in a way that feels less overwhelming because it serves as a buffer, removing some of the barriers and pressures that more personal introspection can cause. As one participant shared, “By taking a ‘slow look’, or spending time with this artwork and the group leaders, I was able to let my own mind and emotions run more freely, so that I could be more open to others and to the visual imagery. When I am feeling serene and pensive, I am open to hearing from others in the group, and open to learning more about art, myself and the world around me.” (Program participant, personal communication, July 21, 2022). Also, in selecting an artwork for each Slow Looking program we have chosen to center works by artists who are Black, Indigenous, or Persons of Color, and/or other folk who have been marginalized by systemic injustice and oppression. This decision aligns both with trauma-informed and contemplative practices as it connects to issues of social justice.
3) Transparency and trustworthiness are trauma-informed values, so setting very clear expectations is important.
In this program we prioritize taking time to look at the art work and what’s going on inside ourselves as we look. We do share information such as the artist’s name, when it was created, scale and materials, but we are transparent about the fact that limited art historical information will be shared. We also let people know that we will share a selection of resources related to the featured artwork after the program. These approaches help people who are hungry for information settle into the experience and open themselves up to participating.
Each program begins with an outline of what’s to come and how the time will be spent. During the onsite program we provide materials for drawing and writing and in virtual programs we pause for people to get supplies if they don’t already have them gathered. Nervous systems like predictability and clarity but do not like urgency so all of this helps people better orient themselves to the program and not feel on edge or distracted wondering what’s next. Being transparent about how the experience will unfold, without giving everything away, simultaneously creates a felt sense of stability and freedom. One participant said that “I appreciate the team having shared at the start of the program the structure and goals; it was good to have my expectations set at the outset.” (Program participant, personal communication, February 11, 2021). Transparency and trustworthiness are necessary elements when engaging audiences in contemplative practices because without them uncertainty can give way to fear and dysregulate participants’ nervous systems making it difficult or impossible to participate in a meaningful way. One participant shared how they experienced the program saying, “Trust: you are such ‘safe pairs of hands’ as a team. I know you’ll create a welcoming space, be supportive towards each other and attentive to the 140+ participants. It means I can relax and enjoy the actual activity (my hyper-vigilance is tuned down — so I don’t worry you’ll do something unsettling for others — so I can relax myself!).” (Program participant, personal communication, July 21, 2022).
4) Accessibility and trauma-informed practices should never be an add-on or an afterthought and in making an experience accessible and inclusive we don’t want to make anyone feel othered.
We take great care to bake accessibility and trauma-informed practices into the program so that the experience feels seamless and inclusive for all. This includes visual description for all artworks, images, and of ourselves. We also offer live CART captioning for every session, as well as engaging the senses and using multiple modalities. As is the case for accessibility, it can be helpful to think of trauma-informed practices as a type of Universal Design (Broadhead, 2021). One participant talked about the accessibility of the program saying, “I think it was very accessible and respectful of participants’ choices in engagement. This was my first time seeing live captioning and verbal description used in online museum programs and I thought it was not only potentially a useful practice for those who need it but also for able-bodied people as well. Hearing the verbal description before seeing the work itself was interesting.” (Program participant, personal communication, February 20, 2021). At various points throughout a program, participants are invited to help build description and narrative around an artwork, a function of contemplative practice. This descriptive exercise makes the experience more accessible for those with low or no vision but also acts as a form of collective beholding and storytelling. As with accessibility everybody can benefit from trauma-informed practices, they do not take away from an experience, but rather they enhance it, and for people who experience trauma it makes a world of difference.
5) It’s important for people to feel seen and heard.
