Mindfulness Meditation: Present‑Moment Healing After Gun Violence
Surviving gun violence often means living with more than just memories. Many people carry ongoing effects in their bodies, minds, and nervous systems: hypervigilance, sleep disruption, intrusive thoughts or images, grief, and the sense that danger isn’t over. Mindfulness meditation offers a pathway to engage the present moment safely, reclaim control of attention and inner experience, and begin restoring presence and grounding.
Mindfulness means training your attention to what is happening right now—breathing, bodily sensations, sounds, thoughts, and emotions—without judgment and with kind curiosity. For survivors of gun violence, this practice can help you notice when your body or mind is stuck in survival mode (startle responses, avoidance, dissociation) and gradually shift toward a state of safety, awareness, and choice. The organization Survivors Empowered lists mindfulness meditation as a key tool in their trauma therapy resources: “This tool helps people experience their feelings through a heightened attention to them … and helps them dispel the negative. It is a stress‑reduction technique that has been of great use to many trauma survivors.” (Survivors Empowered)
Research supports its benefits. A pilot study at University of California San Diego (UCSD) of 24 people affected by gun violence found that an eight‑week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program led to roughly a 37% reduction in trauma symptoms, a 52% reduction in PTSD/depression symptoms, and a 26% improvement in sleep (UCSD, 2018). Mindfulness helps survivors ground in the body, reduce rumination and intrusive thoughts, improve sleep and calm, and build resilience and self-compassion—critical tools for reclaiming a sense of safety after trauma.
This short video offers a glimpse into how mindfulness has supported Sandy and Lonnie Phillips in the years since their daughter, Jessi, was tragically killed in 2012. To learn more about the healing impact of mindfulness, explore these articles.
Learn More & Find Support
- Survivors Empowered – Trauma Therapy Tools – Practical guidance on mindfulness and other trauma-informed therapies.
- UC San Diego Mindfulness Research – Research on mindfulness for trauma survivors:
- Mindful.org – Guided meditations, articles, and beginner-friendly mindfulness exercises.
- Greater Good Science Center – Mindfulness Resources – Evidence-based mindfulness exercises and tips for stress and trauma.
- SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline – 1-800-985-5990 (24/7, free, and confidential crisis support for trauma and violence survivors)
Somatic Therapy: Healing Trauma Through the Body
After surviving gun violence, many people notice that their bodies continue to react long after the event is over. You might feel constantly on alert, startle easily, experience muscle tension or pain, or struggle to relax and feel safe. Somatic therapy is a body-centered approach that helps survivors reconnect mind and body, calm the nervous system, and release the survival responses that trauma often traps inside us.
Understanding Somatic Experiencing®
Somatic Experiencing® , developed by Peter Levine, PhD, is a body-oriented therapeutic approach designed to heal trauma by restoring nervous system regulation and releasing trapped survival energy. SE™ focuses on how trauma impacts the body’s automatic systems of protection—fight, flight, or freeze—and helps resolve them gently and safely.
Unlike traditional “top-down” therapies that begin with cognitive processing, SE™ uses a bottom-up approach, beginning with bodily sensations. By bringing awareness to the physical experience of trauma—rather than only the story of it—survivors can release the tension, fear, and vigilance that remain locked in the body.
Levine, who holds doctorates in biophysics and psychology, developed SE™ in the 1970s after observing how animals recover naturally from threat without trauma. His method helps humans complete interrupted survival responses—such as fight, flight, or freeze—by working through these sensations at a pace that feels safe.
How It Works
Through guided awareness, grounding, and gentle movement, SE™ practitioners help clients increase tolerance for difficult sensations and emotions. This process allows the nervous system to regulate itself, reducing the intensity of trauma-related symptoms. Over time, survivors often report feeling more resilient, present, and connected to themselves and others. SE™ has been applied across psychotherapy, medicine, education, bodywork, and emergency response, and has been taught to over 30,000 therapists in more than 42 countries (Somatic Experiencing International). Studies of SE™ have shown promising reductions in symptoms of post-traumatic stress and depression (PubMed, 2017).
The Mind-Body Connection
As trauma expert Babette Rothschild explains in her book The Body Remembers, healing from trauma means addressing both the mind and the body. For survivors of gun violence, somatic therapy provides a safe, compassionate space to notice how your body holds the memory of danger—and to learn new ways of restoring a sense of calm and control. Healing doesn’t mean forgetting what happened; it means helping your body remember what safety feels like again.
You are not alone in this process. With the right support, it’s possible to rebuild trust in your body, reclaim peace, and move toward a life defined not by trauma, but by resilience and healing.
Learn More & Find Support
- SEI Directory Somatic Experience directory
- About – Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute (SPI)
- Babette Rothschild – The Body Remembers – A foundational book on the science and practice of body-based trauma healing
- National Center for PTSD – Evidence-based information and tools for trauma recovery
- SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline – Call 1-800-985-5990 (24/7, free, and confidential crisis support for trauma and violence survivors)
- Survivors Empowered – Resources, peer support, and education for survivors of gun violence
Brainspotting: A Body–Brain Pathway to Healing After Gun Violence
When you have survived gun violence, the impact often goes beyond memory. The event can leave your nervous system on high alert, your body holding tension, and your mind replaying moments of fear. You may feel stuck in ways that talk therapy alone doesn’t always reach. Brainspotting offers a body–brain pathway to healing—acknowledging that trauma is stored not just in thoughts and feelings but also in the body and deeper brain systems that control how we respond to danger.
