Positive Approaches Journal, Volume 14, Issue 2

Volume 14 ► Issue 2 ►September 2025

Designing for Safety: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Environmental Design in Community-Based Wellness

Riki Geyer, MSW, NADD-DDS     

Abstract

Building on the foundational work of Martin and Thvedt in “The Importance of Place in Trauma-Informed Care: A Wellness Approach,” this article provides a deeper exploration as to how environmental design plays a critical role in resiliency and trauma-informed care. Through the lens of environmental psychology, Polyvagal Theory, and sensory-informed practices, this article examines how physical spaces communicate safety, autonomy, and belonging. Using outcomes from Shared Wellness—a community-based center that integrates these principles into its architectural, programmatic design, and organizational culture—this article demonstrates how spaces can become catalysts for co-regulation, recovery, and empowerment for both individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/A) and their supporters. This article also emphasizes how intentionally using trauma-informed design principles can create a “green light state” for the nervous system that provides the foundation for both physical and psychological safety, enabling resilience to develop and thrive. The design principles outlined here move trauma-informed care from philosophy into practice, offering replicable strategies for organizations seeking to create environments that truly support healing.

Introduction

In their article “The Importance of Place in Trauma-Informed Care,” Martin and Thvedt set forth a challenge:⁷ to reimagine the environments where care takes place, grounding them in principles of wellness, empowerment, and trauma-awareness. Their call recognized that that place is not neutral—it shapes how individuals feel, behave, and relate to others. As trauma-informed care continues to grow in scope and importance, it is increasingly clear that healing is influenced as much by the physical environment as by the therapeutic intervention.

Resilience begins with bodily safety—when the body can relax, the mind gains adaptability, learning is enhanced, and growth is possible. In trauma-informed environments, this “green light state” shifts individuals away from the survival-driven question of “What’s wrong with me?” toward the more constructive “What’s strong with me?." A calm, regulated presence in caregivers fosters environments where skill development can take root and people can learn to create a sense of safety within their bodies as needed. Essentially, individuals in distress cannot process new information effectively, their reactions are instinctive rather than deliberate. Establishing common ground and supportive communities contributes to learning how to find safety and calm within one’s own body, resilience, and long-term recovery.

Examining how trauma-informed environmental design creates spaces that are not just safe but actively healing is one way to respond to the challenge set by Martin and Thvedt. Drawing from environmental psychology, sensory integration theory, and Polyvagal Theory, describes how physical settings—when intentionally designed—can reinforce nervous system regulation, increase autonomy, and support positive behavioral outcomes. This discussion is grounded in the implementation of Shared Wellness, a center that has fully integrated trauma-informed design into its physical and operational infrastructure. This approach sets the stage for safety and enables individuals to more fully engage in mindfulness activities and therapeutic interventions. The outcomes from Shared Wellness affirm that thoughtful design can reduce behavioral crises, enhance co-regulation, and build a culture of collective healing.

The Physical Environment as a Source of Safety

“Some spaces hold you the moment you arrive. The light is different. The air feels spacious. The noise in your mind quiets. Your body starts to trust the ground beneath your feet. These are the places where change happens naturally — not by force, but because the space itself invites it.”
– Master Mingtong Gu from The Chi Center for Wisdom Healing.⁸

Every environment communicates cues—about what is expected, what is safe, and what is possible. For individuals with trauma histories, including many with ID/A, these cues can profoundly affect emotional and physiological responses. Polyvagal Theory (Porges, 2017)² explains that the body continuously scans for signs of danger or safety in a process called neuroception. When individuals are in the “social engagement” state, learning and connection are possible. But, when environmental cues trigger fear-related thoughts, the nervous system shifts into fight-or-flight, narrowing attention to survival and reducing the capacity for growth. While every individual has a unique perspective of what they identify as dangerous, in general environments that are cluttered, noisy, chaotic, or unpredictable can signal danger, triggering defensive behaviors such as withdrawal or aggression.

In contrast, environments designed with intentionality can support a felt sense of safety. Facility design can directly influence perceptions of safety; spaces that are open, comfortable, and predictable help maintain regulated states and make it easier for individuals to stay in a resilient, learning-ready mode. At Shared Wellness, this principle was applied through:

·       Clean, organized spaces that reduce cognitive and sensory overload

·       Clear spatial boundaries that define purpose and foster predictability

·       Natural elements such as wood, water, and plant life that evoke calm and grounding

·       Quiet, sensory-calming spaces that allow for retreat and recovery

·       Flexible lighting, sound, temperature controls, and a variety of seating options that support autonomy and sensory regulation

Each of these elements contributes to an environment where the body and mind can down-regulate. When the environment provides cues of safety, it provides the opportunity for those who enter the space to experience internal safety. This alignment of internal and external safety is essential to the development of lasting resilience. Subsequently, when individuals feel safe, they are more open to learning, connection, and healing.