Each program starts with a moment to notice and acknowledge fellow participants, and to tap into feelings of communal gratitude for the experience of Slow Looking. We model this through our own noticing, acknowledging and expressions of gratitude. This is a small way to gently invite people to connect with one another and slow down the experience. We continue this throughout the program in several ways, such as reading out responses in the chat, responding directly to people in the chat, and encouraging participants to acknowledge one another’s presence and contributions to the program. One participant shared, “I felt both ‘with you’ and very ‘grounded where I was’. How the team acknowledged comments enabled a ‘conversation’ to happen — and because of the theme of the session, I did not allow myself to experience ‘shame’ for receiving your attention. I usually edit myself…and hold in my true thoughts. Today, they (and me) felt welcomed.” (Program participant, personal communication, October 28, 2021).
Being in community, participating in a way that feels good to each individual, and using multiple modalities to build connection all help establish a sense of belonging. All of this is based on trauma-informed principals as well as generative expressions of contemplative practice. People who have experienced trauma often feel isolated, and connection is something that is both sought after but can also feel scary. Holding space for people (Corrigan, 2006) to come together through their exploration of one artwork, informed by their experiences and felt sensations, presents an opportunity to dip into a sense of connectedness that feels ‘safe enough’ (2) because the art helps to frame and filter the experience.
6) Mindfulness techniques and contemplative practices get championed a lot and for good reason, but if they aren’t designed, approached, or delivered in a trauma-informed way they can cause harm.
Something isn’t grounding, for example, if it makes you feel more emotionally dysregulated, disoriented, or sends you spiraling into traumatic content. One can’t expect someone’s awareness to expand if their nervous system is sending them alarm signals because it feels there’s a threat to their safety. For people who have experienced trauma, sometimes feeling embodied, noticing internal and external sensations, silence or quieting the mind, slowing down and many other such things can cause extreme distress. You may wonder then why include contemplative practices at all if this is the case, but it’s not so straightforward since all of the above are also helpful in nervous system regulation and integral to resolving trauma stored in the body. This is why any inclusion of contemplative practices must also consider trauma-informed guidelines, and that primarily means giving people choice and letting them adapt approaches or do something entirely different if that feels like the right option for them. As an example, one participant shared how they connected more to themself when they “started moving around/dancing as we were meditating. I hadn’t done that for a long time, and I had not even realized it! This made my day, so I guess it connected me better to others too.” (Program participant, personal communication, October 28, 2021).
This is also why it’s important to include top-down (the process of perception, e.g., visualizations) and bottom-up approaches (the process of sensations, e.g. breathwork) along with ‘side door’ exercises (e.g. expressive arts) (Complex Trauma Resources, 2020), and to not rush the experience so that people’s nervous systems can adjust and integrate the experience. Including all three of these approaches, along with various options within each of them, makes it possible for everyone to participate. As one participant expressed, “I enjoyed the peacefulness of taking it slow- of not jumping to visual stimulation with expectations of quick interpretation or meaning making — I loved the embodied experience that was encouraged and shared.” (Program participant, personal communication, October 28, 2021).
We include grounding and visualization exercises because trauma informed practices favor a gentle regulated pace, however everything is presented as a choice and with lots of ideas for how to make adjustments so that people can alter the experience to their needs. One grounding technique regularly included is a prompt which encourages participants to find an object in their immediate space which feels soothing and can serve as an anchor to the present moment. These exercises are tailored to the artwork (e.g. exploring color and emotion for Suzanne Jackson’s “Wind and Water”, using the concept of a window as a framing device for considering internal and external worlds for Betye Saar’s “Black Girl’s Window”) and the creative response in this program as a way to prepare people’s nervous systems for what’s to come. They also provide some tools or skills to use should anyone feel activated during the program and/or ideas to take into their daily lives. This is another example of how contemplative practices can successfully align with trauma-informed practices.
7) Pacing, which includes slowing down, repetition, gradual building, space to pause for reflection and breathe, and variation in tone are key elements in nervous system regulation and help us to attune and co-regulate.
It’s easy to disconnect from our own needs and feel pulled along by life, so we see this as an opportunity to push back against the urgency; the fastest way to heal is to go slowly. In this program we try our best to model slowing down, by taking time to be with one art work and inviting people to experience an unfolding of that work through multiple modalities and viewpoints. One participant shared that “the slow pace and questions resulted in my seeing more and more in these images the longer I gazed at them.” (Program participant, personal communication, July 21, 2022).
