This toolkit developed by Georgetown researchers is designed for educators, students, and other changemakers — anyone taking creative action to address social problems. From undergraduate students to university leaders, the framework can help strengthen analytical skills, research, problem-solving and the development and application of institutional policies. It is translational, interdisciplinary, and focused on action and practice.
Entitled “A Journey Beyond Repair: Transforming Cycles of Harm into Healing”, the toolkit introduces a holistic, trauma-informed approach to social change, addressing the complex interplay between trauma, wellbeing, and systemic transformation. Developed by the Being & Transforming Think Tank, a collaborative partnership between Georgetown and The Wellbeing Project, the framework integrates systems theory to map the cyclical nature of trauma and healing across individual, communal, and systemic levels. The model distinguishes between “vicious cycles” of intergenerational trauma and “virtuous cycles” of intergenerational wellbeing, offering a roadmap for transformation. A key innovation is the “Triple Infinity Loop,” which emphasizes the interdependence of personal healing, community support, and systemic alignment. This approach is designed to empower social changemakers—those often impacted by trauma themselves—to move from survival to thriving, and to embed wellbeing into the fabric of their work and communities.
BACKGROUND
The framework draws on more than 50 years of research and practice in trauma studies and community psychology, while being rooted in universal human experiences of healing and resilience. Social change work is inherently relational, operating across interconnected systems of individuals, families, communities, and institutions. Trauma—especially intergenerational trauma—disrupts these systems, diminishing resilience and adaptability. Despite decades of research in trauma studies, a gap remains in translating this knowledge into actionable, context-sensitive practices for changemakers. This framework emerges from that need, drawing on interdisciplinary research, lived experience, and global collaboration. It challenges the fragmentation of trauma responses and instead promotes a strengths-based, systems-oriented model that recognizes trauma’s fractal nature—repeating across scales and contexts. By centering wellbeing as essential to effective activism, the framework redefines how we understand and address trauma in the pursuit of equity and justice.
Benefit
Market Application
Our mission is to advance GU’s innovations through strategic alliances and new venture creation, to facilitate the translation of research breakthroughs into tangible solutions, and to cultivate a dynamic and inclusive environment for entrepreneurship. We advance this mission in support of the GU community and for the benefit of society.
Create your free account to connect with Meghan Meyer and thousands of other innovative organizations and professionals worldwide
Send a request for information
to Meghan
Technology Offers on Innoget are directly posted
and managed by its members as well as evaluation of requests for information. Innoget is the trusted open innovation and science network aimed at directly connect industry needs with professionals online.
Need help requesting additional information or have questions regarding this Technology Offer?
Contact Innoget support
