There are many theories about childhood trauma and how it affects the bodies and minds of children and how these experiences shape adults. One of the most interesting of all of them is what is called the polyvagal theory. First described in 1994 by Stephen W. Porges, a distinguished university scientist, the polyvagal theory has caught the attention of millions including therapists and theorists of all types.
I invite you to notice the feeling you have when I say vulnerability is strength! Does it feel like a pit in your stomach? A lump in your throat? Does the idea of being vulnerable scare you? I am asking you to think about what’s not working for you in your life. Have you been trying to handle everything yourself? Do you think that is what strong people should do? Are you keeping secrets so that others only know the person you think you’re supposed to be ? Are you trying to seem “perfect”?
History Will Judge the Complicit [theatlantic.com] By Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, June/August 2020 On a cold march afternoon in 1949, Wolfgang Leonhard slipped out of the East German Communist Party Secretariat, hurried home, packed what few warm clothes he could fit into a small briefcase, and then walked to a telephone box to call his mother. “My article will be finished this evening,” he told her. That was the code they had agreed on in advance. It meant that he was escaping the...
From The New York Times (continuously updated), June 2020 Some cities are starting to to heed calls to “defund the police,” as lawmakers push proposals for greater police accountability. National Guard troops are being sent home from Washington, D.C. RIGHT NOW A veto-proof majority of the Minneapolis City Council pledged on Sunday to dismantle the city’s Police Department. [ Please click here to see recent updates .]
By Kimberly Kindy, Shayna Jacobs, and David A. Fahrenthold, The Washington Post, June 5, 2020 Police in riot gear were marching across a mostly empty plaza in Buffalo when two officers shoved a lone 75-year-old man who stood in their way. He fell to the ground and hit his head on the concrete. Officers marched past him as he lay motionless and bleeding from the ear. The city suspended the two officers after video of the incident spread around the world. Then, on Friday, the Buffalo Police...
By Ali Tadayon and Ashley A. Smith, EdSource, June 5, 2020 The shock and anger that is rippling throughout the country over the police killing of George Floyd hits home for West Contra Costa Unified — a majority Latino and African American district in the San Francisco Bay Area. As the district ends instruction this week, teachers described their efforts to give students the opportunity to talk — even if it is just virtually — about their concerns. Superintendent Matthew Duffy, in a message...
By Autumn McDonald, New America, June 4, 2020 I date myself with a reference to Rodney King, and I do so intentionally. I was fourteen when he was brutally beaten by LAPD officers; I had no thoughts of kids, or how a parent protects them. But in households around the country, Black parents were having “ the Talk ” with their children— an intense, high-stakes training on the realities of racism— in the hopes of inoculating them against disproportionate police targeting and brutality. My...
George Floyd’s murder has made me cry many nights over how senseless and inhumane his killing was. Learning of the killing of Breonna Taylor and many other black people has been soul crushing to say the least. A question comes to my mind in these times, “where is home for me?”. I lived for 20 years in Switzerland and finally decided to leave 3 years ago. Canada, my new home, also has its problems with racism, police brutality and the way Indigenous people have been/are treated.
FREE ONLINE PUPPET SHOW on Empathy & Friendship https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7O4t5QeJTUeWRe-46OlfJA Pacific Puppetry & Banyan Global Learning Present "Bird That Wants to Fly" 3-4pm Pacific on Thursday, June 11th This is the story of a bird who was treated very poorly and so has decided to walk instead of fly. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that through empathy and friendship we can help each other achieve our fullest potential. It is an archetypal story of...
Orlando Police line up in front of the OPD headquarters on South Street as protesters arrive to demonstrate in Orlando, Florida. Photograph: Joe Burbank/AP Sam Levin in Los Angeles The call to “defund the police” has become a rallying cry at protests across America this week, and some lawmakers appear to be listening. Activists who have long fought to cut law enforcement budgets say they are seeing an unprecedented wave of support for their ideas, with some elected officials for the first...
The Minneapolis police arrested protesters on Sunday who were marching after George Floyd’s death. Credit... Victor J. Blue for The New York Times By Farah Stockman and John Eligon ...Across the country, calls to defund, downsize or abolish police departments are gaining new traction after national unrest following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white police officer pressed a knee into his neck for nearly nine minutes on a busy Minneapolis street. ...Those who...
Please join us for the ongoing community discussion of A Better Normal, our ongoing series in which we envision the future as trauma-informed. Protests and riots across the country--and even worldwide--are making it impossible to ignore the racial trauma of police brutality and historical trauma embedded within our society. Many of us are grappling with complex feelings of helplessness and righteous anger. In response to this pandemic of racism in America, "A Better Normal" will hold space...
By P. Berman He is coming today! I have to finish shopping ! I need to get ready! But, it’s also laundry day… Claire is almost done with shopping for the week. Then, she needs to do the laundry and get ready for her date. If only she had done some loads last night but she had been so tired after playing games with Davy outside. It had been such a beautiful day, and knowing she was going to be gone this afternoon made her feel she needed to put out the extra effort. Her Davy was never going...
by P. Berman I was a high performer this week. Why do I feel so sick? Craig’s dad was very angry. He had heard about Craig’s performance at a meeting last week and had allowed himself a brief smile. He had called Craig up at the office to congratulate him but then he had gotten no answer; something was clearly wrong and needed to be straightened out. His son was not going to screw up yet another opportunity to show his superiority. He felt a surge of anger when after calling his son’s home...
By Jie Tang, Ying Ma, and Stephen P. Lewis, JAMA Network, June 4, 2020 Key Points Español 中文 (Chinese) Question Is internet addiction associated with nonsuicidal self-injury, and, if so, are there sex differences in the association? Findings In this survey study of 15 623 adolescents in China, both possible internet addiction and internet addiction were associated with nonsuicidal self-injury. There were no differences in the associations by sex or age. Meaning Interventions to address...