As someone who focuses on trauma-informed leadership and self-care as well as trauma-informed care, I've been working hard to get the idea of a Recovery Plan out there into the world. I wanted to share a training description with the PACEs community, not as an advertisement but what I think people need to be focusing on in this crucial time. I have just finished my first series with the United Way here in Denver and it went great and was well received by leaders. Few periods in recent...

In this episode of the Trauma-Informed Lens Podcast, Matt speaks with Megan Marcus and Kelley Munger from FuelEd about how educators can serve as secure attachment figures, with the power to heal student trauma through the relationships they build, and the need for educators to first do their own healing. We also explore the power of providing simple and safe places for educators within school culture to receive healing from their own trauma. www.traumainformedlens.org

In this episode of the Trauma Informed Lens Podcast, Melissa Vine joins the show to discuss the link between trauma, entitlement, and domestic/intimate partner violence. www.traumainformedlens.org

Denis Thompson joins the show to talk about the relationship between trauma and pain. Trauma and stress are the often overlooked aspects of the opioid epidemic and addiction in general. Denis shares his expertise in pain management and provides a new way to think about and treat a common struggle of people with trauma. www.traumainformedlens.org

In this episode of the Trauma-Informed Lens Podcast, Pat and Tammy McLeod join the show to discuss ambiguous loss, trauma, and their book Hit Hard: One Family’s Journey of Letting Go of What Was and Learning to Live Well with What Is. traumainformedlens.org

This episode continues to explore Matt’s journey into HRV! Conditioned fear responses and learning safety cues are critical components of both the etiology of trauma-related dysfunction and recovery from traumatic experiences. Can inter-individual differences in physiological measures predict our ability to extinguish conditioned fear responses and to learn new safety cues? In this episode, Matt, Jerry & Curt discuss an article describing a study that asked these very questions. ...

In this episode of the Trauma-Informed Lens Podcast, Shelley McKittrick joins Matt to discuss the concept of theory of mind and how it relates to homelessness and other challenges many face after trauma. traumainformedlens.org

In this podcast episode, we explore the nature of the stress response and what it can teach us about trauma. Heart Rate Variability as a measure of the nervous system's ability to handle or recover from stress helps us measure the stress response and learn new insights into behaviors. https://optimalhrv.com/podcast/heart-rate-variability-anxiety-the-stress-response/

In this episode of the Heart Rate Variability Podcast, Matt, Curt, and Jerry examine physiological markers and individual differences in response to intervention and how it relates to folks with trauma. Over the past decade or so, research within the field of behavioral health has given rise to a wide variety of evidence-based practices. Characterizing and legitimately testing the effects of treatments has been a significant positive direction for behavioral health. However, notably missing...

In 2018, I to introduced to heart rate variability in a series with Curt Mower and Dr. Jerry Yager on the Trauma-Informed Lens Podcast. At the beginning of the series, I had barely heard of HRV, by the end, I believed HRV was the best way to measure post-traumatic growth, the impact of trauma, the health of staff, and organizational wellness. These podcasts motivated me to write a book, start companies on two continents, and create a smartphone app designed for those doing trauma-informed...

Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge joins the show to discuss trauma, the pandemic, and teletherapy. Dr. Ro has been busy and shares her great expertise and lessons learned during the pandemic and switch to teletherapy. https://connectingparadigms.org/blog/podcast/roseann-capanna-hodge-talks-trauma-teletherapy/

We all know that burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary/vicarious trauma are problems in the helping and healing professions. The Job Demands and Resources Model provides trauma-informed leaders a simple way to evaluate and mitigate the impact of stress and trauma on their workforce. In this three-episode series, the Trauma-Informed Lens Podcast explores this model with the added bonus of examing how biometrics can help quantify organizational stress. ...

