Tagged With "Believe in me"
Blog Post
Waiata (Māori song) to start our journey
This waiata (Māori song) is called "Anei rā te whānau" ( Here is the family) We can find strength when we stand together as one in solidarity Anei rā te whānau O te whare oranga E tu tahi tātou Kia kaha rā Chorus Ka nui te aroha Mō nga mamae nui e, aue Ma te whakapono tatou E whiwhi oranga Kaua e mataku He rangatira koe Hapaitia te mauri Me te wairua Here is the family of the healing house; we will stand as one so that we become strong. Chorus There is great sympathy for the intense pain...
Blog Post
In the beginning....
I faced an extremely traumatic event in 2017. It made me review my life. From midnight to 6 am in the morning, I saw my whole life before me and all the trauma. Layers upon layers of trauma beginning from childhood My brain connected all my life experiences with what I had learned to recreate insight into who I was. And then I knew that I had been defined and confined to a life as a victim to the years of trauma I had faced and did not resolve. My facade crumbled as I ripped my mask from my...
Blog Post
Recovery is our journey to healing......you have to keep searching until you find
Recovery from trauma is extremely hard when you don't know what you are recovering from and why you would even want to recover. To recover you have to know what it is that has caused you harm and understand what you have done to deal with that harm. It is very hard to do it by yourself. You need the support of others. You need to find someone who resonates with you and that means you have to search for that person. After 34 years of searching, I found my princess, a counsellor. I know...
Blog Post
Before ACES there was the work of Dr Bessel van der Kolk
This book arrived on my mobile phone via my local library. As I listened to this book, many, many, many things that Bessel shared resonated with me. Warning some people will get retriggered.... I did. I cried because suddenly I found someone who understood my journey. I needed to get informed to find another path to take on my journey - This book helped to inform me It was the right path for me https://www.overdrive.com/media/1438715/the-body-keeps-the-score
Blog Post
Through the mud we rise
I I stumbled across this Ted X talk by Michelle Esrick. For me, it was so profound that it reverberated through my soul. It resonated with me. This was my journey too. Sometimes we stumble upon treasures when we are searching for our truth This video clip inspired me to stand up and speak out for trauma-informed practice across all of our great nation, New Zealand. Michelle Esrick is the producer of Cracked Up - The story of Darrell Hammond I will be creating a post about that because...
Blog Post
Welcome to ACE and Trauma-Informed New Zealand
Kia ora, I was born and raised in NZ and I live in Papakura which is located in South Auckland. I am a mother of four beautiful children and grandmother of three granddaughters with more to come. I am Maori (indigenous people of NZ) and whakapapa to Ngati Kahu ki Whangaroa Ngati Kahu ki Whangaroa is in the Far North of the North Island of NZ A very beautiful place with beautiful beaches including Taupo Bay, the area from where my whanau (family) come from. ACE and Trauma-informed NZ is a...
Blog Post
Black words on white paper. You need both to see the message
There are a few people out there, Who assert their power Over me To win. It saddens me That I too Have to assert my power To be seen and heard As an EQUAL
Blog Post
Nick Larson, leadsinger for Próxima Parada ~ Healing trauma through music
This morning I joined a ZOOM with ACES Connection. The topic was healing trauma through music. Our guest speaker was Nick Larson (Lead singer and songwriter) from the band, Próxima Parada. Nick uses music to communicate his feelings and to seek clarity. His music is a conduit of his emotions, his interpretation of his lived experience and the experiences of others as he moves through his journey of healing. Through this process, he finds clarity and understanding of his emotions and life...
Blog Post
Ignite your curiosity
I have joined a number of ZOOM meetings hosted by ACES Connection which have exposed me to the work of many people who have inspired and motivated me. My thinking has been challenged, extended and expanded. My curiosity has been ignited I have been filled with hope and energised to share that hope to others We must acknowledge that we only know what we know If what we know does not feel like the truth then we must seek the truth If what we do does harm to ourselves or others then we must...
