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The problem about being a tourist in the world of endocrinology and molecular biology is that some of the finer points of the science can be beyond us. However, Echo takes great pride in being able to sift through and break down complex concepts, making them accessible to the people who need this information – and when it’s trauma-related that means just about everyone. One of the things we get excited about is cortisol. Cortisol is one of the cocktail of stress hormones that get released...

The ripple effect of childhood trauma seeps into parenthood but is not addressed, leaving the parent unprepared to identify when they are triggered, why they are triggered, or what to do about it when it happens.

When it comes to reproductive health, it’s no secret that a pregnant mother’s choices and environment can severely impact her child’s epigenetics and health—especially mothers suffering from PTSD . But it turns out fathers who have suffered significant stress early on in their life may also epigenetically impact the physical and mental health of their offspring. It was previously thought that fathers only passed DNA to the mother’s egg during fertilization, but it was recently discovered...

If you’re eager to be reminded that humane and inspiring civic leadership still exists, read on. Over the past three years, nine communities in the United States have reached a rigorous standard known as “ functional zero ” for either veteran or chronic homelessness — a standard that indicates that homelessness is rare and much briefer than in the past for their populations — and 37 others have accomplished measurable reductions toward that goal. What’s illuminating is how they’re doing it:...

To see this infographic by Tracy Matsue, Loeffelholz, Chris Winters, go to http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/affordable-housing/infographic-why-normal-people-cant-afford-a-house-20180604

New York Life Insurance Company and the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities today announced the launch of a new grant program to support children, adults, families, and communities experiencing trauma resulting from natural disaster or community-wide tragedy. The partnership will serve as the first-ever disaster-focused grant for the New York Life Foundation, the charitable arm of the company. The program, Building Resilience in the Face of Disaster, will fund and administer efforts...

i need advice about breathing! i want to incorporate more mindfulness and meditation into my classroom, BUT...i have always been a shallow breather, and breathing ON PURPOSE makes me very anxious. i feel like i'm suffocating. i enjoyed yoga, but couldn't handle counting while inhaling and exhaling. diaphragmatic breathing seemed like a good idea when my psycho suggested it, but it stressed me out. how do i learn to change my own breathing patterns and teach that to my students? i suspect...

I wanted to share some points to ponder in the article below... The Future of Healing: Shifting From Trauma Informed Care to Healing Centered Engagement Shawn Ginwright Ph.D. From time to time, researchers, policy makers, philanthropy and practitioners all join together in a coordinated response to the most pressing issues facing America’s youth. I’ve been involved with this process for long enough to have participated in each of these roles. I recall during the early 1990s experts promoted...

I am not a fan of finger pointing. I certainly don’t wish to point a finger at myself. But in the interest of keeping a national dialogue about preventing epidemic levels of childhood trauma on track, let’s be clear that all of us collectively allow unsafe childhoods, filled with adversity, to remain a standard feature of these United States. In Anna, Age Eight we write, “We do not control the actions of one broken person doing harm to one child, but we do influence the surrounding...

Communities across the country are leveraging the power of cross-sector networks to build momentum for the ACEs and resilience movement. Learn more about their strategies in this seven-part series from the Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities Shared Learnings collection. GETTING ON THE SAME PAGE: DEVELOPING A STRATEGIC PLAN Philadelphia + San Diego County | Strategic Planning Read more THE LEARNING GOES BOTH WAYS: ENGAGING COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN RESILIENCE WORK Boston + Wisconsin |...

The aim of a new federal law is to reduce the number of children who end up in the troubled foster care system — the biggest reboot of the child welfare system since 1980. But already, the Family First Prevention Services Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump in February, is generating some controversy. A key point of contention: how it will treat extended family members caring for children outside the foster care system — and whether they will be eligible for financial assistance.

STOW, Mass. — As soon as Julie Eldred was granted probation for stealing jewelry to buy drugs, she got busy fulfilling the judge’s conditions. She began an intensive all-day outpatient treatment program. She even went an extra step and started daily doses of Suboxone, a medication that can quell opiate cravings. Then she relapsed and snorted her drug of choice — fentanyl. To stop from plunging into free fall, she asked her doctor for a stronger dose of Suboxone. She stayed clean the next...