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When people are threatened, evolutionary biology dictates extreme reactions: flee or fight? Donna Hicks, who studies conflict resolution at Harvard, says that this dynamic is at the core of much global tension—it’s just scaled up to the level of cities or countries. So she starts small, focusing on individual interactions. She puts an emphasis on dignity—the inherent value of a life—and says that focusing on that value can prevent or dissolve tensions. Using this approach, she once led a...

In my work as a public health researcher, I am reminded every day that the health risks of childhood aren’t limited to communicable diseases, playground falls, and sports-related bumps and bruises. Youths in America far too often suffer intentional injuries inflicted by assaults from peers, strangers, and even caregivers in the course of seemingly routine activities of adolescence — going to school, shopping with friends, or playing outside their homes. While our medical system can usually...

There are many benefits to learning how to feel your emotions. One is it helps you become a more compassionate, empathetic parent. The weekend before I flew to Iceland, I pulled my luggage out of our storage room and came across the boxes I’m saving for my girls. These boxes contain all of my daughters’ art, birthday decorations, cards, diaries, etc., from the time they were little girls. It was a family weekend, so we all decided to go through these mementoes together. It was a sweet...

Register HERE Trauma is historical, structural, political, intergenerational, interpersonal, and embodied. So then must be our healing . WHAT: RYSE's 4th Annual Trauma and Healing Learning Series will build on learnings and impacts of previous years to assert and ensure racial justice as central tenet of trauma-informed approaches. At this Launch, we will share our framework of atmospheric trauma and healing and its application in personal, organizational, and collective praxis. The Trauma...

It's Official!! We're hosting the 1st NATIONAL Trauma-Sensitive Schools Conference! Join us! There will be workshops for teachers, social workers, therapists and parents... Details and call for proposals can be found at - https://creatingtraumasensitiveschools.org/conference/

Ai Weiwei, the world-famous artist, is snapping my picture. We're 25 minutes into an interview at the hotel room where he's staying in Beverly Hills when I glance up from my reporter's notebook to find Ai's iPhone trained on me; his lined, often inquisitive face is screwed now in concentration as he tinkers with the focus on his phone. I pause mid-sentence and stare, waiting for some kind of explanation: Have I asked a threatening question? Do I have something on my face? Am I going to...

CHARITIES have issued a call to “halt the cycle of childhood trauma” by providing increased support for parents dealing with harmful drinking habits. An estimated 30,000-51,000 Scottish children are being raised by problem drinkers, according to a recent report, with many youngsters at risk of imitating the same deleterious behaviour. Experts in harm-reduction and welfare organisations are warning that urgent support is needed to ensure fewer adults are faced with entrenched alcohol problems...

This article was originally published by Everyday Feminism . It has been edited for YES! Magazine. In spite of increasing acceptance and support for queer people, we still live in a society that affords heterosexual individuals more rights, power, and freedom. Straight people might not consciously think about or acknowledge it, but straight privilege influences everything—from their daily lives to their career goals. As a result, straight narratives vastly differ from queer ones. Let’s break...

I have been watching the scandal about Harvey Weinstein emerge with great interest – in the early ‘90s, I too was one of the young women he preyed upon.

With the majority of states convening legislative sessions in 2018*, now is the time to begin preparations to advance trauma-informed proposals and educate lawmakers on the impact of trauma on the health and wellbeing of their constituents. ACEs Connection Network (ACN) will be sharing tools to help in this process over the next months. Two are now available—“How to Create a Community Profile” and “Tips on How to Build Relationships with Your Legislators.” One of the most effective tools...

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Congress passed one disaster recovery package with a special mission in mind. The bill was designed specifically to encourage developers to rebuild or create new affordable rental housing in the Gulf Coast. The plan worked: The 2005 act spurred millions of dollars in new investment in the recovery, creating or restoring tens of thousands of housing units for low-income families. Congress hasn’t passed another similar disaster recovery bill since.

Dolores , the new documentary directed by Peter Bratt in theaters this month celebrates the force that is Dolores Huerta, the labor organizer and political activist who worked tirelessly on behalf of some of the most poverty stricken workers in the country. Amongst union organizers and political activists, Dolores Huerta is a legend. Yet she is virtually unknown to the public. Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) with Cesar Chavez. They were equal partners in the movement in every...