Interior designers and architects understand intimately how a space can impact human psychology. That desire to learn why entering a room or building has the capacity to move them is perhaps why many are drawn to design in the first place.
Colour, texture or lighting in our surroundings can be manipulated to relax us, enhance our creativity, envelop us in pleasure or put us on edge. They also have profound potential to ease or compound the effects of trauma.
Trauma-informed design is a practice that recognises this potential and seeks to weaponise it for good. It’s a new but rapidly growing field that has developed from the broader practice of trauma-informed care.
Published in , a foundational guide from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) outlined six principles that guide a trauma-informed approach. These included: safety; trustworthiness and transparency; peer
