July 2022

It's the middle of the night. My Nokia cell phone vibrates me awake somewhere under the covers, and I manage to locate it just enough to hit silent. A few moments later, the vibrating is present again. This time I look to see that it's my brother in a time zone three hours behind me, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I'm just too sleepy. The third round of vibration begins. "Alright, I better answer this"…. Me: "Hello?" Brother: "Mom's dead! Mom's dead!" (Heaving and sobbing). What...

By Danielle Friedman, Photo: Vanessa Leroy/The New York Times, The New York Times, July 7, 2022 When Cheng Xu was serving in the Canadian Armed Forces as a paratrooper and infantry officer, he experienced a series of traumatic events in rapid succession — his best friend and fellow officer took his own life, a soldier under his command was injured during a live fire exercise and a close friend’s father was kidnapped. He felt like the world was collapsing around him everywhere except at the...

By University of Toronto, Photo: Pixabay, Medical Xpress, July 7, 2022 Older adults who were physically abused as children were significantly more likely to develop chronic pain and chronic physical illness in later life according to a newly-released study by University of Toronto researchers. They were also twice as likely to develop depression and anxiety disorders compared to those without this early trauma. "Sadly, our findings suggest that the traumatic experience of childhood physical...

By Emma Gallegos, Photo: Kerin Coffey, EdSource, July 7, 2022 A question that has long vexed American secondary education is whether to prepare students for college or a career. With the creation of the Golden State Pathways Program, California has decided to invest in both. The state budget sets aside $500 million in competitive grants to establish a new program to ensure students “ advance seamlessly from high school to college and career.” Its goal is to help students transition from high...

By Donna St. George, Photo: Damian Dovarganes/AP, The Washington Post, July 6, 2022 The data, collected as the 2021-2022 school year was winding down, also showed that more than 70 percent of schools saw increases in chronic student absenteeism since the onset of the pandemic and about half of schools reported increased acts of disrespect toward teachers and staff. “The survey paints a remarkably coherent picture,” said Kevin Welner, a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder and...

Last spring, I attended a virtual book discussion of Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce Perry's book "What Happened to You?". It was while we (or at least I) were still pretty locked down with the pandemic. I was working from home, living alone, seeing family but only seeing friends and colleagues virtually. The event hosted by Dax Shephard and Kristin Bell inspired me to read the book. It also inspired me to bring the book to our Georgia communities. I knew that I was not the only person...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMZWY6n3-3Y

By MyDzung Chu, 7/7/22, https://positiveexperience.org/category/blog/ Meet MyDzung Chu, our newest faculty member at the Center for Community Engaged Medicine, working alongside the HOPE team! She shares how she first heard about HOPE and the projects she will be working on with the team. Can you tell us about your role at Tufts Medical Center? Hi everyone. I am an environmental and occupational epidemiologist. I am also a first-generation Vietnamese-American woman and a native of...

By Fuschia Sirois, Image: iStock, The Washington Post, July 3, 2022 Do you tend to see the glass as half full, rather than half empty? Are you always looking on the bright side of life? If so, you might be surprised to learn that this tendency could actually be good for your health. A number of studies have shown that optimists enjoy higher levels of well-being, better sleep, lower stress and even better cardiovascular health and immune function. And now, a study links being an optimist to a...

By Trisha Powell Crain, Photo: Laura Bruce, The Hechinger Report, June 29, 2022 A labama schools were just starting a new venture to help students find mental health resources when COVID hit. Mental health service coordinators are now in place in nearly all of Alabama’s 138 school districts; they help smooth the path so more students can find resources. The new role came at a key time, officials say, and will help more communities wrestle with the best way to help more students. “We know...

Deeply rooted shame from childhood adversities can lurk beneath conscious awareness, even after early memories are reworked. New understanding of the brain provides hope for breaking the painful grip of shame that’s imprinted in childhood. Traditional therapeutic strategies might not be the best starting point. This blog introduces the first of several healing strategies.

By John Blake, Photo: Jim Wilson/The New York Times/Redux, CNN US, July 3, 2022 A White judge tells an interracial couple that "Almighty God" placed the races on different continents because he "did not intend for the races to mix." A US Senator writes a book about the dangers of interracial unions called, " Take Your Choice: Separation or Mongrelization ." A White father is so disgusted after reading a magazine article on interracial marriage that he writes a letter to the editor saying if...