Dr. Jeff Spiess joins the Trauma Informed Lens Podcast to discuss his new book Dying with Ease. We discuss how trauma can manifest in one's final days and within family dynamics. http:// ow.ly/GhaF50BNH9S

In this episode, Jeff and Matt discuss heart rate variability (HRV) and trauma. As we defined, HRV measures our ability to handle or recover from stress. What happens when we face an overwhelming amount of stress and become traumatized. We also explore how HRV can track the post traumatic growth process. https://optimalhrv.com/podcast/heart-rate-variability-trauma/

In this episode, Jeff and Matt define states and traits and explore how HRV measures both. HRV provides amazing insight to understand “How am I doing today?” “How am I doing this week?” “How am I doing this month?” We also discuss how HRV provides a powerful outcome for clinical care and managers. https://optimalhrv.com/podcast/measuring-states-and-traits-with-heart-rate-variability/

Dr. Deborah Borne joins Matt in this episode to discuss the relationship between trauma and spiritual health. Learn how Dr. Borne integrates spiritual health into her medical practice with those experiencing addiction, homelessness, and living with HIV. www.traumainformedlens.org

How does the rhythm of the heart tell us so much about how our nervous system is handling or recovery from stress and trauma? In this episode, Matt and Jeff take a dive into the exciting connection between HRV and the health of the brain and nervous system. If you have ever heard Matt talk about the brain, you know how excited he was for this episode of the Heart Rate Variability Podcast!!! https://optimalhrv.com/podcast/neurobiology-heart-rate-variability/

In this episode of the Heart Rate Variability Podcast, Jeff and Matt discuss the science of heart rate variability, stress, and homeostasis. Homeostasis is the balance between our biology and the environment. Stress challenges homeostasis requiring a change in our mental, emotional, or physical state to respond successfully to the challenge. HRV provides a scientific way to measure how well our body responds to stress and reestablish homeostasis. ...

I'm excited to announce that I just launched the Heart Rate Variability Podcast! In the first episode Jeff and I start exploring my new book Heart Rate Variability: Using Biometrics to Improve Outcomes in Trauma-Informed Organizations. You can find the podcast and get your free copy of the book at optimalhrv.com. Love to hear your thoughts and feedback.

In this episode, Jennifer Wilson and Laura Rossbert join the show to discuss trauma-informed design. Learn how a strategic approach to physical space creates community and calm while empowering people in services. This is definitely an episode to check out on video to see their amazing work.

I’m excited to announce the publication of my 4 th book Healing with Heart Rate Variability: Using Biometrics to Improve OUtcomes in Trauma-Informed Organizations ! In this time of stress, trauma, and burnout, HRV provides a critical tool to help clients, patients, students, and our workers regain and maintain their health. To assist in the fight, I am giving away free digital copies at optimalhrv.com !

In this episode, Matt discusses the trauma of divorce with Dr. Angela Cusimano. On the list of Adverse Childhood Experience, Divorce is a unique type of family disruption. Dr. Cusimano shares her expertise in working with divorce survivors. https://connectingparadigms.org/blog/podcast/interview-with-dr-angela-cusimano-trauma-of-divorce/ Angela Cusimano is a psychologist and personal coach with decades of experience working with kids, families, and trauma survivors. She is a childhood divorce...

In this episode, Matt discusses trauma-sensitive education with Dr. Eric Rossen. Eric Rossen, PhD, NCSP, is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, a licensed psychologist in Maryland, and a credentialed National Register Health Service psychologist. He currently serves as the director of professional development and standards for the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). Dr. Rossen has worked in public schools and in independent practice and has served as a college...

In this post, we'll examine how heart rate variability can serve as a bridge between the science behind the impact of ACEs and helping people find hope, healing, and post-traumatic growth.

This week's Matt's Mumblings explores supplementing Trauma-Informed Checklists with biometrics to develop more meaningful outcomes in the trauma-informed journey.

Sarah Bennett, the author of Trauma-Sensitive Early Education, joins the show to talk about her book and how she integrated trauma-sensitive approaches into her work as a 1st-grade teacher. traumainformedlens.org

I finished my last post with: Just over a year ago, I learned about a reliable, intensively researched and simple biometric that measured the health of the brain, nervous system and all the other systems (digestion, immune, cardiovascular, respiratory) that were negatively impacted by trauma. Research also showed that this biometric effectively measures improvements or declines in social, emotional, and physical health. ( Click here for full post ) In the history of medicine and psychology,...

What if we could measure the effects of our interventions and resources on the body and minds of our clients in real-time? I started my career just as the quality improvement and best practice movement started to influence service delivery and funding in the helping professions. While so much good evolved out of these movements, it remains difficult to measure outcomes, especially in the short-term. Often, we are left hoping our short-term efforts serve as small steps on the journey to more...