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Part 1 (of 3) Do you want an answer to ACEs?

 

I am sitting on it. Really.  Not just me, but a corps of some 5000 people around the world.  We have been fostering recovery from ACEs and Trauma for over 40 years – long before the ACEs study developed the term. We have served over half a million people worldwide – but almost no one knows we are here.

Like you, many of us have been angry and frustrated that it has taken decision makers and policy setters over 20 years to learn about ACEs and incorporate trauma informed care into practice and policy. But ACEs is the problem statement.  It is what is wrong. It has taken that long for institutions to learn the scope of the problem. And let’s face it, they’re really just beginning to understand.

Imagine how we feel sitting on a huge part of the solution and not getting people to listen. In the same way so many of us were like puppies pulling on people’s pant legs to get them to listen to the impact of ACEs, we have been scrambling trying to get people to listen to how to heal and help people recover from ACEs and trauma.  It did not matter that we had helped over 500,000 in over 60 countries. People did not want to listen, or if they did, they would not or could not believe our results. We are standing here with the salve for all this psychic pain, and we can’t get in the door to help.

That may be a large part of the problem. Just as Anda and Felliti’s data were so overpowering as to create doubt in the establishment because of its magnitude, our work brings rapid massive healing and recovery in a very short time frame, such that much of the professional establishment dismissed it out of hand as hype. I was recently explaining what we do to a psychiatrist who heads an institute on evidence-based practices.  As I explained it, he interrupted to say, “You understand this flies in the face of everything we have developed here as best practice.” (In fairness, that interested him.)

My own understanding of the work comes from 15 years working with a couple thousand inmates in prisons (where all too many of those high ACE scores end up), 4 years of working with over 500 veterans with PTSD (though all too often I find their PTSD is rooted in childhood sexual and physical abuse and neglect); work in inner-city classrooms where whole classrooms score 5 or higher; work in violence torn Central America ; and working with delegations from over 30 countries brought to the U.S. by the State Department.

My compatriots are doing this work: in Rwanda with Hutu and Tutsis - the perpetrators, and victims of the genocide; in rape camps in the Congo; with children from Colombian guerilla groups; with trafficked girls in Nepal; to refugee camps in Kenya; with children released by Boko Haram, Honduran domestic violence victims; with women in Afghanistan; with Kurds in Iraq; with child soldiers in Liberia; and with so many others.

In the U.S. we are in over 100 prisons. We are in numerous schools. We are in jails, juvenile detention facilities, drug recovery programs, gang intervention work, prison reentry, and more. We are working the frontlines of ACEs and trauma. Our work is not academic. It is not ivory tower. It is not theoretical.

 To avoid an excessively long post, I will do follow on posts in the next few days. One on who we are and what we do. And the last on why it works so well and the research showing its impacts. Today I am just trying to pique your curiosity.

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Jane Stevens (ACEs Connection staff) posted:

I'm looking forward to reading the other posts, Roger! Do you educate all these folks about ACEs science, including resilience?

Also, you mentioned that ACEs is the problem statement. I also see it as a solution, because once people learn about ACEs science, they are usually relieved to know that all their reactions and ways of coping were normal responses to abnormal circumstances. That usually gives them hope to engage in the programs that I'm hoping you'll delve into in your next post.

Cheers, Jane

Hi Jane, I rarely talk about ACEs in our workshops. I do talk a lot about it outside of them. Our work is experiential. It is Facilitated - so no teaching is allowed. We do a peer process where they learn from each other and learn by doing. Maybe the next post (which I just posted will explain that better. https://www.pacesconnection.com...-neurons-like-a-harp

Prosper Waukon posted:
Roger,

You have piqued my interest. I am an American Indian Elder, 67 years old and still recovering from ACE’s, Historic trauma and Community trauma. I am on a national Indian trauma board, the Roundtable on Trauma-informed Native American Communities (all Native participants), advocating for Indigenous healing methodologies to specifically address the unmet needs of our indigenous communities.

I view American Indian trauma as a direct result of the colonization (beginning 530 years ago-Historic trauma) and the continuous colonial practices of today (ACE’s and Community trauma). The genocide era, the boarding school prison system, and the ongoing assimilation policies resulting in ongoing cultural genocide means the Indian nations have been dealing with trauma for over 530 years and yet here we are, still here and not yet totally assimilated, resilient and still resisting colonialism. Our indigenous healing methodologies have sustained our nations to date and need to be utilized either alone or at the very least, in conjunction with Western methodologies.

Trauma is not new to us, it is only new to people who have not experienced it yet.

I look forward to what you have to say.

Thank you,

Prosper Waukon

Prosper: I'd be interested in speaking with you. I am in the Pacific NW an area with a heavy tribal presence. (I also lived in Carlisle, PA and have seen the "American Indian School"  there and know it's dark history. I lived also in Pequot country growing up.)  I have worked with a number of first nations folks in prison and our work is very compatible with tribal tradition, being an egalitarian circle process. I have had an interest for years to find Native facilitators for our program to take it to tribal youth who are so overly present in our criminal justice system. Can we talk? rkluck@projectsforacivilsociety.org.

Karen Clemmer (ACEs Connection Staff) posted:

If you haven't done so already, please consider joining the ACEs in Criminal Justice community and maybe the ACEs in Juvenile Justice community! If it is ok, I would like to "clone" your blog to these groups. Nice work - and excellent job with hooking your audience! Karen 

Clone away. Thanks. Looks like I already belong to the groups.

 

Last edited by Roger Kluck
Roger,

You have piqued my interest. I am an American Indian Elder, 67 years old and still recovering from ACE’s, Historic trauma and Community trauma. I am on a national Indian trauma board, the Roundtable on Trauma-informed Native American Communities (all Native participants), advocating for Indigenous healing methodologies to specifically address the unmet needs of our indigenous communities.

I view American Indian trauma as a direct result of the colonization (beginning 530 years ago-Historic trauma) and the continuous colonial practices of today (ACE’s and Community trauma). The genocide era, the boarding school prison system, and the ongoing assimilation policies resulting in ongoing cultural genocide means the Indian nations have been dealing with trauma for over 530 years and yet here we are, still here and not yet totally assimilated, resilient and still resisting colonialism. Our indigenous healing methodologies have sustained our nations to date and need to be utilized either alone or at the very least, in conjunction with Western methodologies.

Trauma is not new to us, it is only new to people who have not experienced it yet.

I look forward to what you have to say.

Thank you,

Prosper Waukon

If you haven't done so already, please consider joining the ACEs in Criminal Justice community and maybe the ACEs in Juvenile Justice community! If it is ok, I would like to "clone" your blog to these groups. Nice work - and excellent job with hooking your audience! Karen 

Very intrigued! I'm not too far away - in Tacoma and working on building resilience and capacity in the preschool families we serve. Always interested in being connected with work going on around here!

Roger:

You got my interest! I'm looking forward to learning more about your organization and the approaches you've sound so useful.

Cissy

I'm looking forward to reading the other posts, Roger! Do you educate all these folks about ACEs science, including resilience?

Also, you mentioned that ACEs is the problem statement. I also see it as a solution, because once people learn about ACEs science, they are usually relieved to know that all their reactions and ways of coping were normal responses to abnormal circumstances. That usually gives them hope to engage in the programs that I'm hoping you'll delve into in your next post.

Cheers, Jane

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