The Arizona ACEs Consortium and the Governor's Office of Youth, Faith and Family put on a wonderful event yesterday! Arizona's First Lady, Angela Ducey, delivered a poignant speech about the importance of recognizing ACEs within the Foster Care System, based on personal experience with her nephew. She was authentic in her love of children and concern for their well-being. It was especially wonderful to hear that she is so knowledgeable about ACES!!! The Governor's address also expressed...

We are resilient! We work. We are raising children. We are riding relationships. We are in search of healing. We are facilitating healing for others! These facts alone speak to our resilience as human and spiritual beings. Therefore, we have the ability to change how we live and how our children live moving forward. My mother's generation was the first generation of Black professionals that were highly educated and obtained jobs that were good enough to provide the financial security that...

A year and a half ago, I lost my father. As an indigenous person, my spirit knows that relationships are never lost, they only transform. As a newborn, you enter into the world with a total dependency on your mother. With each month, neurological development and newly acquired skill, the relationship transforms over the course of your lifetime. When we finally transcend the physical world to join the ancestors, the relationship transforms once again. In my great love and connection to my...

I am saddened to hear about the death of another Arab young man in Marseilles, France. The reason I started this virtual community was to share stories and shed light. Let's travel to France.... After our time at the Ashram in India, my then 8-year-old son was insistent that we move to China. I had absolutely no intention of going to China. In his few short years he had become an avid martial artist and was determined to study Kung Fu in the Shaolin Temple. My limited adult mind thought it...

This is SO crazy to me in 2018! They really have no definitive answers as to why more Black babies die in the United States as compared to White babies. The part that is particularly mind-blowing to me is that the issue is NOT consistent with babies born in the United States from African immigrant mothers. I am quickly reminded of the Black woman's history in this country due to the Slave Trade atrocities. It is well known and documented that it was not uncommon for enslaved Black women to...

The level of aggression I witnessed while living in an Ashram in India was shocking and often funny! With my residual ACES anger often bubbling beneath my skin, my daily mantra became, "No matter what anyone does to you; you CANNOT, WILL NOT fight in an Ashram!" We don't realize that many spiritual communities are filled with ACES survivors from all over the world that have no other hope left for healing. These are courageous people who have sought help for their pain and anger and have...

I walked away from my Western life to sleep on the floor of an ashram. Dissatisfaction had become a normal state of being. I was deeply embarrassed by this. As I canvassed my home I perused every object, and breathed its beauty. My thoughts were about how grateful I was to have a living museum in my house, what a treasure it was to live in a spiritual temple that I created. I was ashamed by my soul’s ambivalence, when it responded so what . Consciously, I counted each and every blessing. I...

My previous life was devoted to physical health and wellness. Thorughout my lifetime, I have researched numerous diets and a plethora of nutrition information. The most profound work I found was in the 1980's when I was a teenager and seeing a nutritionist, Dr. H.L. Newbold. Dr. Newbold was a huge supporter of the fact that a person's diet should reflect their ancestry. In other words, if you are a descendant of Jamaica, for example, your diet should consist heavily of fresh fruits, nuts,...

As we endure the pain of lost loved ones, manage the anxiety of financial insecurity and potentially fret over becoming ill, it is a brilliant time for change in our country and around the world. There is a special kind of racist exclusion in America. When I took my young son to live in India, initially, he struggled everyday on the bus to school. There was a lot of hazing and bullying from older students. I remember him begging me to please take him to school in a rickshaw so that he didn’t...

Over the next few days, I am going to provide a little food for thought about the loss of cultural identity that has profoundly impacted Africans across the Diaspora. Remember that the descendants of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade that live off of the Continent, are perhaps the only collective in the world that does not know their origin. We are African, but Africa is a continent of fifty-two countries with thousands of different cultures and dialects. Today’s micro-discussion is on names.

Becky Antle, Ph.D., Professor of Social Work and esteemed University Scholar at the University of Louisville, won The Dibble Institute’s national competition to evaluate Mind Matters: Overcoming Adversity and Building Resilience in 2019. As a result, Dr. Antle and her colleagues have conducted a randomized controlled trial to examine the impact of Mind Matters on a host of outcomes related to trauma symptoms, emotional regulation, coping and resiliency, and interpersonal skills for at-risk...

The pandemic has had a lasting effect on youth mental health. Moved by a desire to reduce youth’s toxic stress and increase their resilience, The Dibble Institute, in partnership with a team of students and alumni from ArtCenter College of Design and author Carolyn Curtis, PhD, is releasing Me & My Emotions —a new, free adaptation of our beloved Mind Matters Curriculum. The mobile-friendly Me & My Emotions website features engaging graphics and bite-sized lessons teens can access and...

In Honor of Black History Month 2k22 Please Enjoy the Following NEW Trainings: Facilitating a Full Expression of Resilience: BIPOC are resilient. In learning how trauma is formed and passed from one generation to the next in our communities, we will understand how to facilitate a full expression of resilience in vulnerable communities. This course takes a deep dive into the reality of flight or fight mode and how many people enduring oppression, discrimination and hate live with a constant...

Has the pandemic stressed you out? Want to learn the self-soothing skills of Mind Matters: Overcoming Adversity and Building Resilience directly from the author, Dr. Carolyn Curtis? Good news! The Dibble Institute has received generous funding for scholarships to the online, full 12-lesson series, Mind Matters Now . The course helps teachers, social workers, medical professionals, and others manage their stress by building resilience skills and practices for mental well-being. (CEUs are...

There have been several studies that reveal raised levels of stress in integrated behavioral health practitioners who treat clients and their traumatic life events. This often takes a toll on the professional. It is very important that the practitioners take care of themselves to ensure that they are able to provide evidence-based interventions to clients. It is often seen that these professionals tend to focus all of their energy in trying to find goals to ensure the client is able to...

Being positive is a complete state of mind. It is looking at self, and determining what brings a positive spirit within. Rather it be an enjoyable activity, or spending time with inspirational individuals, you ultimately determine your happiness. There are a few simple steps to remaining positive, especially during the holiday season. Keep a positive mindset by harping on small successes over failures. Find what inspires you each day. Keep pushing, no matter how hard the task may seem.

As the new year approaches, many individuals are beginning to make resolutions. Rather it be for improved health, weight loss goals, or simply to become better at a specific task or career goal. As you make way for your new year’s resolution, we want to make certain that you are making goals achievable, specifically foe you. Here are a few resolutions that can help you get started on your journey toward success. 1. Make a resolution to remain physically healthy and active. This is not to say...

There is a famous quote that comes to mind when we speak of Anthropology in Black. “One must speak for one’s self if they wish to be heard.” I had the opportunity to review an article by Lynn Bolles, a famous African American anthropologist, who based her research on African American women and their accomplishments and career goals. In the words of John Gwaltney (1981) ,“telling the story straight” is an inspirational quote for many African American women who have made amazing strides in...

Resilience is the art of giving thanks when less is more. It is seeing expectancy, when there seems like no end. It is simply staying true to what matters most; faith, respect, dignity, and persistence. Resilience is often displayed daily. Whether we have a small or large task to achieve. It’s the light at the end of the tunnel. What will allow one to have the greatest hope and resiliency in any situation is to remain grounded. Never forget the solid principles that allowed you to navigate...

From Steven R. Covey’s release The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, brings essential factors that highlight success in both personal and professional life. He places into perspective the importance of seven steps to work effectively and perform responsibly in today’s era. Be proactive: Focus specifically on what it is you wish to change and begin. (i.e. weight loss, relationship status, new employment, new skills, new location, silence, etc.) Begin an end goal in mind: Define a goal and...