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By UCSF White Coats for Black Lives, July 26, 2020 To Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: As doctors, nurses and healthcare workers of California, we write to you today in outrage at the conditions of the California Prison system. With 2,401 COVID-19 cases and 17 deaths, the outbreak at San Quentin is now the second largest in the nation. This is a public health crisis — one that impacts not only those Californians who are currently...

Hello! I am a new member, I am a physician who has been working in the trauma-pain world for over 2 decades here in Arizona, and I am soon to start on an MPH with focus on epidemiology. I am going to survey primary care practices with regard to screening for trauma in children and adults throughout the state, and I would like to know if other members are interested in this project. I would welcome your input! The idea is to get solid data on how many providers are screening for trauma, and...

I’m struggling to write this blog entry- I’m too preoccupied with thinking about school starting. Instead of focusing on writing, my brain won’t stop running through scenarios given limited and changing facts and circumstances. School starts on August 17, but due to covid 19, Boise School District is delaying the start of “in-person” school and opting for children to attend virtually instead. I’m sure this was a smart move- I’m just as concerned about the health of our community’s children...

By Brett Burstein and Brian Greenfield, JAMA Network Open, August 5, 2020 In JAMA Network Open, Angelakis et al have conducted an important exploration of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and their association with suicide in the pediatric age group. The authors have undertaken a meta-analysis to quantify the association between ACEs and suicide ideation, attempts, and plans, offering odds ratios (ORs) to elucidate the relative contribution of several core ACEs to eventual suicidal...

Trauma can trap us in cycles of violence within ourselves and our communities. But it doesn't have to be that way. Individuals and communities can learn skills for addressing trauma, healing relationships, and building resilience to improve the well-being of all. STAR trainings are now offered online. Sign up to join a training this fall! STAR brings together theory and practices from neurobiology, conflict transformation, human security, spirituality, and restorative justice to address the...

Monica McCasklill, left, and her daughter Kena Johnson, at their home in Greenwood, Missisppi. They respectively lost their grandmother and great grandmother, Ethel Huntley, to Covid-19. Huntley lived in a nearby nursing home and the family allege failings in her primary care. Photograph: Rory Doyle/The Guardian. By Oliver Laughland, The Guardian, August 5, 2020 Poor access to healthcare, failed political leadership and the endurance of segregation and racism have contributed to a surge in...

Well the short answer is the IMPACT of ACES is different for each child and ultimately each adult.  The human mind and nervous system are complex and very interactive.  So depending on the age, significance of the event(s), number of events and duration of events the impact can be intense and long lasting, subtle or not obvious initially and show up in adulthood.

On August 2nd, the Governor of Virginia declared Virginia’s first Racial Truth and Reconciliation Week . Every Virginian must reckon with the state’s historical past and make intentional efforts to reconcile with the institution of American slavery and the racial inequity of today. Social progress occurs when we all work together to advance racial equity. The mission of Racial Truth & Reconciliation is to empower the voices and experiences of marginalized communities in acknowledgment of...

“NARM is not a protocol, it's a relational model, and the reason why that's important to know is because humans are designed to heal in relationship.” ~ Jenny Winkel In this episode of Transforming Trauma, our host Sarah Buino is joined by Jenny Winkel, MA, LMT, SEP, and NARM Practitioner based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Within her private practice, Jenny works with many forms of Complex Trauma (C-PTSD), with a particular interest in religious trauma. Throughout the episode, they discuss how...

Coping with Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic: One-Pager

By Nada Atieh, Redding Record Searchlight, August 4, 2020 When Kaiser Permanente and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched the study to measure Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) levels in Shasta County in 2012, the results they found were striking. The ACE study examined categories of childhood physical and emotional abuse and neglect. It measured household dysfunction — including domestic violence, mental illness and substance abuse — that create toxic stress...

By Rebecca C. Mandeville, PsychCentral, August 4, 2020 Over the past few months, I’ve had quite a few readers of this blog write to me privately or in comments to the effect of, “I can’t believe what I am reading – It’s like you’re writing about my own life!” My knowledge of family scapegoating dynamics is based in part on countless hours spent working with both individuals and families in residential treatment settings and in my private practice over the past 15 years, as well as my...