Blog

I don’t know why you’re not allowed to say this, but I will: Talking about the trauma that happened to you as a kid will not, by itself, heal Childhood PTSD. In fact, for a lot of us, talking about it, exploring it and processing it (the approach in traditional therapy) can make healing from trauma even harder. Do you relate to this at all? As someone who spent the first thirty-plus years of my life struggling with the effects of a hard childhood, I want to impress on you that the solution...

Mindfulness, meditation, or prayer when practiced one half an hour every day over eight weeks, has shown a difference in several brain regions that control learning, emotions, memory, and the fear response. These regions include the amygdala and the hippocampus, regions that control the fight/flight/freeze/fawn response.

The Office of Advocacy and Reform (OAR), established by Governor Tom Wolf’s 2019 executive order to protect Pennsylvania’s vulnerable populations, today announced the launch of a volunteer think tank comprised of 25 experts representing a diversity of fields and backgrounds who will develop a plan to make Pennsylvania a trauma-informed state. “The people of Pennsylvania are compassionate, thoughtful and resilient. We take care of each other, and that drive to protect our families and our...

In an unprecedented global shutdown, many of us, especially without the noise and distraction of everyday life, are facing intensified, often destabilizing feelings. And that includes kids—whether they’re able to say so or not.

By Neeraj Bhala, Gwnetta Curry, et al., The Lancet, May 8, 2020 Tackling injustices, including those that result from prejudice and racism globally, is essential in the response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Here, we focus on UK South Asian and Black and African-American populations, using internationally recognised terminology and definitions, and consider the UK and the USA as globally relevant examples. We recognise other minorities also need consideration in the...

By Albert Wong, Psychology Today, May 7, 2020 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been a de facto standard of care within psychotherapy for the last 30 years. Certainly, CBT has shifted and changed over the years—particularly with the mindfulness revolution of the past decade—but the underlying ethos of CBT which places cognition and behavior in positions of elevated primacy in the psychotherapeutic healing process has remained relatively intact—at least within the halls of academe. There...

By Gail Saltz, U.S. News & World Report, May 8, 2020 IT’S AN EXCEPTIONALLY difficult time right now for everyone. The stress and anxiety of illness, social distancing , being cooped up in quarantine , trying to work from home with children trying to distance learn from home, serious economic concerns and no known end in sight with tremendous uncertainty about the future is a collective trauma of sorts for us all. As a result, we expect that some of us are going to struggle with mental...

By Bindiya Bagga and Jason Yaun, Daily Memphian, May 8, 2020 While the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates as the case and death totals continue to climb, children have fortunately been spared from the worst of the direct ravages of this virus. But as the pandemic continues and the effects on the health and financial well-being of caregivers mount, children are being impacted in a myriad of harmful ways that could have long-lasting consequences if not addressed. As parents and...

I enjoyed joining the Women-Centered Health Podcast hosts nursing scholars Drs. Nicole Loew and Stephanie Edmonds to talk about how to apply principles of trauma-informed care to our telehealth encounters. This is so critical during COVID-19 and beyond. http://womancenteredhealth.com/telehealth/

I am so excited to share with you an interview with Chan Hellman, PhD, co-author of the award-winning book “ HOPE Rising: How the Science of Hope Can Change Your Life ”. Chan introduces the language and science of Hope and shares his insights into how we can cultivate hope during these uncertain times. Chan, the webinar participants, Natasha Duarte (my co-author) and I enjoyed thinking about how hope is created in our lives. This is the recording of the live webinar .

By Michelle R. Caunca, Michelle C. Odden, M. Maria Glymour, et al., JAMA Neurology, May 4, 2020 Key Points Question: Is cumulative exposure to residential segregation in young adulthood associated with midlife cognitive performance among black individuals in the US? Findings: This cohort study of 1568 black participants in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study found that relative to living in low-segregation neighborhoods, black participants who were exposed to highly...

Announcing two upcoming live webinars on Trauma Informed Care designed to help YOU implement a trauma informed approach throughout your organization! Join us This introductory level course is essential for anyone who works with the public. Participants will learn what trauma is, understand its possible effects, recognize the signs, and learn how to respond appropriately. Ever timely, due to the increased impact of trauma our society is facing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, this live...