Designing for Autonomy and Identity

Trauma often involves a loss of control and a disruption of personal agency. Environmental design can play a role in restoring both. Providing individuals with the ability to make choices about their surroundings—adjusting lighting, choosing seating, participating in decorating or organizing—reinforces a sense of ownership, autonomy, emotional safety, and belonging. These moments of choice help regulate the nervous system by reinforcing a sense of control and predictability, which are critical in Polyvagal-informed environments. Activities and celebrations such as Monthly Culture Club and World Flavors Potluck help participants see themselves reflected in the space. This attention to representation promotes emotional safety and a sense of belonging, which are foundational to trauma recovery.

Sensory-Aware Design and Emotional Regulation

Overstimulation is a common trigger for individuals with trauma histories or sensory sensitivities. Lighting that is too bright, sound that is unpredictable, and smells that are overwhelming can all lead to dysregulation. The Shared Wellness design process prioritized:

·       Water features including a water globe and water windows in therapy rooms

·       Ambient, indirect lighting that is warm and dimmable

·       A redesigned HVAC system that turns on and off silently

·       Background soundscapes (e.g., nature sounds, music) with access to silence when needed

·       Texture variety: soft furnishings in retreat spaces, more structured surfaces in group areas

·       Diverse seating to provide options with and without arms, swivel and spin options as well as massage chairs

·       Natural ventilation and diffused aromas with the option to opt out of scented environments

·       Tools for sensory stimulation and deprivation, such as fidgets, weighted blankets, punching bags, light walls, and access to outdoor space 

By offering both stimulating and calming sensory inputs, individuals can find their optimal regulation zone. This dual availability supports self-regulation and allows caregivers to co-regulate alongside those they support, further reinforcing community resilience.

Feedback, Flexibility, and the Power of Adaptation

One of the most trauma-informed design principles is flexibility. Spaces must evolve as the needs of their users change. At Shared Wellness, participants and staff are routinely asked for feedback about the environment. Changes—such as rearranging furniture, adjusting noise levels, or introducing new textures—are made in response to these insights.

This adaptability sends an important message: the environment is responsive, and the individual’s experience matters. Over time, this builds trust and strengthens the shared sense of safety, a necessary foundation for resilience. When individuals see that their input leads to real change, trust is built—and the space itself becomes a living, adaptive part of the healing process.

Program Outcomes Around Shared Wellness

Shared Wellness provides a real-world example of how trauma-informed environmental design can lead to meaningful outcomes for typical program attendee as well as for the highly dysregulated individuals who often experience challenges such as property destruction, self and other injury, and psychiatric hospitalizations. Since integrating the principles described above, the program has observed:

·       A 40% reduction in behavioral health crises which includes: community-based crisis response, facility-based crisis response, immediate arrest and incarceration crisis response, psychiatric hospitalization (involuntary), psychiatric hospitalization (voluntary)

·       Significant increases in heart rate variability (HRV), indicating improved autonomic nervous system regulation, for 72% of program participants

·       Zero incidents of property destruction at The Wellness Center

·       Enhanced emotional regulation and engagement from both participants and staff

·       20% reduction in restrictive procedures

·       Greater staff satisfaction and reduced burnout, attributed in part to the calming and supportive environment

·       Participants and staff reported increases in feelings of safety, connection, and well-being

These outcomes demonstrate how aligning environmental design with nervous-system science and resilience-building strategies can create measurable, lasting change. They affirm the original hypothesis put forth by Martin and Thvedt⁷: that place matters deeply in the experience of trauma recovery and both the development and maintenance of resiliency, and that intentionally designed environments can be transformative.

Conclusion

Martin and Thvedt invited Shared Wellness to consider place as an integral part of trauma-informed care. At Shared Wellness, that invitation has been taken seriously and operationalized through thoughtful design, co-creation, and environmental responsiveness. This article illustrates that trauma-informed environmental design is not a luxury, but a necessity. It can reduce crises, promote regulation, and foster resilience in both individuals and caregivers.

In trauma-informed systems, healing is not confined to therapy sessions. It is embedded in every corner of the physical world—in the lighting, the seating, the color selection, the temperature, and the flow of space. It is present in the choices people are allowed to make about where they sit, what they see, and how they engage. It is also present in the calm, regulated presence of caregivers who model safety and invite connection. Most importantly, it is sustained by a culture that sees the environment not as a backdrop, but as a partner.

In this way, Shared Wellness offers a blueprint for what comes next: environments that don’t just accommodate trauma-informed care —but embody it by moving the needle towards creating connection and resilience.

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