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How does one differentiate the need for formal education in trauma healing as mandatory versus optional? I have been thinking about how Americans and most first world countries have been so inundated with the idea that someone must have gone to university to be taken seriously in mental health, and I can’t help but wonder the authenticity of it all. I think about how an old man in Bali healed my body; he a master of physical manipulation with no education and little understanding of my...

Good cheer, happiness, family and a spirit of giving are a big part of the holiday season. But for many people, stress and loneliness are major players that upset plans to stay positive. If your tension level rises when the decor goes up, you are not alone. It is common for some people to feel more anxious or lonely as the season begins. Holiday stress can trigger negative thinking that builds on itself. To avoid this cycle, we can take this opportunity to find new comforts and enjoy the...

HERE this NOW (HTN) is elated to announce the development of it's first podcast show, CONVOS during COVID . This is part of an ongoing conversation series that was developed last spring as a result of the pandemic, the collapsing economy, and the racial injustice crisis. Since then, we have enjoyed several guests such as the author of The Polyvagal Theory, Dr. Steve Porges; Anti-Racist Schools Activist Joe Truss; pediatric psychologist, Dr. Mona Delahooke; author Dr. Gholdy Muhammad;...

By April Simpson, Moyers on Democracy, November 18, 2020 More than a century ago, white Mississippians devised a way to almost guarantee that no African American — or Black residents’ preferred candidate — would ever hold real political power in the state. It’s among the discriminatory measures voters changed across the country on Election day. After months of unrest sharpened the nation’s attention to racial justice issues, voters in several states approved ballot measures and amendments,...

By The Annie E. Casey Founation, November 2, 2020 Over the past several months, thousands of Atlantans have found themselves struggling to afford groceries after the COVID-19 pandemic put them out of work . At the same time, many churches, food pantries and relief organizations have faced difficulties keeping up with requests for food and have seen a dip in volunteers — as many people have stayed home to avoid potential exposure to the novel coronavirus. The Atlanta-based humanitarian...

By Tony Wan, EdSurge, November 10, 2020 Everybody is yearning for a return to normalcy, and yesterday offered hope after a major drug company announced that early data suggest its coronavirus vaccine is more than 90 percent effective. But not everything should go back to normal, say district superintendents, particularly in communities where the pandemic has exposed deep-rooted systemic racism and inequities—and also accelerated positive changes that school leaders hope will stick long after...

By Kristen Rogers, CNN, November 20, 2020 Roisin and Danny Huang took their 6-year-old daughter to cultural celebrations and dim sum restaurants in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District, cultivating her Chinese identity and cultural pride. To Roisin, who is White, and her husband, who is Chinese and first-generation American, that was an important part of their parenting. Despite some internalized racism their daughter was experiencing, she had come to accept and celebrate the Chinese...

Announcing a screening and live virtual discussion you don't want to miss! Medicating Normal is excited to announce that we will be taking part in The Winter Film Festival on December 6th from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm EST, hosted by Trauma Research Foundation (TRF). We're so excited to join the lineup with some of the most important films in the field of trauma right now. Each film explores a different aspect of how trauma can impact us. Even more exciting is that Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.,...

This trauma healing list will be short and sweet, with plenty of room for elaboration in the near future. For now, these are the top 5 things that you can do now to start healing trauma. The best thing that you can do to heal trauma without any doubt is to acknowledge that you have some work to do. There is no reason to spend time nor money on therapy or trauma healing modalities without accepting that you have to take it seriously. The worst thing that I did was spend thousands of dollars...

Apropos of my last posting on naming feelings so one can tame them, try this activity. Find or create a wee tree. Each day put a positive feeling on the tree and share the sayings on the tree. My positive sayings are from a jar filled with colorful paper — each is which has a positive feeling. We pull one out per person each morning. And, The Feeling Alphabet Activity Set will help you identify positive feelings if you get stuck. Order it at: www.karengrosseducation.com/thefeelingalphabet/.

Transforming Trauma Episode 029: A Mother’s Journey into Finding Effulgence through the NARM Process of Resolving Grief with Heidi Winn In this Episode of Transforming Trauma, our host Sarah Buino interviews NARM Therapist Heidi Winn. Heidi is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a private practice in Fairfield, Iowa, and learned about NARM as she was grieving the loss of her teenage son, Finn, to suicide. In sharing this deeply personal story of loss, Heidi hopes listeners will feel a...

Are you struggling to identify your feelings? Has the holiday left you with strange feelings? Are you struggling to put words to thoughts? Me too. That is why Dr. Ed Wang of Harvard and I developed (among other reasons) The Feeling Alphabet Activity Set. It helps family and friends identify feelings. And if you can name it, you can start to tame it. For every negative feeling, try 3 positive feelings. Create a jar of positive feelings and take one or two each day and have friends take them...