Careful scaffolding in the program design also creates a sense of containment and reduces overwhelm because it works to ensure that all participants are supported throughout the trajectory of the program. Important elements in the scaffolding of the program include: the welcome and orientation, check-in, grounding and/or visualization, verbal description, close looking, individual reflection, group reflection, creative response, grounding, expressions of gratitude and farewell. We always take special care to close the program, often using music carefully selected to align with the artwork and inviting in movement as a way to transition out of the program and back into our lives. If the program is online, we always invite participants to unmute themselves so that we can all say goodbye and the overall sensory experience of this combined with the music and movement has a positive impact on people’s nervous systems.
8) We’ve learned it is critical to embed choice, voice, and agency throughout the program.
With trauma, people have experienced a loss of choice so it can feel calming to know they have options and the way they participate is in their hands. Throughout the program, we offer options of ways people can engage and share their thoughts and let participants know that they can opt in and out where they like. It’s important to prioritize taking time to acknowledge and care for our bodies and emotions and work to cultivate that in the space we hold with others. This gives people the space to feel into what’s true for them. One participant shared, “Throughout the facilitators are careful to allow for a variety of responses and comfort levels, always reiterating “if you are comfortable doing so” or “if you want to” and so on. They continually reassure us that “there are no wrong answers.” It’s wonderful and freeing” (Program participant, personal communication, February 19, 2021). The choices people make along the way, helps shape the program just as much as our facilitation does. Providing choice and agency creates a sacred space of loving-kindness and compassion for participants which is an important element of contemplative practices.
9) We acknowledge that people who participate all come with different lived experiences and therefore all have different internal and external responses.
Before a program, we always discuss possible questions for self-reflection, thinking about how prompts and content may land with different nervous systems. We often bring in artist quotes which can help us better lean into the ideas being explored. We strive to avoid activating people’s nervous systems, however when there is activation, the overall design of the program and specific elements help to keep everyone within their window of presence so that the experience feels contained and supportive. In sharing a particular Slow Looking program, one participant said, “This had a tremendous impact on my nervous system to keep reorienting in the ways we were led — sensations, imagery, emotions, thoughts (repeat)” (Program participant, personal communication, October 28, 2021).
We aim to reduce overwhelm so that we don’t flood people’s nervous systems, so they can stay with and fully engage in the experience and find connection in it. This can help build a more resilient nervous system which overall means a greater sense of well-being. Our nervous systems assess for threat and can bias us towards it, especially if someone has experienced trauma, so being more aware of our physiological and emotional states can help us sort through what’s true in the moment. To a traumatized nervous system even joy can feel threatening. Hypervigilance is an adaptive and automatic state that is essential to survival but being stuck in it really takes a toll on people (Spring, 2022). If we can create space for people to experience a more settled nervous system and to notice what that feels like then we feel the program is a success. When we accomplish this, participants are better able to connect with contemplative practices such as witnessing and/or beholding of one another’s experiences as well as deep listening and quiet reflection. Feedback from one participant highlighted this by saying “My head wasn’t buzzing. My mind wasn’t racing. I was forgiving of myself and better ready to handle the challenges and fears for going to work in person during the pandemic” (Program participant, personal communication, December 3, 2020).
10) We integrate aspects of collaboration and mutuality into the program by inviting participants to build the experience with us.
