Tagged With "ACEs"
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Webinar on Trauma and Prostitution
Hi everyone. There's an upcoming free webinar on Sunday 6th June 2021 (9am to 10:30am EST) on Trauma and Prostitution. Some of the questions it will answer include: "Does prostitution have a negative impact on mental health? What about physical health? What is the role of dissociation? Is trauma in a woman’s childhood connected with her entry into prostitution? " To register please visit the link below. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/trauma-and-prostitution-tickets-152860332369
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Reflections on Trauma-Informed Policing
Hi everyone, Happy Friday.😀 If any of you has a law enforcement background, this post is for you! Recently, we had the pleasure to virtually connect with Graham Goulden from Scotland. Graham is an experienced and committed leadership and violence prevention trainer. For thirty years he was a Scottish police officer and Chief Investigator specialising in criminal investigation, drug investigation, training and crime prevention. For the last eight years of policing career he was a Chief...
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Barbados Research into Childhood Malnutrition and Maltreatment.
Happy Friday everybody! As you know, with that comes some weekend reading for you. Today, we are sharing a report from research conducted in Barbados that links childhood malnutrition and maltreatment to personality disorders which persist into adulthood. It is the work of Rebecca S. Hock and her colleagues using data from the 47 year longitudinal Barbados Nutrition Study. Published in Psychiatry Research (Volume 269, November 2018, Pages 301-308), the work, " Childhood malnutrition and...
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Can a Flavonoids-Rich Diet Buffer the Effects of ACEs on Depression?
Happy 4th of July Weekend to all our US based Community members! For the rest of us it's a regular Friday where we can research and expand our knowledge. Today the focus is on diet and how it can play a role in buffering the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences on depression. It is the work of Alison Tan and her colleagues, published under the title " Adverse childhood experiences and depressive symptoms: Protective effects of dietary flavonoids " in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research...
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ACEs Screening and Precision Medicine
In news from California, USA, funds have been provided for a new initiative that will study 300 mother-child pairs to screen for Adverse Childhood Experiences as part of a precision medicine multi-disciplinary approach. "Currently, the only screening method for ACEs involves questionnaires for parents and caregivers. But screening rates are generally low in pediatric practices, and the questionnaires are not able to identify which babies and children are having a toxic stress response. The...
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Do Higher ACEs Score Cause Worse Covid-19 Effects?
Hi and a good Therapeutic Tuesday morning to you all. As the world sees a light at the end of the tunnel to the nightmare of Covid-19, more and more research is being published to reveal who may have been more severely affected by it and why. During the initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers at Mount Holyoke College and Virginia Commonwealth University examined a sample of 236 people in the U.S. to assess the impact of the pandemic on mental health, well-being and substance use.
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Profiles and behavioral consequences of child abuse among adolescent girls and boys from Barbados and Grenada
Hi everyone. Can you believe that we are at the end of July this weekend? Time is flying! For this Food for Thought Friday we have a study titled " Profiles and behavioral consequences of child abuse among adolescent girls and boys from Barbados and Grenada " by Agata Debowska, Daniel Boduszek, Nicole Sherretts, Dominic Willmott, and Adele D. Jones of the University of Sheffield and University of Huddersfield. It is published in Child Abuse & Neglect, (Volume 79, May 2018, Pages 245-258)...
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Promoting positive parenting for families in poverty: New directions for improved reach and engagement
Good Friday morning everyone. How was your week? I am sure we are all looking forward to the weekend. As we set things up for this week's "Food For Thought Friday", we want to examine an area which was excluded from the original ACE study of 1998 - that is, the consideration of poverty. It has been an area of criticism of the original study especially where researchers desiring to replicate it want to address the needs of persons living in cramped urban conditions. There is a 2017 study done...
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Resilience and Children in Residential Care - What the Data Shows
Hi everyone. The recent discovery of the bodies of 215 children at a residential school in Canada has led to an explosion of discussion online and many calls for the federal government of Canada to implement a series of recommendations from a previous national commission to investigate similar issues. Also arising are discussions on the state of residential care for children as a whole and the degree to which such institutions are properly addressing the inherent needs of the children under...
