Through many conversations and other interactions with people about the Beyond the Trauma Wall Initiative, a clearer sense of its practical aims is emerging. Writing my upcoming book, ‘The Trauma Root of Social Work: Beyond the Trauma Wall’ has also contributed to that. It is through having very different conversations with people from different sectors and backgrounds that the generally applicable through-lines gradually become more visible. I want to share them with you here.
Continue reading “Different Aspects of the Beyond the Trauma Wall Initiative”Tag: #relationships
Explaining It to a Four-Year-Old
I believe that awareness of such things as the effects of the activation of the stress response and how to hold space could and should be taught in schools. Because of that and because I was asked this week how I break down very complicated things so that they are understandable without losing the true meaning, I thought I’d give an example of how I would explain dysregulation and coregulation to my four-year-old niece:
Continue reading “Explaining It to a Four-Year-Old”The Ability to Offer Support with Trauma
When someone has experienced trauma, or an event so overwhelming that it has the potential to become trauma if it is not processed, they are in need of support. To be able to process either current traumatic stress or past trauma, we need to feel safe and supported at a deep level. To experience this safety, we need to feel connected with other people, to not feel alone and helpless. However, it is not a simple thing to support someone with trauma, and not everyone is able to do so.
Continue reading “The Ability to Offer Support with Trauma”The Whys of Reform to Include a Trauma Lens
It is useful to have a look at why it is necessary to have reforms of various sectors to make sure that they are truly trauma-informed. As well as to point out that while this can seem like a daunting task, it is very feasible and worthwhile.
Continue reading “The Whys of Reform to Include a Trauma Lens”Dealing with Traumatised Teenagers
I am sharing a blog that was posted on www.familybasedsolutions.org in December 2020. To gather the ‘trauma blogs’ relevant to the Beyond the Trauma Wall Initiative here.
Continue reading “Dealing with Traumatised Teenagers”The Need for (Particular) Addiction
Through the research I am doing for the Beyond the Trauma Wall book, my insight into the link between addiction and attachment is crystalising. A few years ago, I started to see a deeper root cause already, I would like to take this a bit further now.
Continue reading “The Need for (Particular) Addiction”(Why) Is There More Trauma Now?
The question ‘why is there suddenly more trauma?’ is often heard. With everything I know about trauma, which by now is quite a lot, I have long had a strong sense that there isn’t actually more trauma. However, I was not quite able to articulate clearly why I felt that, beyond believing we are starting to recognise it more. As I read Rutger Bregman’s book ‘Utopia for Realists’, a lot is suddenly falling into place. He does not articulate the situation related to trauma, but what he describes gives me language for my long-held view.
Continue reading “(Why) Is There More Trauma Now?”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”Learning to Hold Space
It’s all great to talk about needing to resolve, and help others resolve, trauma but that’s much easier said than done. Working with a traumatised person to help them face, feel, and process what has happened to them in a way that helps them heal and move on from it is extremely complex and requires specialised expertise and training. Something that, unfortunately and surprisingly, even many psychologists and psychiatrists have never been trained for. However, being unable to do all of that, does not mean we, lay people, are unable to do anything.
Continue reading “Learning to Hold Space”Discovering the Road to Peace
While out on a walk, letting my mind drift, things started to connect in my brain. What is happening in the world at the moment, my professional knowledge and my personal experiences came together to form what seems like a coherent answer to an apparently unanswerable question.
Continue reading “Discovering the Road to Peace”