We often start a program by focusing on one element of art, such as color, texture or lines. This is similar to the SIBAM (sensation, image, behavior, affect and meaning) model used in somatic experiencing in that it helps people sort through information one step at a time to avoid flooding the nervous system (Morgan, 2022). We find that this helps people to ease into the experience and feel more fully present. Together we create a collective inventory of words and descriptions which begins building the narrative of our time together. This part is deliberately messy, collective, cumulative, and fun. One participant described our approach as, “description before seeing/experiential, zooming in and out, different lenses-intellectual, emotional, sensual/physical, spiritual, energetically, contextual/historical, open, holistic, non-judgmental” (Program participant, personal communication, October 27, 2021). As the program continues, we build in more opportunities for observation, reflection and response with facilitators sharing bits of information that make connections and support people’s observations. This is where people’s lived experiences can come into play and our cumulative description can feel very connective.
This can be very positive for people who might not be confident in their own expertise of looking at art, or who feel they are alone in their experiences. It also helps people who are familiar and comfortable with art to shift perspectives and make new discoveries.
11) Working with external collaborators with different backgrounds and expertise, but who all resonate with this work, adds so much dimension to the program.
The process of working with collaborators helps us to keep learning, growing, and evolving. All the collaborators we’ve worked with have helped with the creative response part of the program, where participants reflect on shared prompts. This gives people many options on how they respond to an artwork and the ways they choose to participate and/or share with the group, and directly invites in participants’ voices and lived experiences.
During the creative response participants are reminded there are no right or wrong answers or ways to go about responding. We also remind participants to take a moment to check-in with themselves and see if they feel comfortable with what they’re considering bringing up in this setting. This is done to ensure that no one shares more than they feel comfortable sharing. The openness of the creative response, and overall structure of the program, has resulted in people drawing, writing, moving, dancing, sounding, and gesturing their response. Participants leave feeling seen, heard, and supported. As a result, they often share profound experiences with us, such as one participant who commented “it had me thinking a lot about what grounds me, who are my multiple selves, how are they showing up, what are they communicating, and listening to something several times felt representative of how I was seeing myself (multiple selves)” (Program participant, personal communication, March 23, 2022).
Those are our top 10 insights but there’s so much more we have learned and unlearned in this process, always always refining, evolving, reflecting, and opening ourselves up to change. This is a process, not a final destination, and we don’t get everything right. We know there is room to make Slow Looking, and other programs, even more trauma-informed, to further lean into contemplative practices and to expand this work. Our advice to everyone is to educate yourself about trauma and trauma-informed practices, learn from people with lived experiences, and be open to making changes necessary for working in a trauma-informed way. Notice the ways you might already be aligned with these practices and how you might further embody these principles from the inside out. Lastly remember, always be gentle with yourself as you engage with this deep work.
Thank you and deep gratitude to the Slow Looking team: Hannah Fagin, Adelia Gregory, Annie Leist, and Lisa Mazzola, as well as all the other folks who contributed their efforts to make this program a reality.
Jackie Armstrong
Jackie Armstrong (she/they) is the Associate Educator, Visitor Research and Experience at The Museum of Modern Art where she works cross-departmentally planning, coordinating, conducting and sharing the results of visitor research and evaluation, as well as working on other initiatives and interpretive resources. Increasingly, Jackie draws on her personal experiences and research of trauma and mental health to advocate for others and inform her work in the museum. Previously, she served as the Audience Researcher at the Art Gallery of Ontario, as well as worked at a few smaller museums before that in various capacities.
Footnotes
- Dr. Karen Treisman developed these more nuanced principles and values to meet the needs of a wide array of organizations. The principles outlined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association are ones which many people and organizations have implemented and/or built off of, as is the case with Dr. Treisman.
- The concept of “safe enough” grows out of D.W. Winnicott’s “good enough mother” theory or the idea of “good enough parenting” (year ). “Safe enough” is a term often used in trauma treatment, therapeutic relationships (e.g. individual therapy or group) and/or when managing trauma responses. It acknowledges that feeling completely safe might not be possible, especially if someone has never felt safe in their body for whatever reason(s). Feeling “safe enough” means having awareness around when things feel okay or tolerable vs. when they feel completely unsafe. Holding a “safe enough” space therefore means acknowledging that not everyone feels the same degree of safety but that efforts will be made to help everyone’s nervous system feel more settled.
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