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We Better Be Out There Marching to End the Trauma

We Better Be Out There Marching to End the Trauma

By Andrea Blanch and Mariana Chilton

We claim to be a social movement of people committed to eliminating the causes and addressing the consequences of violence and trauma.  If we are serious, we need to be out there marching on Saturday.

To date our movement has largely focused on ACEs – ten common forms of childhood adversity that increase risk for a host of health and social problems.  Other forms of “toxic stress” such as poverty and racism are mentioned, but have not yet drawn the same level of attention.  And outside of some urban efforts, very little has been said about gun violence.

The youth who organized March for Our Lives are telling us to PAY ATTENTION.  What could be more traumatic than being shot at, watching friends and relatives being gunned down, knowing that something could be done but that adults refuse to act? 

Whether we are talking about Black Lives Matter or school shootings, gun violence is an epidemic that is destroying lives, and may very well be destroying the future of our society.  For every young life lost, there are hundreds - maybe thousands - of friends and relatives and neighbors and schoolmates traumatized by the event.  Research has shown convincingly that toxic stress and trauma are additive, and that for every increment in cumulative trauma there is a measurable increase in risk for mental health and substance use, chronic health problems, school failure, homelessness and unemployment.  No one has yet calculated the overall social cost of trauma inflicted by gun violence, but it is clearly astronomical.

We have all seen the statistics.  More Americans have died in firearm-related incidents since 1968 than in all wars in US history.  Gun violence and mass shootings are uniquely a US problem, and are strongly related to the supply of guns, including weapons designed to kill as many people as quickly possible. These types of violence are not the only source of trauma in our society, but they are significant contributors. If we don’t stop gun violence soon, the trauma experienced by our kids and our communities may magnify beyond control. 

The student leaders of March for Our Lives are right – we adults have failed them.  The students provide us leadership, but we also have a role to play.  We have resources, access to policymakers, and wisdom gained from decades of political action.  We can help them understand how to build resilience and networks of support, how to negotiate in a world where trauma prevents rational decision-making, and how to influence Congress. 

We can follow the students’ lead and demand common sense gun reforms.  Assault weapons have no place in a healthy society. No one has the “right” to stockpile an arsenal of dangerous weapons. Age restrictions are just common sense.  Guns do not belong in the hands of domestic violence offenders or people who have threatened hate crimes. There is no shortage of solutions - only of political will.

But gun reform is only part of the change needed.   Our movement can and must demand policies to prevent all forms of violence and toxic stress and to support resilience-building and trauma healing.  We can and must demand that every child has what they need to grow to their full potential.  It’s the least we can do for the young people who are trying to lead us out of the darkness.

Andrea Blanch, PhD, and Mariana Chilton, PhD, MPH, are board members of the Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice www.CTIPP.org

 

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I agree that domestic violence is a KEY piece of this - which is why I specifically included it in the paragraph on gun reform.  Its not surprising that the youth who are organizing the March are focused on school shootings - they are still in the midst of a personal trauma.  Its up to all of us working in the field to help policymakers connect the dots.  We need to change the dysfunctional culture of violence we live in and shine a light on that "tragedy still living in the shadows" you speak of.   Great to hear your voice. 

While I applaud much of the enthusiasm, it very specifically is limiting its focus on mass shootings to schools.  What is missing regarding March for our Lives, is that it is excluding the involvement of domestic violence.  Yet it is domestic violence where the majority of true mass shootings (defined as 4 or more) take place.  I think we need to speak to that truth, if the trauma world responsibly wishes to get involved.  We will not see an end to mass shootings until we take on a more intimate approach and speak to the blunt reality that there are more shootings taking place in families, than what we are witnessing in school.  That is the real tragedy, still living in the shadows.

Thank you Andy and Mariana for your thoughtful call to action.  Some of our readers may have missed Jane Steven's piece written soon after the tragic school shooting in Parkland, FL so I'm providing the link here.  

Last edited by Elizabeth Prewitt PACEsConnection writer
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