Imagine a park bench on a cool morning, two people sitting together, one playing with a leaf, the other looking at the ducks floating on the water. The fidgeter starts talking about a fight with their boss, voice low, words tripping over each other. The listener doesn’t cut in with “Oh, I’ve been there” or “You’ll get over it,” they just tilt their head, murmur a quiet “Mmm,” and wait. That’s trauma-informed communication in its rawest form: a way of being present that feels like a soft landing, not a push off a ledge.
At Open Arms Initiative, we’ve been in Oklahoma City for years, helping people get through the tough stuff life throws at them. Trauma isn’t always a headline—it’s in the way someone freezes at a loud noise or goes quiet when the past sneaks up. Trauma-informed communication isn’t about grand fixes; it’s about meeting people where they are with care that sticks. Let’s unpack what it looks like, straight from the stories we’ve lived alongside.