Blog Post
Asthma, eczema, allergies, boils ~ It may be more than you think
When under stress, I suffer from boils, eczema, rashes, allergies and eczema Many people dismissed my symptoms They considered me a "hypochondriac" Look at the infographic Now I understand why it is so important for me to learn how to be calm If you are a parent of a child who has boils, eczema, asthma and allergies Take action and teach your child how to calm themselves Create an environment where the child feels safe And build a relationship with that child so they know they are loved,...
Blog Post
Luma Mufleh's Ted Talk: Don't feel sorry for refugees ~ believe in them
I recommend this for you to see this Ted Talk: Don't feel sorry for refugees ~ believe in them Luma shares her life journey in a powerful way. She shares valuable comments "Don't ever think that people are beneath you or that you have nothing to learn from others." "I thought it would get better. That no one could force me from me to leave. Thay no one could take my home from me. We left because we had to, not because we wanted to There was no choice" "The issue shouldn't be stopping...
Blog Post
We frame the way we "see" the world ~ it reflects who we are
When I was very young I sat with my grandma She was bed-ridden So she always asked me to tell her what I could see in detail For HER She would ask me questions She changed The way I saw EVERYTHING I now know why I can see the finer details and that I frame what I see to reflect All that I AM I saw this blog from Jodi Wert on her blog, Wert Knowing And it reminded me of my Grandma We frame the way we "see" the world I like the way you frame the world of children's learning Thank you, @Jodi Wert
Blog Post
The body keeps the score
Oh dear, it is 1.47 am in the morning I can't lie in my bed I can't sleep Because I am scared of the bogeyman Oh No The bogeyman under my bed Has jumped into my head And he is not a he He is a she And she looks like me Oh No I can't escape She is me! The body keeps the score One day, I will keep the score Adriana
Blog Post
Why I joined ACES CONNECTION
Kia ora from Auckland, NZ. My name is Adriana. I am the community manager of trauma-informed NZ with ACES CONNECTION. ACES CONNECTION, is based in the States, far from New Zealand, and our way of life, yet, I am the community manager of a community with ACES CONNECTION Today, I am going to share with you, my reasons for joining ACES CONNECTION. I will make a call for action at the end of my talk, so please stay to the end Why did I join ACES CONNECTION? Here is my story. I live in NZ, always...
Blog Post
New Zealand's first comprehensive assessment of the prevalence of ACES in the NZ population
This is NZ's first comprehensive assessment of the prevalence of ACES in the NZ population It shows what many of us have known for years, especially those of us who have been raising our concerns, that NZ has a problem The problem is that our children are facing Adverse Childhood Experiences in NZ especially those who are are Young From low socio-economic backgrounds are Maori It also shows that exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences are significantly associated with exposure to Intimate...
Blog Post
New Zealand Human Rights violations known to the United Nations
I have PTSD. It is an invisible disability. It took me years to accept that I had mental health issues and it took longer for me to accept that I was a person with a disability. I have faced layers of trauma from what others have done to me. Those "others" included those who had a responsibility to protect me. They were not just people I loved but people who held positions of power and they were paid and employed by the NZ government to protect me. They did not They effectively used their...
Blog Post
Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Human Rights in New Zealand ~ Are they working?
New Zealand's Human Rights system is bound byTe Tiriti o Waitangi. Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed on 6 February 1840 by the Crown and Maori. It is legally binding and acknowledged internationally as a constitutional document. Many do not know about He Whakaputanga o te Rangitiratanga o Nu Tireni, our Declaration of Independence which was signed five years earlier by more Maori on 28 October 1835. He Whakaputanga o te Rangitiratanga o Nu Tirene is weaved into Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is...
Blog Post
MARCH FOR OUR CHILDREN, Auckland NZ
March to Save our Children Saturday 26 June 2021 Aotea Square Auckland Central to TVNZ I am Child Advocacy NZ. I am Adriana van Altvorst I stand not as me but as WE Children and whanau have been harmed from those who have been paid by US through our taxes to protect our children. Those with the power to STOP the harm or to ADDRESS that harm. They Know, they have known, they know now BUT still they do not hear our cries for things to change Who are they? Oranga Tamariki Ministry of Education...
