AUTHOR | CIVIC ARCHITECT | MENTOR
From trauma and division to healing and innovation.
Few have spent as long in the room with America's deepest divides — fewer know what it takes to heal them.
Available in January 2027!
American PTSD: Healing Our Collective Traumas and Reclaiming Our Future
Bessel van der Kolk MD, President, Trauma Research Foundation and author, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma, said:
“American PTSD invites us to look beyond headlines and offers us a trauma-informed lens on what’s really driving today’s culture wars, anxiety, polarization, and civic breakdown. The book shows how many Americans—“ordinary,” “normal,” and often insisting they’re “fine”—are nonetheless swimming in a trauma-saturated environment....The result is a compelling case for a new patriotism rooted in courage, empathy, and communal healing, and for reclaiming the Dream through trauma-aware action.”
Mark's Mission
Connecting our inner strengths and our outer resources to create the world we long for.
Mark Gerzon envisions a world connecting personal awareness with public life in ways that strengthen human understanding, honest dialogue, and collective responsibility.
Through writing, civic activism, and social impact, Mark's work connects inner awareness to outer action so that the way we live and lead expresses the essence of who we are on personal, national, and global scales.
Conflict and trauma are part of life.
Conflict can be transformed.
Trauma can heal.
Mark has spent his career traveling to meet conflict where it lives: from the inner lives of individuals to the halls of Congress, to the fault lines between nations and civilizations.
Mark's distinct, integral approach recognizes that personal healing and social and political progress are inseparable. Just like individuals, communities and nations must develop the capacity to transform conflict and address trauma to meet the intensifying challenges of our time.
Personal
Mark's work has always been grounded in the conviction that personal awareness is at the heart of creative leadership. It is common to think other people don't see things clearly, but how do we know that we do? Are there skillful practices that can help us live sanely and lead wisely in a crazy time?
Since peace and justice are an "inside job," Mark's recent work explores how fear, stress and trauma contribute to the divisions and conflicts that undermine our personal and civic well-being. By bringing these share wounds into awareness, he shows us how healing ourselves and our societies are deeply intertwined.
National
Every culture, including America's, sees the world through a unique lens? But is that lens accurate? How might we unlearn what is limiting our vision?
As one of the leading voices in the contemporary conflict resolution field, Mark has spent more than four decades advancing ideas, practices and projects that bridge divides and strengthen democracy. From his perspective, a nation divided against itself cannot be "great."Through his work with local communities and on Capitol Hill, with educators and philanthropists, he has helped transform polarization and possibility. His work is evidence that repairing our deepest divides is within our reach.
Global
Roughly two thirds of “liberals” and one third of “conservatives” in America identify themselves as “global citizens.” But what does that mean? Why does “thinking globally” matter so much? What difference does it make in how we live our lives?
From the Vietnam War to the Cold War and beyond, Mark has pioneered innovative alternatives to violence. He has spearheaded Track II diplomacy to help de-escalate the nuclear arms race, consulted with global. institutions on leading more collaboratively and effectively, and fostering a culture of global citizenship that fosters trust and innovation.
Working Together
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Writing
If you are a writer with a compelling vision that you want to take from concept to execution, contact me. I am highly motivated to help writers who have a strong voice and a powerful message or narrative for society as a whole. I am not interested in technical writing on professional subjects or meeting academic requirements. My particular strength is nonfiction books, short essays or op-eds, and screenplays.
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1-1 Mentorship
I am at the stage of my career where I am eager to help changemakers and social entrepreneurs clarify their mission and maximize their impact. If our values align, you may find value in some coaching sessions with me focussed on harnessing your personal strengths and overcoming your weaknesses related to achieving your professional goals. A short summary of your situation will help me determine whether I am the best person to serve you in this way.
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Consulting
Over the course of my career, I have worked with a wide variety of organizations that I respected so deeply who wanted me to help them be more effective. If your leadership team is seeking a breakthrough around a thorny issue or interpersonal dynamic, please contact us to determine if we can be of service.
A Lifetime of Bridge-BuildingAdvisor to the U.S. Congress • United Nations Development Programme • Fortune 500 companies • Philanthropic Foundations • Community Leaders
11
Books exploring leadership, conflict, democracy, and our shared humanity.
10,000’s
Leaders, organizations, and citizens convened through workshops, retreats, and public dialogue.
50+
Years facilitating dialogue across political, cultural, and international divides.
About Mark Gerzon
Mark Gerzon is a mediator, author, and civic architect who has spent more than five decades helping people bridge divides. As a practitioner, he has facilitated dialogue for national legislatures, international institutions, and organizations around the world—designing bipartisan retreats for elected leaders and helping build a national movement to reduce polarization. For four decades, he served as Founder and President ofMediators Foundation, incubating more than 100 mission-driven initiatives, and now serves as Chairman of its Board. As an author, he's written more than a dozen books, starting while still a college senior, with work featured in major national newspapers and on television. At the heart of it all is a simple conviction: division is not destiny.