Developed by Dr. David Grand in 2003, Brainspotting is based on the idea that “where you look affects how you feel.” By using specific eye positions (called brainspots) and guided awareness of body sensations, the therapist helps you access unprocessed trauma that may be held in the brain and body. As you focus on these internal sensations with gentle, steady support, your nervous system begins to release stored survival energy and complete responses that were “frozen” during the traumatic event. Early studies and clinical evidence suggest that Brainspotting can help reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and physical distress (Brainspotting.com)
For survivors of gun violence, Brainspotting can be especially powerful. Many people experience ongoing hypervigilance, exaggerated startle responses, or physical unease when reminded of gunfire or threat. Brainspotting provides a safe and focused way to work through these body-based memories without having to relive or retell every detail of the trauma. It helps restore calm, safety, and self-trust—allowing your body to remember what peace feels like again. Healing is not about erasing what happened; it’s about reclaiming control and reconnecting with life in the present moment.
You do not have to go through this alone. With skilled, compassionate guidance, Brainspotting offers survivors a way to heal from the inside out—helping the body and brain finally agree that the danger has passed.
Learn More & Find Support
The therapy links, posted below, do not imply an endorsement, of either method or provider, by Survivors Empowered. They are provided as a jumping off point for consideration, and potential resources for you. However, we and others have had personal experiences that make us believe in the power of support, sometimes professional.
If you have never had therapy before but want to give it a try, do not feel like you must stick with the very first therapist you meet [with]. Often, it may take several tries to find a therapist who is the best fit for you, and the treatment type that will be most suitable. The number of sessions you need or want will be variable as well.
Arizona
Dr. Anniken Pettersen • Phoenix • 602-663-4777
California
Ellen Odza, MFT• Alameda • (510) 303-9345
Mindfulness, EMDR, CBT
Rachel Del Dosso • Camarillo • (805) 558-9035
Specializing in: EMDR and Art Therapy
Debora Sweet, PsyD• Studio City • (855) 997-7101 • Founder, Trauma & Counseling Center of Los Angeles
Dr. Sweet started this center to help people find the best counseling possible to reduce the effects of trauma on their lives. She carefully chose the associates that work at TCCLA to create the best possible experience for you as you work through what you are dealing with whether it is in the past or present. Dr. Sweet chose Kate Truitt, Ph.D. to continue the mission of TCCLA and is excited to support her as she grows the center to further excellence.
Dr. Lynne Meyer • Beverly Hills • 310-897-8760
Clinical Psychologist, specializing in Trauma & Abuse Therapy
Sheryl K Weissberg, MA, MFT• Beverly Hills • (424) 373-6311 • (424) 285-5043
I work from a psychodynamic perspective, with additional specialized training in EMDR, Grief Counseling, and EFT.
Dr. Aline LaPierre • (310) 390-5401
Dr. Aline LaPierre is the creator of NeuroAffective Touch® and director of The NeuroAffective Touch® Institute. She teaches NeuroAffective Touch®, a body-focused and neurologically informed psychotherapy that uses somatic therapy and body-centered approaches as vital psychobiological interventions.
Ping Sun • Los Angeles • (818) 290-8819
I worked as a Chinese Psychological counselor and Clinical Psychologist in the city of Nanjing, China for 9 years; and a Student Research Psychoanalyst in Los Angeles for 3 years. I have accumulated over 10, 000 hours individual therapy hours with my clients, by integrating the therapeutic methods of Psychoanalysis, Existential, and Gestalt Therapy.
Dr. Alice Berkowitz • Beverly Hills • (310) 659-3824
Dr. Alice R. Berkowitz has served as a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist for over 30 years
Dr. Karol Darsa • Pacific Palisades • (310) 713-5739
Founder and Director of ReConnect, Integrative Trauma Treatment
Elaine Miller-Karas• Claremont • (909) 626-4070
Elaine Miller-Karas is the Co-Founder and Director of Innovation of the Trauma Resource Institute and author of the book, “Building Resiliency to Trauma, the Trauma and Community Resiliency Models” (2015).
Route 91 Therapy (Dr. Shiva Ghaed) • San Diego • (619) 852-1766
Dr. Ghaed is a trauma therapist and was at the Las Vegas Mass Shooting
M’Lissa Trent, PhD • Del Mar • (858) 663-4649
Susan Minas, LCSW• Encinitas • (760) 274-7179
Helen Davis, PhD, LMFT• San Diego • (858) 673-3360
Certified MBSR Teacher • UCSD Faculty
Rebecca Ching, LMFT (Potentia)• San Diego • (619) 819-0283
EMDR Therapy. “No matter the struggle, the story, the details I am committed to offering respect, compassion, and dignity in the presence of your courage to show up and ask for help.”
Kara Nossardi, LMFT• Temecula • (510) 388-4725
EMDR Therapy
Colorado
Nell Bly, LCSW • Denver, near Columbine
Connecticut
Andrea Leigh Moore PhD• Danbury • (203) 790-9960
I have specialized in trauma for over 30 years, increasingly focused on gun violence for the past 8 years
Texas
Brenda Lee Gauthier • Austin
LCSW, LCDC, CCTP, SEP
Washington
Angela Schellenberg • Bellevue • (425)628-3354
Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHCA, EMDR Certified
“I am a Trauma Therapist as well as a gun violence survivor myself. I work with Survivors and help them develop tools to begin processing the trauma and PTSD from gun violence. ”