Healing and Rebuilding Our Communities (HROC)

The Peace Center’s HROC Program is one with a long and rich history. The HROC modality was developed in Rwanda and Burundi, as a means of settling conflicts between families who were victims of war. Santa Sorenson and Ram Bhagat of the Peace Center travelled to Burundi to study and facilitate this powerful, community-based trauma healing technique. Through HROC participants learn to begin to heal from trauma in a group setting and brings people together to practice a range of empathy skill building techniques. The ultimate goal of HROC is to empower individuals not only to learn how to heal from their own trauma, but to help others to heal.

“When I started HROC I had Trauma healing tools, but not really any way to apply them to my life with active support. I was beginning to feel hopeless about the burden of man’s in humanity to mean. Organizing trauma on multiple levels gives me not only support—but the courage to continue my healing with PTSD”

“This workshop has profoundly changed my understanding of trauma from an individual trauma that could be put away to an event that affects community and for which a path to healing must be created. I am excited to think about how this work will impact my racial justice work, my work with pregnant women/women moving through labor + birth and my own personal healing journey. I have deep gratitude for this group and this world.”

“I literally never thought I would put myself in a group space for dealing w/ trauma, other than group therapy. HROC was honestly better than many group therapy sessions I’ve attended. I feel some wounds closing.”

“In my 27 years, I have not felt the calm and peace that I felt over the past 2 days. I feel very sure that I will overcome my story. Thanks RPEC!”

“I truly believe healing begins in + with me. (Individual) And I feel I am very good with supporting others to overcome perceived limitation(s). (Global) However, HROC Basic has been instrumental in helping me to see that I am able to be a part of a “community.” And with the insight from this basic training, I am an effective conduit and desire to expand myself through/with remaining training to be an effective change agent.”
— Shirl Selah, Veteran

“HROC was a fantastic workshop which introduced me to the complexities of trauma and dealing with trauma it was a weekend which showed me how to turn inward in order to best help those around me.”

“This workshop has allowed me to start pulling of the “band-aids” of worry, stress, fear, and insecurity...now I am starting the surgery, the process of healing and true exception and appreciation of SELF!) I understand that this surgical process is life-long and that this will help me to better help and serve others.”

“Thank you RPEC for the opportunity to meet new people, a very diverse group with all of our differences. We are all very much alike. It was 1st time I got to know a ladies from Africa + to hear their stories. So inspiring + courageous. I’ll never forget this experience! I wish others would attend. It’s really helpful.”

“Santa and Ram’s instruction comes from their commitment to self and community understanding. They model the skills needed to learn increased human understanding and ultimately peace.”

“I’m happy about HROC program. Give me scholarship so I can attended this Basic workshop which will help me in my social work back in Sudan and it helped me in different levels with my personal-psychological issues. Big thanks to Santa and Ram.”

“While very interesting, HROC feels like a subset of a greater workshop series that together then form “Conflict Resolution.” No one workshop by itself is as helpful as the building effect of several workshops.”

“This workshop taps into your inner strengths & pulls them out as a way help others. It allows you to reflect on your experience to better serve others. This training would be wonderful for RHART volunteers.”

“What I learned this weekend through HROC is that healing has many layers. Self-care, accompanying/supporting others in their healing, recognizing community & developing intentionally a HROC community, finding ways to keep skills fresh. That I am more comfortable listening to others than telling my story. That I need to sit with/explore forgiveness on a more heart-level, not an intellectual level. That Marco is an amazing analogy-generator. Everyone has something to teach & doesn’t always know that. That groups do not always develop in the directions you think they will. People/groups always have unexpected qualities and it takes patience & trust as a facilitator to ‘go where the spirit say go.’ Healing can spiral up, or spiral down. Rarely linear. Support, not help.”