Panic is growing because an economic crisis looms. Trade wars have been initiated, though there is a lot of uncertainty over who will go how far and when, as well as whether anyone will back down. The economic threat is compounded by extreme and sudden cutbacks in funding for foreign development projects, something that even in the medium term will prove not to save any money at all – quite the opposite – despite claims. In short, things look dire, and people feel desperate and powerless. Despite the dystopian feel of the moment, the very bleakness and desperation that makes it so might actually provide an opportunity to achieve real, sustainable change and improvement. We might have reached the point where politicians might just be desperate enough to be willing to listen to ‘crazy ideas’.
I am not naive, I know that the trauma wall still exists. There continues to be much resistance against change, trying new things, and doing anything to create equity for marginalised groups, because all of these things feel too unfamiliar, threatening, and unsafe to all who have not started (for lack of support to do so) to break down their own trauma wall. However, given that what I am advocating comes with enormous financial savings and benefits to the economy that materialise in the medium term and are sustainable in the long term, some policy makers may finally feel cornered enough to be willing to listen.
What are some of the issues that put a huge strain on the national budget? These certainly include the criminal justice and prison system, severe mental health problems, serious physical health problems, addiction, long-term unemployment, homelessness, school dropouts, and the child protection system. The costs include funding the systems dealing with these issues, the costs of the damage and the knock-on effects of not fully resolving the issues, with the addition of costs of lost productivity and revenue due to these issues.
These also happen to be issues that are generally seen as ‘unsolvable’ and just very, very expensive. Money put into it is often seen as a form of charity performed out of a sense of moral duty to ‘the disadvantaged’. Because it is perceived as only a form of charity with little hope of making more than a marginal difference, money is cut as soon as budgets are tight. The arguments on the issues mostly move past what would be the most effective use of money in these areas to whether there really is a moral obligation or whether those in these situations have brought it on themselves and should get themselves out. All of this is a perfect illustration of the trauma wall model, where people want to reach the end goal seen on the right without looking at or dealing with the trauma wall or what comes before it.
Many studies have shown (in the Beyond the Trauma Wall book, I will delve deeper into this and provide the references) that all of the categories of major expenses mentioned above are connected to trauma, particularly in childhood. Acknowledging that criminal activity, homelessness, child abuse, addiction etc. more often than not occur due to unresolved trauma and trauma responses provides the reason. It is not to give an excuse and do away with accountability. What it does offer is an opening to recognise that to actually solve these issues, it is not enough to only address the symptoms. Whether this is in the form of putting someone in prison, providing temporary housing, removing a child from their family, or stopping someone from accessing addictive substances or behaviours. Addressing only symptoms tends to lead to relapses, recidivism, and the emergence of new, often greater, problems. Meanwhile, integrating the identification of unresolved trauma and support to process it into the systems and services dealing with the costly social and health issues would address the root causes instead of kicking the can down the road.
Studies have also shown that the prevention of childhood trauma and adequate support to identify and resolve trauma (at any age) are effective in reducing or eliminating the trauma-related reactions and behaviours that lead to contact with the law, homelessness, inability to finish school or find work, etc. The ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) studies, among others, have even shown that adults who have experienced several ACEs have a significantly higher risk for diabetes, obesity, heart disease, stroke, cancer, addiction, and mental health problems than those who haven’t. Similar findings were uncovered regarding auto-immune disorders and psychiatric disorders. Preventing and resolving trauma would reduce the instance of these conditions.
The need for spending in all of these areas can be significantly reduced over time. This can be achieved by using the money spent on them to address the unresolved trauma that often lies at the root of the problem alongside the other services currently provided and methods used. Again, the evidence is in, it shows us that the return on investment in preventing childhood trauma through early intervention and early years support provisions and resolving trauma at any age is very significant.
Aside from the return on investment for the individual cases, there is also a ripple effect that takes place. Parents who have resolved their trauma do not pass it on to their children, breaking the cycle of intergenerational trauma. People who have resolved their trauma are far less likely to traumatise other people through their aggression, possible need to control or marginalise other people, or the effects of their mental health problems. This stops the negative ripple effect of trauma. At the same time, the increased ability to engage positively with other people, feel a sense of safety and belonging, and be creative in people who resolve their trauma leads to a positive ripple effect. All of this comes with economic benefits.
In the much longer term, the ripples may spread far enough that we start to see fewer leaders who try to attain a sense of self-worth and felt safety – lost through trauma – through starting wars, controlling and repressing the country’s citizens, threatening everyone and hanging on to power tooth and nail. Which, again, will mean that fewer people are traumatised and positive ripples can start to spread instead. Positive ripples that include a reduced need for massive spending on defense to protect against leaders like that.
I really hope that something positive can come from the gloomy situation facing us right now. I ask all of you to advocate for this kind of change. Let’s all start working to save the economy by REALLY saving money through social reform rather than relying on pseudo savings through reduced spending on essential provisions.
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