July 2019

Summary: Brain networks are spatially and functionally fluid, and not static, as previously believed. Source: Georgia State University The shape and connectivity of brain networks — discrete areas of the brain that work together to perform complex cognitive tasks — can change in fundamental and recurring ways over time, according to a study led by Georgia State University. The interaction and communication among neurons, known as “functionally connectivity,” gives rise to brain networks.

Brianna Renner had just given birth to her second daughter when she felt herself slipping into postpartum depression. Renner, who served in the Marines Corps for five years, was accustomed to serious life challenges, but her colicky infant’s nonstop tears left her feeling hopeless and alone. So she turned to the mat — her yoga mat, to be precise — and then things turned around. Renner rediscovered her mojo. Renner felt that she’d stumbled across something that could profoundly change the...

Riveting and emotional: The full, first-ever Congressional hearing on “Identifying, Preventing, and Treating Childhood Trauma” by the Oversight Committee chaired by Representative Elijah Cummings. Across the hearing, the story of developmental trauma is well-conveyed and powerful.

@Lisa Cherry and @Tracey Farrell are having conversations so many of us are having as well as related to our personal and professional work and healing. The video is above. I'll share just one quote from each of them that stayed with me so you can get a sense of who they are and what's being discussed. The video about resilience that Tracey Farrell created and that's mentioned in the conversation above is included down below and and here. Lisa's other video...

Newly published article from the Drug Court Review about the importance and efficacy of family-centered skills training as part of the recovery process. For more info about the Celebrating Families program, visit: www.celebratingfamilies.net

Mary has worked in several fields, but has been a volunteer all of her life. She is an enthusiastic autodidact, and has been one since childhood. Her main in terests are family, friends, working with people who care, early childhood education, the arts, thrifting (bringing things once discarded back to their original glory), ikebana, mental health advancement, natural health, and constant learning. Mary also has deep appreciation for delicious food. Mary is vice chair of Peace4Tarpon. She...

In 2016 the US Embassy and Jamaica’s Child Development Agency (CDA) hosted a series of presentations on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) which were delivered by Dr Nadine Burke–Harris, a leading figure in the global ACEs movement. Despite this promising start and the efforts of a few Jamaican writers and researchers, Jamaica is still in the early stages of exploring how the conceptual framework of ACEs could help us understand and address the links between child abuse and many of our...

Please see the attached flyer for the National Attach conference coming to Scottsdale this October. Great national conference coming to the valley this year!

By Alicia Sparks, Psych Central, June 10, 2019. As it turns out, not only will teasing an overweight child or teenager not help motivate them to lose weight; the teasing could actually contribute to an increase in weight. According to a new study , children who were teased or ridiculed about their weight saw an annual increase in weight by 33 percent. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health theorize weight-associated stigma might have led to the youths engaging in unhealthy...

Addiction, anxiety, and depression can be all-consuming and enslaving. When I was spending every night, isolated in my room, indulging in opiates and vodka - my entire world hyper-focused and revolved around my pain. It was certainly not the life I was choosing - or so I thought. My messy head was tortuous, chaotic, and I felt absolutely powerless against it. All of my thoughts were amplified extensions of: “You are never going to be enough and you are unworthy of love and happiness.” I did...

While @Donna Jackson Nakazawa is usually too busy writing books, training, and research to blog, she does share gems, nuggets, and information every once in a while on Twitter or Facebook which demand to be turned into blogs. With her permission to post, here's a recent, consolidated Tweet thread version of her writing. It's in response to another thread by Jennifer Brea (which can be found here) where she details about what we can expect from her upcoming book, The Angel and the...

By David Murphey and Jessica Dym Bartlett, Child Trends, July 9, 2019. Exposure to adversity in childhood is widespread and can pose a serious threat to individual health and well-being over the life course. By age 18, nearly half (45 percent) of children in the United States have had at least one adverse experience; among young children and other vulnerable subgroups, the prevalence is much higher. Childhood adversity is defined as one or more stressful events or conditions that can...