Trauma, Voting, and the World to Come

Some thoughts about trauma and the election: I’m a trauma clinician and survivor advocate by background. I spent over 25 years working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence. I realized that I could spend my life responding to trauma - critically important work - but I wanted to do more to prevent trauma from happening in the first place. I saw the ways systems were failing survivors, because they were never built to serve survivors.

So I decided to move into policy and advocacy work.

I wanted to bring my experiences with survivors to the work of system and policy change. More importantly, I wanted to bring survivors to the forefront of decision making about policy. It’s been an incredible 5.5 years since I made that decision and took on leadership of a state gun violence prevention coalition.

I’ve learned so much, including how states/municipalities play a critical role in creating and implementing policies that prevent violence and promote healing - or do quite the opposite.

But I also know there is only so much states can do. I always say that while Massachusetts is one of the safest states in the country when it comes to gun violence, we’re only as safe as the weakest gun laws in neighboring states allow us to be. And of course, gun violence is still happening in MA. Still leaving families bereaved and communities traumatized.

Ultimately, we will struggle to truly address gun violence unless there is meaningful federal action.

So as a trauma clinician that is now working on policies that will stop violence, I know deep down in my bones that the most important intervention right now is getting Kamala Harris elected. Any hope for meaningful federal change on gun violence will go out the window if Trump regains the presidency. Trump famously (or infamously) told NRA members earlier this year that “no one will lay a finger on your firearms” if he wins the presidency, and that “every single Biden attack on gun owners and manufacturers will be terminated” his first week in office. A threat I am very much inclined to believe, and a threat that will have catastrophic impact.

If we want to prevent violence and trauma, we need a leader who is committed to working with us. It will still be incredibly hard work, but there will at least be opportunity to make change.

A Kamala Harris presidency won’t solve the problems, but it will provide us with the chance for meaningful progress. It will give us an opportunity to better support survivors and delve into the critical work of prevention. It will ensure that we continue to invest in community based solutions and the communities most impacted by gun violence - which has been a hallmark of the Biden/Harris administration.

A vote for Kamala Harris is a vote to reject the trauma and violence that will inherently define a second Trump presidency. It is a vote to reject handing power to people like Stephen Miller, who is just waiting to reinstate evil policies like ripping children from their parents at the Southern border.

But a vote for Kamala Harris isn’t just a vote AGAINST Trump. It is also a vote FOR creating structures and systems that over time will prevent trauma and violence. Structures like the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, something that did not exist until just over a year ago. There is literally no way a Trump administration will allow this office to continue. I can absolutely guarantee that the dismantling of this office the disruption of historic levels of violence prevention funding secured by the current administration will result in more deaths from gun violence. It will result in more trauma. A vote for Kamala Harris will pave the way for this work to continue and hopefully grow even more. Something I myself will be agitating for. But we can only work toward more if we don’t have to frantically work against losing what we have.

Voting is a trauma intervention. We have a choice. Our vote will either serve to create the conditions where trauma will flourish, or it will be a tool to work towards preventing trauma from happening in the first place. We’ve all seen the saying “vote like your life depends on it”. I’d like to tweak that a bit…

Vote like our communal safety depends on it.

Vote against trauma and violence.

Vote for the world you want for your children, and for the children you will never meet.