Blog Post
#LETMEBE
Kia ora to all, In response to a call for support from a mother who has had her young daughter taken away from her based on inaccurate information, the hearsay of others and judgement by lawyers and judges in the NZ Family Court, I am asking you to join with me in a campaign that she has started here in NZ Here is her post on Facebook: Melissa Stewart I may have screwed up as a girlfriend, wife, Mum and sometimes as a daughter or as a friend, because I don't always say or do the "right...
Blog Post
I am learning to Self-Regulate ~ I am learning to STOP
I have PTSD. It sounds scary and many people judge me and sometimes fear me It does not help when I get dysregulated because I get loud, aggressive, and send out words of my truth like daggers. My truth, my message no matter how insightful and valuable is LOST in translation as I watch the walls go up over the ears of the recipients ~ the very ones that I want to LISTEN to me. Delivery of the message counts, people, more than it should. Human nature dictates that it does. The anger that I...
Blog Post
Whatever I have ~ Empower me with KNOWLEDGE and TOOLS
In response to a comment to a post Misdiagnosis: Is It Bipolar Disorder or Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder , I made this comment. I believe it could HELP others I agree that the two overlaps and may co-exist hence why it is so very important to access a full history of life experiences from the person. The difficulty of course is that the person has often lost trust with people including those who want and can help. That is why TIME is so important - TIME to build a trusting...
Blog Post
Emodiversity gives me HOPE
I discovered this article that gives me HOPE. The article is of interest because it raises the term "Emodiversity. The definition of Emodiversity from the article is: How does this fit in with Trauma The article states: This gives me HOPE because it tells me that all the emotions I have experienced through my life journey of adversity and trauma, has been beneficial to my health because it means I have a "more balanced and nuanced appraisal of daily life" The final paragraph of the article...
Blog Post
Obesity ~ Find the underlying cause
This post in my inbox this morning from PACES Connection Weekly Roundup Schroeder K, Schuler BR, Kobulsky JM, Sarwer DB. The association between adverse childhood experiences and childhood obesity: A systematic review. Obes Rev. 2021 Jul;22(7):e13204. PMID: 33506595 From a research review, “Findings suggest ACEs are associated with childhood obesity. Girls may be more sensitive to obesity-related effects of ACEs than boys, sexual abuse appears to have a greater effect on childhood obesity...
Blog Post
What is the Freeze Response from Dr. Aimie, Trauma Healing Accelerated
This arrived in my Gmail inbox from Dr. Aimie ~ Trauma Healing Accelerated. I am sharing as it may resonate with someone out there What is The Freeze Response? The pattern of stress and then collapse. High energy and then exhausted. Anxiety followed by heaviness and feeling down. If you identify with this up and down pattern, you may likely be experiencing a chronic freeze response. This is a very common pattern of the biology of the nervous system! The freeze response is one of the states...
Blog Post
Me & My Emotions: A New, Free Resource for Teens
The pandemic has had a lasting effect on youth mental health. Moved by a desire to reduce youth’s toxic stress and increase their resilience, The Dibble Institute, in partnership with a team of students and alumni from ArtCenter College of Design and author Carolyn Curtis, PhD, is releasing Me & My Emotions —a new, free adaptation of our beloved Mind Matters Curriculum. The mobile-friendly Me & My Emotions website features engaging graphics and bite-sized lessons teens can access and...
Member
Charlotte Hardy
Blog Post
Emotional work is invisible work
Emotional work is invisible Emotional work is just as hard as physical work You just can't see it Very often we are excluded or judged by others as incapable of holding down a job Because we have moments when we can't perform when called to attention It is NOT that we do not want to It is very often because in that moment of time we CAN'T do it Please do not discredit us Please do not exclude us Please do not judge us Give us time and space to deal with our trauma and to heal We can do the...
Blog Post
My best friend is myself
A friend is someone who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. That friend is me Make sure you do self-care and build your resilience First me then the world Have a great day
Blog Post
Whakarongo mai whānau!
Listen to me! Bad things happen to good people in NZ Many families in New Zealand have been ruthlessly torn apart and desecrated by Oranga Tamariki, harming the very children they were tasked to protect. There are many horrific stories that are hidden away from the general public because parents and children are so traumatized that they cannot speak up. They cannot share what they have experienced because it is so painful for them to do so. Some parents do speak up. They are neither seen nor...
