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The "Great Resignation," "Quiet Quitting," and rising social awareness of historical racism have all brought attention to a common but frequently overlooked hazard of caregiving professions: Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS). In the execution of duties, professions that support our society with compassion and empathy can face traumatic stress from exposure to the experiences of the people that they are there to support. This stress can have deleterious physical and emotional consequences...

Shenandoah Chefalo was our guest this week on the #LessStressInLife podcast. Shen is the author of Garbage Bag Suitcase, a memoir of her childhood with drug and alcohol addicted parents and life in the foster care system. We talked about why trauma awareness is important in bringing culture change and why it is an important part of healing the brokenness in the world. Listen to our conversation here

Hi folks, this Saturday will mark the United Nations World Day Against Trafficking In Persons (WDATIP). For many of us in the Caribbean, this may bring up thoughts of the horrors of the Transatlantic African Slave Trade and the brutal enslavement of our ancestors. Science has established that the trauma of slavery can be passed on to one's descendants, resulting in collective and generational trauma. The reality is that the abolition of slavery in the 1830s did not result in the eradication...

Happy Wellness Wednesday everyone! We hope you are having a great week. With more workplaces seeking to return to pre-COVID 19 operations, a key aspect of transformation needs to be the elimination of toxicity from the work environment. Today, we are all more aware of the importance of mental health and wellness and the reality and detrimental effects of micro aggressions in the workplace. We also know that these challenges can exacerbate a person's pre-existing adverse childhood experiences...

Iya Affo & Heal Historical Trauma Presents New!! 48-HOUR HISTORICAL TRAUMA SPECIALIST CERTIFICATION in collaboration with THE INTERNATIONAL HISTORICAL TRAUMA ASSOCIATION We are the only entity offering a comprehensive, 48-hour Historical Trauma Specialist Certification Program. The Program is broken into 6 levels and is built on a foundation of BIPOC cultures and neurobiology. It is taught from a multicultural perspective, injecting traditions and ideology from various cultures from...

Hello everyone 😁 So for many years, we have seen in the Caribbean a challenge faced by police officers in dealing with persons who are experiencing mental illness. In some territories, the outcome of such interaction is often the fatal shooting if the (usually male) patient. However, models are arising in more developed nations from which we can learn and adapt to our regional circumstances. The free Webinar coming up at 7pm ET on July 19 is called "Help not Handcuffs" and is an opportunity...

Hi everyone! We hope you are having a great Wellness Wednesday. Today we would like to share an article from Glenn R. Schiraldi, Ph.D. which was published in Psychology Today. It relates to how we can rewire shame from childhood that persists into adulthood. Excerpt - "Even after disturbing memories from childhood have been reworked, lingering remnants of shame can disrupt one’s peace and sense of wholeness in adulthood." Dr. Schiraldi proposes practical ways to rework shame from caregivers...

Hi everyone!HHow are you and your loved ones? As businesses reopen from the COVID 19 restrictions, traumatised persons who have lost loved ones and jobs and 2 years of their lives will be gathering together to return to work. In that setting, it will be critical to understand how better to relate to our coworkers, bosses and employees so that everyone on our team enjoys optimal relationships and mental and emotional wellness. Since we spend at least 8 hours per day with one another, we need...

Hi everyone and Happy Monday! 😀 In several Caribbean countries, such as Trinidad and Tobago, there is a crisis of homelessness. With Privy Council and other judicial pronouncements that restrict the government from forcibly removing persons from the public streets, it is important to identify ways to address the needs of persons experiencing homelessness. The article linked to below gives the example of Houston, Texas and how its mayor and public authorities are pulling together a cadre of...

New understanding of the brain provides hope for breaking the painful grip of shame that’s imprinted in childhood and continues to affect adults. Rewiring shame calls for more than the traditional left brain approaches.

What is it about trauma that can have such a seductive pull? Can our bodies actually become addicted to trauma and its effect on us?

With over half of all adults experiencing some trauma in their lifetime and almost 8% of the population experiencing PTSD, it is likely that leaders will encounter the effects of the fight or flight hormone response.