Truth-Telling Is a Public Health Intervention. Because healing starts with being heard.
When people hear the words truth-telling, they often think of history. Of colonisation. Of stories that are hard to face.
But truth-telling isn’t just a cultural process. It’s a health intervention.
At Buneen, we’ve seen firsthand what happens when communities are given space to speak — and be heard. The shift is powerful. The air gets lighter. The pain doesn't vanish, but it becomes shared. And in that space, healing begins.
Across Australia, truth-telling is often misunderstood as symbolic or divisive. But the evidence — and the experience of First Peoples — tells a different story.
Trauma Lives in Systems — Not Just People
Generational trauma doesn’t live in a vacuum. It’s held in families, in policies, in institutions, and in the unspoken spaces between them.
For First Peoples, silence has been a survival tactic — but one that’s come at a cost.
Studies from the Healing Foundation, the Lowitja Institute, and global trauma experts show that:
Collective trauma affects emotional, physical, and mental health across generations
Truth-telling and acknowledgement are essential steps in trauma recovery
Suppressed stories can lead to intergenerational shame, mistrust, and disconnection
When people feel safe to tell their stories, wellbeing improves — for individuals and the broader system
What Truth-Telling Actually Does
Truth-telling is not about blame. It’s about witnessing. About reclaiming voice. And about building a foundation for repair.
In a community or workplace setting, truth-telling creates:
Emotional release and validation
A reset of power dynamics and relational trust
A starting point for culturally grounded governance and policy
Stronger cultural safety in everyday practice
How We Support Truth-Telling at Buneen
Buneen works with communities, organisations, and government agencies to design and facilitate truth-telling processes that are:
Culturally led and trauma-informed
Backed by preparation, trust-building, and accountability
Grounded in the SAFE Method, which ensures emotional, structural, and relational safety across the process
Our work with the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation is one example — where truth-telling helped reconnect a divided community and laid the groundwork for strong cultural governance moving forward.
Truth-Telling Heals More Than History
As Professor Marcia Langton has said, “If you can’t name the problem, you can’t fix it.”
Truth-telling lets us name the problem. And in doing so, we begin to fix the system — not just manage the symptoms.
Whether it’s a child in care, a frontline worker, or a boardroom full of leaders — people carry stories. And if we want to build better systems, we need to create safe spaces for those stories to be heard.
Want to explore truth-telling in your organisation or community?
[→ Learn more about our facilitation approach]
[→ Explore the SAFE Method]
[→ Contact Buneen for a conversation]
