Worcester Addresses Childhood Trauma

If we are not doing well, our mental health system tells us we are the problem and need fixing. That is not the?truth. Trauma is the weapon of oppression. Our symptoms are predictable responses to powerlessness. When we are hurt physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually, we tend to either act out in anger or withdraw and isolate. Either response harms us. The shame of victimization keeps us from talking about what happened. We believe no one understands or cares. It keeps us from connecting with others. Perpetrators love shame. It keeps them in control, and they are not held accountable. We build walls to keep ourselves safe, but these walls become a prison keeping us from the only thing that does heal:?connection. Our systems are the problem. Every system controls the distribution of power and access to resources. Addressing individual symptoms without understanding root causes will never bring authentic healing. Our society is the problem that needs fixing. We believe healing means social change. Our vision is a world where?everyone?is valued for their humanity and has whatever resources they need to reach their full potential and live their best?life. Worcester Addresses Childhood Trauma (Worcester?ACTs) gives you usable, accurate, and relevant mental health information. We are empathy activists. We hope to decrease stigma and build community by talking about difficult things no one likes to talk about. We are committed to helping people from Worcester and beyond have more empathy and understanding for themselves and others. We help the next generation by healing ourselves. Our Trauma Training Tuesday?series centers the lived experience and expertise of people who've been impacted by specific distressing and life-altering events. We're inspired by the positive changes that happen when individuals understand how trauma impacts their mental health. Sign up for announcements of future monthly Trauma Training Tuesdays: https://lnkd.in/en3V-xbq

THE TRAUMA OF IMMIGRATION Human migration is not new. Only the most difficult circumstances would compel people to leave behind their homes and countries of origin in search of a better life. People leave behind everything they know. Reasons include violence, corruption, poverty, climate change, religious persecution, and more. Often, their journey is perilous. They may endure further violence, inhumane conditions, prejudice, racism, continued poverty, and limited access to needed resources, such as housing and medical care. They also become social scapegoats — an easy group to blame for our deteriorating social fabric. The truth is, over time, they typically contribute far more resources than they take. Jillian gives an accurate local assessment of the current situation and advises on how to help. https://lnkd.in/e-eHM3iH Learn about the trauma of immigration: https://lnkd.in/eW3KYWkq Sign up for announcements of future monthly Trauma Training Tuesdays: https://lnkd.in/en3V-xbq WorcesterACTs.org

CULTIVATING JOY Trauma impacts the quality of our life. When bad things happen, they can take center stage for a long time, occupying our thoughts and keeping our mood dark. We can even feel like being happy is disloyal to the harm we’ve suffered and we somehow deserve to feel this pain. With intention and specific practices, we can start to make room for joy. We all deserve happiness and to have lives we want to live. Joy Coach Kelsey Hopkins of Worcester ACTs and Susan Buchholz, Executive Director of the Heartwell Institute for Mindfulness, share tools you can implement every day to cultivate joy now. Learn about cultivating joy: https://lnkd.in/e5MDXB4z Sign up for announcements of future monthly Trauma Training Tuesdays: https://lnkd.in/en3V-xbq WorcesterACTs.org

When others experience emotional pain, it can make us uncomfortable to sit with them with that pain. We often want to problem solve. Dr. Brené Brown reminds us what empathy really is: helping someone feel seen and heard in their emotions. https://lnkd.in/g4mG9uj

Learn about types of trauma through trauma Training Tuesdays: https://lnkd.in/e29Yj7wa Sign up for announcements of future monthly Trauma Training Tuesdays: https://lnkd.in/en3V-xbq WorcesterACTs.org

INTERGENERATIONAL TRAUMA Many of the psychological burdens we bear may not be our own. The latest mental health research has shown us that ancestors may have genetically encoded their traumatic responses, passing them to future offspring they may never even meet. Learn about promising practices in the treatment of intergenerational trauma. Learn about intergenerational trauma: https://lnkd.in/e5HSTCKY Sign up for announcements of future monthly Trauma Training Tuesdays: https://lnkd.in/en3V-xbq WorcesterACTs.org

Genetic severance and the attachment issues it creates can have a profound impact on childhood trauma: the primal wound. In her film about empathy, social justice, and mental health advocacy, Rebecca Autumn Sansom confronts uncomfortable truths to get to healing and adoptees' rights. She believes through personal narrative and collective consciousness, we can increase outreach efforts and community engagement initiatives for a more equitable future for those impacted by adoption, donor conception, surrogacy, and DNA surprises. Watch the documentary "Reckoning with the Primal Wound": https://lnkd.in/eJUF68ws

"Indigenous peoples across the globe suffer a disproportionate burden of both mental and physical illness relative to Settler populations. A substantial body of research indicates that colonialism and its associated processes are important determinants of Indigenous peoples' health." Learn about "a theory of colonial trauma as a conceptual framework with which to understand Indigenous health and mental health disparities. Colonial Trauma is described as a complex, continuous, collective, cumulative and compounding interaction of impacts related to the imposition of colonial policies and practices which continue to separate Indigenous Peoples from their land, languages, cultural practices, and one another." https://lnkd.in/etfX2P_p

HOARDING/ACCUMULATING Messages are everywhere that the things we own give us value. When people have a history of trauma, depression, anxiety, abuse, or neglect, it makes sense they would feel attached to the things they own, have difficulty parting with their possessions, and accumulate more stuff. While often a hidden and misunderstood behavior, research shows that hoarding is more common than previously believed, affecting between 2 to 6 percent of people. When the number of things you have becomes unmanageable, it is important to find effective help. Kathy helps us build empathy and understanding for ourselves and others who may face this issue. Learn about hoarding/accumulating: https://lnkd.in/e74ih-gp Sign up for announcements of future monthly Trauma Training Tuesdays: https://lnkd.in/en3V-xbq WorcesterACTs.org

THE NEUROLOGICAL IMPACT OF ABUSE Ten years ago, when Jennifer was teaching high school, she was inadvertently pulled into an emotional and physical crisis where students reported on four teachers who repeatedly emotionally and physically abused them. Jennifer came face-to-face with ACES unfolding in real time, especially since administrators and ultimately government regulators chose to cover up and re-victimize the thirteen students who reported. This crisis galvanized Jennifer to write The Bullied Brain: Heal Your Scars and Restore Your Health. The good news is: our brains are innately wired to repair and recover when we follow evidence-based practices. Highly-awarded neuroscientist Dr. Michael Merzenich says The Bullied Brain is “THE most completely, scientifically thorough treatment of the subject on planet earth.” Learn about the neurological impact of abuse: https://lnkd.in/efGxsqHB Sign up for announcements of future monthly Trauma Training Tuesdays: https://lnkd.in/en3V-xbq WorcesterACTs.org