Blog Post
I have PTSD - That does not mean I can't be a good parent
Through my work as an advocate, I have met many people who, like me, have PTSD. I have PTSD because people made the choice to hurt me so bad that I now live with that every day. I live with trauma. The thing is I survived. I made the decision to pick myself up, to stand again, reset and keep moving forward. I now face many, many people including professionals who believe, erroneously, that I am my trauma. This is especially true in NZ because, in my country that I love so much, far too many...
Blog Post
Mia Mingus ~ Leaving Evidence
@Umi Asaka kindly shared this short sound clip (3:29min) with me. As I read it I thought came floating gently into my head Interview between Mia Mingus and Alice Wong 23 August 2014 This is a short audio clip from an interview of Mia Mingus, activist, and writer, conducted by Alice Wong, Project Coordinator of the Disability Visibility Project at StoryCorps San Francisco on August 23, 2014. Text transcript: Alice: In your blog, Leaving Evidence, this passage really resonated with me. You...
Blog Post
One moment in time ~ So powerful, so real
I want one moment in time. Really listen to Whitney sing The lyrics are So very powerful We are all survivors We are one We are never alone One Moment in Time Whitney Houston Each day I live I want to be A day to give The best of me I'm only one But not alone My finest day Is yet unknown I broke my heart Fought every gain To taste the sweet I face the pain I rise and fall Yet through it all This much remains I want one moment in time When I'm more than I thought I could be When all of my...
Comment
Re: The Humpty Dumpty of New Zealand needs help
Kia ora @anne kurtz My words are my action. To empower people with knowledge If you want to change, and we all want change. We need to get informed. We need to call it out Use the knowledge to take action. Use the complaints process to take action Use the Social Workers Registration Board to make complaints about individual social workers Send emails to the relevant agencies to raise your concerns and to provide solutions Send emails to the Minister of Children ~ Kelvin Davis Share this...
Blog Post
NZ Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission's first report - on access and choice
On Friday 29 October 2021 the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission’s released their first report: 'Access and Choice Programme: Report on the first two years - Te Hōtaka mō Ngā Whai Wāhitanga me Ngā Kōwhiringa: He purongo mo ngā rua tau tuatahi'. This is the first report released by the Commission since their establishment in February this year. The independent report on the Access and Choice Programme has found that the programme has put much-needed investment into primary and community...
Blog Post
Support our mothers to be the best that they can be
Mothers need our support and guidance to become the best mother that they can be for their children Social workers and principals/teachers in New Zealand MUST use best practices in order to keep those they work with, both children and their parents safe Currently, there are far too many social workers and principals/teachers that do not use best practices causing significant harm to our parents and their children. Sadly, many professionals using bad practices are women, many are mothers.
Blog Post
The SYSTEM will not include us
Tēnā Koutou katoa Greetings to many I have not posted for a long time. I have been busy spending time with our survivors of abuse in State Care and rebuilding my relationship with Oranga Tamariki In short, working to heal the harm. Over the past 3 days, I attended the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in State Care hearings to listen to the Institutional responses of State agencies to abuse in care I made daily posts to my LinkedIn network I am going to share those posts here with you to...
Blog Post
Growth through trauma
There is growth through trauma. Hard as it is, there IS growth through trauma. Very often, we do not see it at the time. It is not until we reflect on what happened and find possible reasons why we faced a flashback or responded so badly to a trigger. I have been forcing myself to attend the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care hearings because I wanted to discover WHY professionals working in our State institutions would cause harm to children and youth. I wanted to discover WHY they...
Blog Post
Ironically, Maori are expected to "celebrate" Waitangi Day and yet....#2
The following is the journey of yet another mother trying to get her son access to quality education for her son here in New Zealand Yes, Maori again Her journey is totally unacceptable and we continue to WAIT for professionals to resolve the issues This is how Maori are treated here in New Zealand We are expected to be grateful for what we get and to "celebrate" Waitangi Day on 6 February 2023 183 years later and this is the best our NZ education system can offer our people? As Maori, we...
