Blog

By Scottie Andrew, CNN, October 23, 2019 Hormones found in their feces showed improved emotional resilience In sifting through their fecal matter, Lambert found both groups of rats trained to drive secreted higher levels of corticosterone and DHEA, hormones that control stress responses. Corticosterone is a hormone animals could secrete in high-stakes scenarios like running from a wild animal or defending themselves from predators, but it can also be expressed in lower-risk tasks like doing...

Until we are willing to acknowledge that we collectively have not fulfilled the needs of developing humans throughout our evolution, and therefore as adults we are not operating at our optimal capacity as human organisms, we will continue to perpetuate the social conditions that hinder optimal development, all the while pretending that we adults are unaffected and traumatic childhoods are normal.

Still time to register for the PHA "Rooted in Community: Moving from Trauma to Healing" conference, November 20-21 in Long Beach, CA, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Michael Eric Dyson.

Five of the bills that the California Campaign to Counter Childhood Adversity (4CA) was tracking this legislative session were signed or incorporated into law! They are: Assembly Bill 741 (Kalra), which requires the Department of Health Care Services to provide trainings for personnel who administer trauma screenings in a pediatric or primary care providing setting for children in Medi-Cal. The substance of this bill was included in the Governor’s May Revise budget, and funded at $50 million...

Traumatic stress feels awful. Thankfully, there are small things we can all do to help relax a hyperaroused nervous system.

By P. Berman, K. Hecht & A. Hosack, I can’t believe it! Look what she did for me! I can’t… Claire was holding the Saturday morning newspaper and feeling in shock. She had planned to just lay on the sofa and relax watching TV- it wasn’t easy to find time to just hang out and not try to accomplish a chore or a job. Davy was outside playing with Mr. Carson; Claire had time just for herself. She had sipped a little milk from her glass, put it down on the coffee table, and accidentally...

By A. Hosack, P. Berman, & K. Hecht O h No ! I forgot the dog!! Claire had fallen asleep after writing in her diary. She woke up two hours later, suddenly with a vision of a small dog in the mud room all alone. Claire ran out of her room raced down the stairs and rushed into the kitchen. She quickly opened the cabinet looking for the right size bowl, grab one and filled it with water and rushed into the mudroom. The slam of the kitchen door grabbed everyone else’s attention. The little...

By K. Hecht, A. Hosack, & P. Berman Home. I’ve made it home. My Davy is waiting for me. What will everyone think about the dog? Claire left the little dog in the mudroom outside of the kitchen and then came in the kitchen door. Mrs. Carson turned to look at her, startled that she was coming in the side door instead of the front door and an hour late. Dinner had been delayed for her arrival and Davy had asked Mr. and Mrs. Carson, about 20 times where she was and why she was late. I worry...

Jojo's Sanctuary seeks to educate, protect and empower vulnerable children, families and communities in Northern Thailand. They aim to prevent human trafficking by focusing on family strengthening and keeping children in families rather than orphanages.

Have you ever been at home, and you hear the doorbell, and you’re pretty sure it’s somebody selling something or giving out literature, and instead of answering the door, you HIDE? Like on the floor? Whispering so they won’t “know” you’re there? This is a form of isolating because we don’t trust ourselves to have boundaries . Isolation is a totally common symptom of Childhood PTSD, and for those of us who grew up with abuse or neglect, a lack of boundaries is a big reason why we get...

I attended the presentation of Governor Cuomo's Cancer Research Initiative at the Buffalo Science Museum October 22, 2019. Brad Hutton Deputy Health Commissioner State of NY presented. Erie County Health Commissioners in attendance. It had all the data on the 4 major cancers in the East Side of Buffalo, NY. https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/cancer/cancer_research_initiative/docs/erie_presentation.pdf I'm all excited. Prepared with 2 dozen ACE handouts. Sat quietly for the 45 minute power...

By Jack P. Shonkoff, Immigration Initiative at Harvard, October 2019 Background The separation of children from their parents and their prolonged detention for an indefinite period of time raise profound concerns that transcend partisan politics and demand immediate resolution. Forcibly separating children from their parents is like setting a house on fire. Preventing rapid reunification is like blocking the first responders from doing their job. And subjecting children to prolonged...