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Wellness Wednesday - The steps that can help adults heal from childhood trauma
Hi everyone! This Wellness Wednesday we are looking at an article written by Shanta R. Dube, Associate Professor, School of Public Health, Georgia State University. In writing in 2107, she focused on the fact that ACEs can be a cycle that is hard to break if we only deal with it from the perspective of the child. "Prevention is the mantra of modern medicine and public health. Benjamin Franklin said it himself: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Unfortunately, childhood...
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Adversities. Resilience. Gratitude.
Adversity can be a powerful word especially when you are a Trauma Counsellor aware of ACEs. This revolutionary study on the impact of our Adverse Childhood Experiences has provided us with so many answers as to why we are the way we are. At least it did for me and the people I work with every day. It has also raised many important questions. One being, how can one build resilience through past adversities? How did I do it? Having done the ACE test and getting a maximum score of 10 on it, I...
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Re: Adversities. Resilience. Gratitude.
Thank you for sharing these insights and being transparent about your journey, Helen. I certainly will practice this - "I am now intentional about being grateful and mindful to focus & be aware of it daily."
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Gabor Maté on The Wisdom of Trauma
Hi everyone, this is exciting! 🙌 In case you have not heard, The Wisdom of Trauma, the movie production around Dr. Gabor Maté and his approach to treating Trauma, is currently online. You can view the sessions "live" or the replays online between 8th and 14th June 2021 at the link below. https://wisdomoftrauma.com/hub/ The introductory video is a bit over 1 hour long but it sets the tone for the experience. The video begins with Dr. Maté speaking to the recent events in his native Canada...
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Re: Gabor Maté on The Wisdom of Trauma
Looking forward to watching this movie. I believe it will be quite informative On Wed, 9 Jun 2021, 08:00 PACEsConnection, < communitymanager@acesconnection.com> wrote:
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Action on ACEs Virtual Conference 2021.
Hi again. In case you did not hear about it before, there was an ACEs and Resilience related event yesterday in the UK - the Action on ACEs Virtual Conference 2021 . Hosted by Action on ACEs Gloucestershire, it was a free virtual event aimed at people who are aware of, talking about and taking action on adverse childhood experiences. It began at 4:30 in the morning, Eastern Caribbean Time so it is understandable if you were If you missed it, do not fear because we have you covered. You can...
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Upcoming Livestream on Father's Day - ACEs & The Father Wound
Many men and women around the world are nursing a Father Wound and it is negatively impacting their health, eroding their self-confidence and crippling their ability to form healthy relationships, among other things. For such persons, the word "father" does not represent the definitions outlined in the title image. Rather, it brings to mind memories of hurt and pain, or thoughts of abandonment and neglect, or simply a void. So, on Father's Day, at 2pm Eastern Standard Time we want to address...
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Reminder - Livestream on Father's Day - "ACEs & The Father Wound"
Hi everyone, it's the Father's Day weekend! If your dad is in your life and you love him, try to do something different for him this year. Socks and ties are so 20th Century. You can take him to "Lunch and a Movie" - or Livestream, on us! Yup, you can share with your father the link to our YouTube channel and you and he can tune in for our riveting discussion on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and The Father Wound. Date - Sunday 20th June 2021 Time - 2:00 p.m. EST Where - On YouTube of...
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Wellness Wednesday - A Self-Care Resilience Resource
Hi everyone. On this Wellness Wednesday, we are pleased to share with you a resource from the USA to help implement self-care towards building resilience. The American Academy of Pediatrics, California Chapter 3 has developed a visual resource adapted from the ACEs Aware Self-Care tool . The handout is print-ready and available in English , Spanish , Amharic , Arabic , Chinese , Farsi and Vietnamese . Please see the attachment to this article for the English version. We will add it to the...
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About Our Livestream Guests
Are you ready? It's almost time! Yes, we are 2 hours away from the start of our Father's Day Livestream titled, "ACEs & The Father Wound - A Cross Cultural Discussion" . Join us for the discussion via this link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgeVx3-3EFo With us today will be Mr. Mark Nicoll, Dr. Kenneth Niles, Queen Mother Dianne Sears and Dr. Joanne Spence. Dr. Spence will do double-duty as moderator for this afternoon's discussion. Their bios are below so you will have some context...