Comment
Re: Ironically, Maori are expected to "celebrate" Waitangi Day and yet....#2
@anne kurtz it is important for me to raise awareness of how our children and parents are treated by our education system here in NZ. If I did not share my concerns and if I did not complain then we would not get change and these parents plight would go unseen and unheard Complaints drive transformational change I will continue to raise my concerns I do it to honour the people I work with I ensure that their struggles are not done in vain - that their hardship WILL make change. They will be...
Blog Post
Ironically, we "celebrate" Waitangi Day and yet.... Abuse in State Care
This post is to honour all survivors from State Care of NZ including Māori and Non-Māori My post is lengthy to acknowledge their long hard arduous journey to seek justice and they too continue to WAIT Te Tiriti o Waitangi protects both Māori and Non-Māori citizens of New Zealand. Initially, I worked with both Māori and non-Māori whanau who struggled to access quality education for their children. I now work with whanau who are significantly harmed by the actions of representatives...
Blog Post
Ironically, today we "celebrate" Waitangi Day and yet....The case of a father that loved his children
Te Tiriti o Waitangi is to protect both Māori and non-Māori. This post is to honour a father who lost almost everything in his pursuit to protect his children from harm and to ensure they accessed quality education because he loved them This post is to honour all fathers who are denied their right to be a father simply because they are men. New Zealand is a nation that is like a pendulum. We move between polar opposites. We can't seem to find balance. In days gone by, women were once...
Blog Post
Ironically, today we "celebrate" Waitangi Day and yet....The case of a father that loved his children
Te Tiriti o Waitangi is to protect both Māori and non-Māori. This post is to honour a father who lost almost everything in his pursuit to protect his children from harm and to ensure they accessed quality education because he loved them This post is to honour all fathers who are denied their right to be a father simply because they are men. New Zealand is a nation that is like a pendulum. We move between polar opposites. We can't seem to find balance. In days gone by, women were once...
Blog Post
How do I contribute to the state of our education system in New Zealand?
Life learnings for today Many of those I support Those facing schools that target their children Clarification of target: Effectively actions the school uses to discriminate against children in a way that the children know that they are different and that difference is not acceptable to them, the school Whanau (family) often face these types of responses Group 1: Shut up and put up - stop complaining and it will go away Group 2: You or your kid must have done something wrong ~ You deserve it...
Blog Post
Wahoo traction ~ NZ is reaching out to get Trauma Informed
I attended Global Resiliency Accelerator group on Tuesday 7 March 2023 at 6 am NZTime hosted by Warren Larkin and Becky Haas. I was smiling this morning ~ Great News I heard New Zealanders are reaching out to attend Trauma-informed programmes and Warren Larkin has visited New Zealand to work with others here in NZ Warren Larkin shared this report with us this morning He Oranga Ngakau ~ Maori Approaches to Trauma-Informed Care He Oranga Ngākau is a research project funded by the Health...
Blog Post
Through death comes learning and growth
Warning: it may be triggering Below is a link to an article from the NZ Herald today It triggered me Because I have lived it Many others have too We remained silent Thanks to the NZ Herald journalist, Carolyn Meng-Yee And his wife lives on with her memories I hope that Pua's wife gets all the support she needs I thank her for having the courage and strength to share her journey with us So that we can take time to reflect and learn I am sending her all my aroha and awhi to surround her to...
Blog Post
The fine art of putting myself first while staying compassionate
It has been a long time I am back I have gone through dark times once again I went through chaos and confusion I pulled myself out and up I made changes for me I am learning the fine art of putting myself first while staying compassionate I got into a deep dark hole simply because I was too compassionate for others and I put myself at the bottom once again Some find it easy to put themself first most of the time I do not Far too many people are like me especially if you are teachers and...
Blog Post
Message from our CEO, Ingrid Cockhren: PACEs is Sunsetting eff. April 26th
Hello partners, members, and friends, It is with mixed emotions that I am sharing that PACEs Connection will be sunsetting all operations effective Friday, April 26. While it saddens me to see this chapter of PACEs work come to a close, this work is too important to end, and efforts are underway to identify a new home for PACEs to continue its work. At the same time, this presents an exciting opportunity for PACEs to reemerge stronger than ever. Although we intended a seamless transition,...