March 2020

Shame is a fundamental emotion that is necessary for us to understand our relationships with others. Without shame, we would have a tough time knowing what is and is not appropriate to say and do in our dealings with the people we have relations with. Shame keeps our tendencies, to run other’s lives, in check and allows us to know when we need to apologize for something we have said or done.

By the NationSwell Team, NationSwell, February 24, 2020 What if we shifted our focus from the ways people are different, and looked at the ways that we’re similar? It’s easy to get along with people who share our values. We naturally create “ingroups” with people who share similar goals, political views or taste in music. Our ingroup becomes “Us,” and anyone outside our group becomes “Them.” Is it possible to break down the barriers between Us and Them? The Common Ingroup Identity Model says...

By Tina Rosenberg, The New York Times, February 19, 2020 Disaster relief works like this: There is a flood, a drought, an earthquake, a famine, an exodus of refugees. Reporters swarm in, broadcasting images of suffering. Humanitarian workers on the ground analyze who needs what relief and draw up plans. The government asks for help. The United Nations coordinates international pledges. Relief comes in — money, bags of grain, medical supplies. But by that point, weeks or months have gone by.

By Katie Lear, Moms, February 28, 2020 Parents, teachers, and other professionals, who work with kids are increasingly aware of the impact trauma has on children's health. When you think of trauma, you might imagine an extreme scenario, like war or violent crime that primarily impacts adults. In reality, there are many forms of trauma, that regularly affect children, and the effects of trauma in childhood can be lifelong. One groundbreaking study by the CDC, called the Adverse Childhood...

By Oktawia Wojcik, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, January 21, 2020 Have you noticed that most New Year’s resolutions are about developing healthier lifestyles? Most people want to eat better, exercise more, and find time for themselves. These are all worthy pursuits. But a few weeks into our new decade, for many, these resolutions will start to fade. At the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, we believe that good health is significantly determined by forces outside of ourselves—our health is...

By Grant H. Brenner, Psychology Today, February 29, 2020 It is no surprise that the “social determinants of illness”—factors related to various forms of deprivation and decreased education related to socioeconomic issues—are associated with poor health outcomes. Adverse childhood experiences alone have been associated with physical and mental illness, causing massive suffering and economic damage. In 2008, The World Health Organization published The Social Determinants of Health, stating:...

The following letter went out to the list serve of the Alaska Resilience Initiative on Monday, February 24th. I am sharing it here...because the reflections on lessons learned may be useful to those in the broader ACEs movement... Most important, perhaps: an ethic of self-reflection and of welcoming feedback creates safety, creates a trauma-informed environment. And so, it is both a tool for growth, and a way of walking the walk on trauma-informed, culturally-responsive care.

By Stephanie Sy, Public Broadcasting System, December 17, 2020 Researchers are trying to better understand the biology of stress and its impact on child health. Now, data suggests those connections may form as early as the womb, with studies indicating frequent and prolonged adversity for pregnant women can affect the development of their babies. Stephanie Sy reports on a program aimed at easing the stress and struggles of mothers and their unborn children. [ Please click here to read the...

By Inside Edition staff, February 8, 2020 Once a week, yoga teacher Chanda Williams walks through the gates at San Quentin Prison with her yoga mat under her arm to teach a class. She’s an instructor with the Prison Yoga Project, a non-profit organization that brings the ancient practice behind the walls of correctional facilities across the world to help inmates heal their trauma. Williams says it’s her way of trying to help break the cycle of incarceration many prisoners find themselves...