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Gwyneth Paltrow x Nadine Burke Harris: How Does Childhood Trauma Impact Health Outcomes? [goop.com]
From Goop, June 16, 2020 “You can’t grow up Black in America and not feel outraged by the terrible health disparities that are still going on every day,” says Nadine Burke Harris, MD , the first surgeon general of California. GP got on a video call with Harris, who is an expert on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Her book, The Deepest Well , explores the connection between adversity, trauma, and toxic stress in childhood and health outcomes later in life. Much of her work focuses on...
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It's time to heal childhood trauma!
A consensus of scientific research demonstrates that cumulative adversity, especially when experienced during childhood development, is a root cause to some of the most harmful, persistent, and expensive health challenges facing our nation. But there is hope. We can take action now to change and save lives. The impacts of ACEs, trauma, and toxic stress are treatable. Start by watching the short educational video below. For more information please visit: https://aceovercomers.org/...
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Building a Restorative Restart to School in the Fall
As we look towards the reopening of in-person instruction in the fall, planning and reimagining for a restorative restart to our school systems that emphasizes student and educator mental health is a priority. In addition, there is a windfall of one-time funding coming to districts from federal and local funds for just this purpose. Recently a wise educator said to me, ‘you know, if you want to get to the hearts and minds of school leaders to make changes for the fall you need to do so by...
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Good Bye Elsa!
Hi everyone, We hope the past weekend was a fun one for the folks in the USA celebrating the Fourth of July. In the Caribbean, it was a mixed affair as the season's first Hurricane, named Elsa, tore through the region, doing considerable damage to Barbados - often untouched by these systems - and causing flooding in several other territories. As these small island states continue to grapple with fluctuating Covid-19 infection rates, disrupted economies due to border closures, internal...
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[REPOST] Amazing Infographic on ACEs, Spanking, and the Benefits of Positive Parenting
Putting the pieces together! Join an upstream approach to ending violence against children! This is an ACEs & Spanking INFOGRAPHIC that helps parents understand the connection between ACEs and the importance of not spanking and instead, using positive parenting techniques. For a free webinar series to support parents: https://stopspanking.org More information on ACEs, Spanking, and Positive Parenting: https://stopspanking.org/aces/
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"Machete" Star Talks About His Childhood Experiences
Hello everyone. If you are into corny action-comedy movies, then you know the person whose picture adorns the cover image for this post. None other than Mexican-American actor, Danny Trejo, the star of the "Machete" series. Back in the day, I had read that Trejo was a former gang-banger, former drug addict and was formerly incarcerated. However, I never heard his story until recently. He has written a book detailing some of his highlighted experiences but shares how, after giving the...
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Connecting the Dots between Overdose Prevention and Adverse Childhood Experiences
Hi everybody. As you may know there have been many persons who have sought to dull the pain of childhood trauma through the use of narcotics, some becoming addicted in the process. In an effort to explore solutions to this dilemma, we are happy to share with you an upcoming webinar on ACEs and Addiction. "Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, are shown to increase the risk of chronic health conditions including substance use disorder. These ACES, frequently experienced as “trauma” in early...
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Racism as an Adverse Community Experience
By Christina Velez, The Relationship Foundation July 15, 2021 Have you ever questioned the ways that racism and trauma intersect? As a person of color, I know I have. Racism is a core determinant of health which often leads to social inequities. From watching PBS’s video on “Mental Fitness for Resilience-The Trauma of Racism” it was interesting to learn how racism and trauma, often converge in inseparable ways. Dr. Terri D. McFadden, a general pediatrician, and professor at Emory University...
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There are no perfect parents!
"Parenting is a learned skill, but society says as parents we can only talk about the good things that happen while parenting. It judges parents based on the child’s behavior, clothing and their school attendance. Children are judged by their parent’s behavior, clothing and choices. There is no shortage of blame, shame and judgment to go around. So what happens when a parent has a high ACE score and they want to truly prevent their children from having the same? What happens when they want...
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Upcoming Presentation on the Causes/Impacts of ACEs in the Caribbean
On Friday, August 27, 2021, at noon, I will be the guest speaker at Port of Spain Adult Library’s monthly International Men's Day Trinidad and Tobago (IMDTT) discussion. The title of my talk is The Causes and Impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in the Caribbean. ACEs pose huge challenges across the globe. Unfortunately, not much has been done in the Caribbean to uncover the links between ACEs and many of the developmental challenges we face. My presentation will highlight some of...
