Blog

As I've discovered since leaving my career as a family doctor, retraining as a somatic trauma therapist, and scouring the research for 20 years - adversity of all kinds, in all phases of our lives, and in past generations influences our health. As does discrimination. Like ACEs, these 7 additional categories of adversity shape health. They increase opportunities for prevention, identify early indicators of risk, and offer more tools for healing chronic illness and other effects of trauma.

By Anne O'Connor, Nursery World, December 21, 2020 While some tabloids have been screaming that children have ‘gone backwards’ in their learning and development during the pandemic, it has also being said that our youngest children have bounced back easily into school and nursery, despite all the changes to their provision. This seems to be proof to many that babies and young children are hardy, resilient and ‘coping fine’ – so, we needn’t worry about them? Head teachers, managers and...

Feeling Overwhelmed? Remember 'R.A.I.N' The RAIN of Self-Compassion The acronym RAIN is an easy-to-remember tool for practicing mindfulness and compassion, using the following four steps: R ecognize what is going on; A llow the experience to be there, just as it is; I nvestigate with interest and care; N ourish with self-compassion. You can take your time and explore RAIN as a stand-alone meditation or move through the steps whenever challenging feelings arise. The Truth of Who You Are The...

Suffering is an expected part of this journey because resilience is a muscle that we strengthen over time and experiences. However, developing this muscle is most effective when encouraged by warm, loving, and responsive caregiving.

This short and practical paper explains how relationships are vital to health, and what you can do as a health provider to help children and families be healthy in the face of increasing stress and physical distancing. The fear and social isolation associated with COVID-19 are worsening existing chronic stressors, as well as creating new ones for families who are experiencing new kinds of adversity. People are feeling isolated and alone and have less emotional support than they did prior to...

By Steven Yoder, The Imprint, November 22, 2020 A dozen years ago , New York state revealed that taxpayers were shelling out $140,000 to $200,000 each year to house each young person in the state’s juvenile facilities. Many of these supervised residential centers and deeply troubled youth prisons lined with razor wire and high-security locked gates were less than half full. The state’s Office of Children and Family Services described in a 2008 report with a cover showing rows of empty beds,...

Let's move forward with empathy, self-compassion, and connection. Like most people I know, sleep eluded me for much of last week leading up to this historic election. The good news is that I have a meditation practice and mantra to which I always come back. Much of Western meditation practice focuses on mindfulness – -noticing thoughts and, hopefully, quieting the mind by focusing on the breath. My 11th book, Meditation Station , deals directly with this concept. Our breath is always with...

Our nation’s health depends on the health of our children and the early childhood care and education (ECCE) providers that nurture them. As America recovers from the pandemic and reopens the economy, rebuilding our ECCE system in a way that prioritizes equity and well-being is critical. We cannot reopen and recover without a stable and affordable child care system. Several new studies funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) support this. They show that ECCE is a public good that...

Register for A Better Normal- Our reckoning with race and equity at ACEs Connection

In a conversational style, join physician Drew Factor who will speak with Dr. Tracy Gaudet, Liza Guroff and An é Watts in a discussion entitled "Reimagining Health Care". Dr. Gaudet will speak about her experience engaging in transformational change at the Veterans Administration and how this has shaped the development of her own Functional Medicine Institute, while Ms. Guroff and Ms. Watts will speak about their knowledge of a Trauma-Informed Approach both at a systems (National Council for...

Dr. Kanwaljeet Anand and Chloe Yang, 10/14/20, positiveexperience.org/blog A growing body of work recognizes the important health effects of highlighting and creating positive childhood experiences. Today’s blog post makes the scientific case for this, based off of an interview with Dr. Kanwaljeet Anand, professor of pediatrics and anesthesiology at Stanford School of Medicine. Below, Dr. Anand details how positive childhood experiences buffer against adverse ones and explains the biological...

Can universal ACEs screening be equitable? A conversation about concerns and solutions. When: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2-3:30 pm PDT/5-6:30 pm EDT This webinar explores what it takes to ensure that equity is built into the process of screening and providing support for families who have experienced trauma and want help. REGISTER HERE Background At the beginning of this year, California, through the ACEs Aware initiative began rolling out universal screening for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs),...