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’.
Continue reading “Saving the Economy… Through Social Reform”Tag: #childhoodtrauma
Start Where You Are
I happened to pick up ‘The Art of Happiness: A handbook for living’ and it brought me some insights and links that are surprisingly closely connected to my previous blog. So, I wanted to share this with you. The book was written in 1998 by psychiatrist Howard C. Cutler, based on his conversations with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Continue reading “Start Where You Are”It’s About the Response…
You may have heard it said that trauma is not caused by what happened, but by how we respond to what happens, internally. This is true, but I think it is incomplete. It panders to the desire to put something incredibly complex into a few words or a short sentence. The shortest way I can think of to formulate what is really meant, is as follows:
Continue reading “It’s About the Response…”Children Need More Than a Loving Family
There is much mention of children’s need for a loving family on social media and in advocacy campaigns. Particularly from those working in child protection reform. There is no doubt that children absolutely do need this. However, as someone who grew up in a loving family, I need to tell you that that is not enough.
Continue reading “Children Need More Than a Loving Family”Changing the World: Building on Gabor Mate’s Work
It is scary to look around at everything that is happening in the world at the moment. In the face of so many tragic and scary circumstances, it can be hard not to lose hope and feel powerless. However, I believe that there is something we can do, something we can work on in various ways ourselves to bring about change. It will not change everything overnight and it is simple, but not easy, but I do believe it is effective. It boils down to the Dutch saying ‘Verbeter de wereld, begin bij jezelf’ (Improve the world, start with yourself), but not in a finger-wagging way.
Continue reading “Changing the World: Building on Gabor Mate’s Work”Getting Started: First Step
Aside from spreading awareness about the impact of trauma and how to get beyond it, through this website and the book I am working on, I also want to apply the knowledge to set real changes in motion. I am delighted that over the past year, I have gone from a powerful but vague sense of how to make a major difference in the world through addressing trauma to a very concrete plan for how I can do something about that in a practical sense. As it turns out, it lies at the heart of the work I have been doing for the past 18 years. Its outline still sounds grandiose and theoretical: Radical child protection reform that goes beyond addressing symptoms and kicking the can down the road. But I have found a simple, practical starting point.
Continue reading “Getting Started: First Step”