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Six Months and Counting!
Happy birthday to us! Happy birthday to us! Well, sort of. This week marks just over 6 months since ACEs Caribbean Community (ACEs) was formed here on the PACEs Connection platform. Actually, the platform name change from ACEs Connection occurred during our first month here. In that time, we have been pleased to see a coming together of like-minded individuals from within and outside of CARICOM (the Caribbean Community), all with a passion for helping people thrive after childhood adversity.
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10 Questions every trauma survivor should ask themselves
I was thinking about the most important questions I have asked myself in this child abuse healing journey, and I thought it might be beneficial to share those with you because when I started asking myself these questions, I felt a massive shift. I believe that one of the hardest things (this was my experience) in healing is to reflect on what is happening in our lives at this moment. Healing trauma is so much about clarity and intention. I think about this - if we can figure out how we got...
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How Every Child Can Thrive By Five - Molly Wright
"What if I was to tell you that a game of peek-a-boo could change the world?" asks seven-year-old Molly Wright, one of the youngest-ever TED speakers. Breaking down the research-backed ways parents and caregivers can support children's healthy brain development, Wright highlights the benefits of play on lifelong learning, behavior and well-being, sharing effective strategies to help all kids thrive by the age of five. She's joined onstage by one-year-old Ari and his dad, Amarjot, who help...
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Re: Six Months and Counting!
Thanks so much for celebrating your success with this summary! ACEs Caribbean Community is an inspiration! I noticed that CA Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris is following your account on Instagram—that's so cool!
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ACEs, Food Addiction, and What Most Weight Loss Programs Get Wrong According to Dr. Felitti and Dr. Alman
We know a high ACE score is connected to a higher likelihood of “substance-related disorders.” However, sometimes it’s overlooked that food can be that substance of choice, too—not just drugs or alcohol. Learn about food addiction and ACEs, and a weight loss solution that heals from the inside out endorsed by Dr. Felitti, the CO-Principal Investigator of the ACE Study.
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Book Review: Rohan Bullkin and the Shadows—A Story about ACEs and Hope
Juleus Ghunta’s empowering book Rohan Bullkin and the Shadows—A Story about ACEs and Hope , vibrantly illustrated by Rachel Moss, is a much-needed story of a boy who experiences Shadows that interfere with his ability to read because they make his mind “flicker like a hurricane,” go blank, and sometimes race and “refuse to shut down.” This is an affirming, normalizing contextualization of how bad events and scary experiences, now understood from the science of adverse childhood experiences...
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Now is the time for community schools for all
Community schools have been an effective school improvement strategy for over a century, implemented in both urban and rural areas across the country — yet many people have never heard of this dynamic approach to school design. Whole districts have invested in this model over the past several decades, from Oakland to New York City, from Duluth, Minnesota to Tulsa, Oklahoma. California recently approved $2.8 billion in the 2022 fiscal year budget for the implementation of community schools...
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NJ ACEs Collaborative ACEs Screening Position Release - 10/14/2021
Trenton – New Jersey’s ACEs Collaborative today announced that screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) by care providers should be used as a means to provide assistance and referrals to children and families, not as a diagnostic or treatment tool. In a position paper released today, the Collaborative – a coalition of state-based foundations, the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, and its Office of Resilience – advised that ACE screening results are an opportunity for...
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Beginning the Healing Journey: Return to the Resilient Zone
Dysregulated stress is central to the ACEs/health outcomes link. The healing journey starts with regulating stress arousal that is stuck on too high or too low.
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Upcoming Bruce Perry Webinar
Hi everyone! This year there has certainly been a lot of interest shown in trauma and ACEs due in part to the celebrity effect of Oprah Winfrey who co-authored with Dr. Bruce Perry the bestselling book "What Happened to You?" Well, Dr. Perry will be participating in a free webinar on 30th November on faith, religion, spirituality, adversity and resilience. To find out more, please read the blog post on the website of HOPE. ...
