Trust and relationship-building with each other as movement chaplains, community organizers with role clarity, consent and access planning. Setting up frontline and backline support.
Grounded presence, de-escalation support when appropriate, possible rapid response, basic-needs care, and consent-based spiritual care.
Decompression, grief support, repair support, and referral pathways.
Wisdom, teaching, experience learned through the Trauma, Response and Crisis Care Movement Chaplaincy program in 2015.
In-person accompaniment at vigils, protests, court support, rapid response, direct action spaces.
The layer behind the layer (check-ins, rides, exit plans, access logistics, care blocks, post-action support, activation if something goes wrong).
No one does this in isolation.
Not everyone is called to serve as a movement chaplain, and that is more than okay. The 805 Movement Chaplains community is also looking to build a network of experienced practitioners who can offer wisdom and skill when the need arises. If you bring deep experience in trauma-informed healing, somatic practice, nonviolent direct action training, or spiritual care, we would love to know you exist. There is room for many different gifts.
Movements move in waves. There are seasons of urgent action, intense alignment, and high stakes. Then there is often a decline. Bodies get depleted. Grief catches up. Conflict can rise. People can start crashing out on each other, not because they do not care, but because weeks or months of low sleep and high stress leave nervous systems in survival mode.
The Movement Trauma Cycle helps us locate ourselves without shame. It reminds us, I am not lost. I can see how I got here, and I can see where I am going. When we expect a decline after intensity, we can ride the wave differently, and we can choose repair instead of rupture.
This is why we build an infrastructure of care, not one time support. Without care in the depressive phase, people leave the movement. With care, people can reorient, reconnect with trusted community, and come back to shared purpose. Our north star is freedom and dignity, not being right.
Citations: “Phases of Disaster” adapted from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and FEMA. “Movement Trauma Cycle” slide credited to Teresa Mateus.
Copyright © 2026 805movementchaplains.com - All Rights Reserved.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.