Political? Yes, thinking in a trauma-informed way is a political issue. It gets to the very heart of what happens when injustice occurs. Much of the injustice in this world is perpetrated and/or ignored by many of those with money and power. Josh Lown identified “the loss of sense of self and safety as a result of a capitalist economy. This is trauma, but it’s not well understood.”

A post by Mark Walsh, 8 Ways Our Bodies Are Linked to Social Control highlights the many ways our society imposes control. It brought to my mind another recent post about specialized desks that have been installed in a Kentucky school. When I first read the item about the desks I thought it was a great idea and a recognition that some kids need to move more than others. That's one view. Another is that this is another way our institutions impose control on "disruptive" kids. Another view is...

When humans experience trauma, they feel as if their life is threatened; there may be an element of horror and shock, helplessness ensues. After the event or circumstance, a victim needs to recover from feeling vulnerable and out of control of the environment. One way we do this is to engage in self-blame: “it was my fault”.

Those of us who get the trauma-informed movement understand how to put the dots together when were interviewing a new client. Our ear hears the pertinent details: the ACES, the Big Ts, the little ts and all the complexities as they tell us their story. We sit, knowing the many tools we can offer to help this hurting person cope, heal and recover. We validate, affirm and offer hope for a better future. We know we can help. We have gold to give them. But, not all who have suffered what we...