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Understanding ACEs Handout
This is an updated version of the popular hand-out created and shared by the Community & Family Services Division at the Spokane (WA) Regional Health District. The original version has been downloaded thousands and thousands of times and has been used by both individuals and organizations. The updated flyer can be downloaded, distributed, and used freely. Please share widely! It is available in the following languages: English Spanish Arabic Dari Farsi Family Hui, a Program of Lead for...
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Trauma-Informed Criminal Justice with Special Guest, Becky Haas, Pioneer in Developing Trauma-Informed Judicial Initiatives
Please join us for our new series entitled: Trauma-Informed Criminal Justice. This monthly virtual Zoom series will feature conversations facilitated by Dr. Porter Jennings-McGarity, PhD/LCSW, PACEs Connection’s criminal justice consultant, with special guests to discuss the need for trauma-informed criminal justice system reform. Using a PACEs-science lens, this series will examine the relationship between trauma and the criminal justice system, what needs changing, and strategies being...
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ACEs in the Caribbean
Hello everyone, I'm excited about this post as it serves to highlight the special edition of PREE magazine that explores P/ACEs in the Caribbean (and elsewhere). One of the authors and editors is our very own, Juleus Ghunta, a community manager here at ACEs Caribbean! Other members of our ACEs Caribbean Community and persons with whom we have collaborated also contribute to the special edition, including Drs. Richard Honigan and Stephanie Guthman, and Jerome Teelucksingh, PhD. Please visit...
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As We End 2021...
Hi everyone, The year 2021 has been challenging for many. In the Caribbean, while many of our territories were able to minimise deaths from COVID 19 during 2020, the infection rate and death toll rose sharply in 2021, leaving thousands of families in mourning for the Christmas season. Death is seldom welcome, especially at holiday times. However,difficult roads can lead to beautiful destinations. As people have come to understand there is growth that can come from childhood trauma, we look...
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PUB DAY: Rohan Bullkin and the Shadows Released Today
December 31, 2021 – Rohan Bullkin and the Shadows , a provocative new picture book by Jamaican poet and Chevening Scholar Juleus Ghunta, has been released today by CaribbeanReads, a St. Kitts-based publishing company. The book follows the title character, Rohan Bullkin on his journey from reluctant to enthusiastic reader. Rohan’s reluctance to read is fuelled by Shadows – manifestations of his adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress. He improves his literacy with the guidance...
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As We End 2021...
Hi everyone, The year 2021 has been challenging for many. In the Caribbean, while many of our territories were able to minimise deaths from COVID 19 during 2020, the infection rate and death toll rose sharply in 2021, leaving thousands of families in mourning for the Christmas season. Death is seldom welcome, especially at holiday times. However, as people have come to understand there is growth that can come from childhood trauma, we look forward to the growth that will spring forth in 2022...
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Adverse Childhood Experiences, the Brain, and Exercise: How exercise strengthens the brain wounded by toxic childhood stress
Even small amounts of exercise can quickly and dramatically improve mood, brain health, brain function, and the ability to cope with stress, while preparing the brain to rewire the hidden wounds from childhood.
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Re: Adverse Childhood Experiences, the Brain, and Exercise: How exercise strengthens the brain wounded by toxic childhood stress
Sorry no longer working? On Thu, Jan 20, 2022, 18:56 PACEsConnection < communitymanager@acesconnection.com> wrote:
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Lead the Fight: Giving Children with Trauma a Voice
You are invited to an international book reading and discussion with children's author and ACEs advocate, Juleus Ghunta. This online event takes place on February 22, 2022 at 6pm EST (7pm Eastern Caribbean Time) on Zoom. Register at http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/regform?llr=gh8ueflab&oeidk=a07eiwfmu7gbb690ff4 Juleus is a Chevening Scholar, children’s writer, a member of Jamaica’s National Task Force on Character Education, and an advocate in the Caribbean’s Adverse...
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Nightmares and ACEs: They No Longer Need Rule the Night
Recurring nightmares lead to much needless suffering for survivors of adverse childhood experiences—suffering that goes well beyond disturbed sleep. Five steps help take back the night.
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Stress is Contagious: How to Stop the Spread & Regain Your Health
Stop the spread...of STRESS! Stress is not only triggered by external or internal factors. You can also pick up stress from social interactions – spouse, other household members, colleagues, etc. – usually referred to as emotional contagion. Learn how to stop the spread of stress and regain your health.