As we’ve learned through the ACE Study, those with a high ACE score are more likely to suffer from heart disease, stroke, cancer, COPD, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and suicide—seven of the ten leading causes of death in adults. A high ACE Score also increases one’s risk of mental illness later in life, including addiction.
Gratitude is proven highly beneficial as a daily practice, not just something we save for the holidays. Learn a couple of easy ways to practice gratitude, and find out how to get personalized support to heal from ACEs and live the stress-free life you deserve.
A recent photo of Lisa Hofmeister (second from left) with her family. Note: PACEs Connection is in dire financial straits. We need you, our almost 58,000 members, to help us cover the loss of foundation funding that was promised and did not come through . Unfortunately, staff pay and hours were cut for December. The good news is that, since sounding the alarm this summer, we’ve raised more than $65,000 thanks to all of your who donated. To get a sense of who your fellow members are, who is...
The HOPE National Resource Center (NRC) began the Train the Facilitator program in August, 2021. Since that time, HOPE has certified 154 people to provide the Introduction to HOPE, with another 96 people either currently in process or registered to begin the training in the coming months. We have also added a second-level certification, HOPE Champions , for our Facilitators who want to go beyond the introduction and provide HOPEful technical assistance. Since launching this summer, the...
What if I told you you’re probably reading this post in this blog because of a mistake in a weight loss clinic in 1985, and a horrific shipboard explosion in the Antarctic ocean in 1998?
“ Hope is being able to see the light despite all the darkness.” - Desmond Tutu “ Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn’t you - all of the expectations, all of the beliefs - and becoming who you are.” - Rachel Naomi Remen The latest Surviving Spirit Newsletter - Hope, Healing & Help for Trauma, Abuse & Mental Health is out - It can be read online via this & you can also subscribe -...
Hi Everyone! The good news is after seven years, with a five year break (AKA stall-out), I have finally finished my new book and have titled it: It's Not About Food, Drugs, or Alcohol: It's About Healing Complex PTSD Although my book won't be available to the general public until its launch date on Feb 21 st , 2023, I am offering FREE advance reader copies to a limited amount of people this week. Below is a summary of what my book's about and how to qualify to get a free copy this week.
In April, Jarl Rockhill placed a sticker with racist imagery — a man making a Nazi salute below the word “pure” — on the fence of the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, a nonprofit organization in Portland, Ore. Upon identifying Rockhill in surveillance footage, investigators determined that he was a member of a Portland neo-Nazi group, according to court documents. After he was arrested in May, the Oregonian reported , police recovered several firearms and a Nazi flag in a search...
Some child advocates worry that California’s tool to screen kids for adverse childhood experiences has pitfalls that could cause even greater harm. Doctors argue that the innovative program is effective and beneficial, and creating systemic change in health care. A recent commentary published by CalMatters raised a concern that screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, may lead to unwarranted reports of suspected child abuse or neglect to Child Protective Services. There is no...
Take a quiet moment (you deserve it!), and journal your year-end reflections to ring in the new year with anticipation, joy, and gratitude. Then, learn how you can keep your stress at bay in 2023 and beyond.
Was sitting here tonight thinking about everything that a sizable portion of the population will be looking forward to this and next week as we enter the apex of the holiday season. And how little of it I have in my life. I don't have fond childhood memories. My entire childhood, and up through age 30, was spent in my own version of personal dissociation. It was a very aware and present experience. But one entirely and wholly devoid of an actual true self. It was autistic masking taken to...
Last week I posted “ The trouble with trauma (-informed), the aggravation of ACEs (screening): We're trying to fit both into traditional frameworks and it isn't working .” This post goes one step farther to describe the first easy steps that all organizations can use, no matter what the sector, to wrap their minds around integrating healing practices and policies based on PACEs science. In the comments section, Rebecca Bryan asked, “What is a reliable tool to assess organizational ACEs? Does...
This month’s CTIPP CAN call will feature Erin McDonald from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), presenting on the just-launched Equitable Long-Term Recovery and Resilience Plan . We’ll also have Lisa Cushatt and Sara Welch from Iowa ACEs 360 share their valuable findings on the most effective messaging while advocating for trauma-informed policies and practices. We found their initial findings insightful and actionable,...
We know a high ACE score is connected to “substance-related disorders,” but oftentimes it’s overlooked that food can be that substance of choice, too—not just drugs or alcohol.
(Merced, California) Valley Children’s, along with a collaborative of Merced community-based organizations, has been selected as a $500,000 recipient by the California Department of Health Care Services to combat adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress screening. ACEs are stressful or traumatic events children experience before the age of 18, including abuse and neglect. The screenings will focus on patients at Valley Children’s Olivewood Pediatrics in Merced. “Children who are...