Blog

“What do you do for a living?” I dread that question. It forces me to face the reality that I am living a life that I had never dreamed of for myself. I define myself as a researcher and a writer. But I spend the majority of my time being a stay-at-home parent and the primary caregiver of my two young children. It is hard to reconcile the fact that, despite my Ph.D., my days primarily consist of changing dirty diapers, washing bottles, cleaning messes, and simply being “mama.” I know what...

In this episode of the Brain Series, a panel of experts explain the relationship between childhood adversity and the developing brain. [See the segment, listen to the audio, or read the transcript at https://charlierose.com/episodes/29962]

I’d like to thank all the readers of my new book, Journey to the Heart , who have sent messages and emails. I’m thrilled you’re enjoying it so much, and it has helped you move forward on your healing journey. That was my intent! After reading it, several have asked wonderful questions. Some I have responded to privately. Others I have posted as discussions in my closed Facebook group. But I felt this question should be the subject of a blog post. It’s an important issue for us. What do I...

For Marta, joining Rwanda’s first female drumming troupe, Ingoma Nshya — a co-operative formed 10 years after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi — has helped her cope with the trauma of losing her husband in the killings. Ingoma Nshya means a new drum or new kingdom. This link will take you to the full story: http://sdvoice.info/women-drumming-away-the-trauma-of-rwandas-genocide/

There is a new narrative of peace quietly and powerfully emerging around the world – one rooted in ancient wisdom and accelerated by modern science and technology. In the past few decades, there has been an exponential growth of personal and planetary peacebuilding initiatives, including: More people are meditating today to experience inner peace than ever before in the history of humanity. Scientists are validating the benefits of ancient meditation practices and are proving that humans are...

Even for the relatively self-aware and emotionally adept, struggles can take us by surprise. But learning healthy ways to move through adversity — a collection of skills that researchers call resilience — can help us cope better and recover more quickly, or at least start us heading in that direction. Here are 12 resilience practices (squeezed into five categories), which can help you confront emotional pain more skillfully. 1. Change the Narrative 2. Face Your Fears 3. Practice...

Chronic stress has long been linked to cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke. New research published in The Lancet suggests that heightened activity in the amygdala, the brain’s emotion processing center, may increase cardiovascular disease risk. This opens the door for new studies of alternative therapies including mindfulness meditation that are known to increase relaxation and stress resilience , and decrease known modifiable heart disease risk factors like hypertension, high...

This post is part of a CityLab series on wastelands , and what we squander, discard, and fritter away. There’s a difference in what President Donald Trump prescribes for restoring “ the middle class ” and fixing “ the inner city .” Each of those demographics are, respectively, stand-in terms for the white small towns and suburbs that voted for him , and the black urban neighborhoods that didn’t. In both cases, he calls for bringing back jobs, particularly in the manufacturing sector, and...

For many survivors of childhood abuse, symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) may re-occur, or never arise, until they become a parent. A significant number of parenting survivors do not recognize the increased depression, anxiety, or onset of flashbacks as symptoms of PTSD, weaving in and out their journey to raise a family. Instead, many will internalize debilitating shame and question their ability, and even their right to parent. According to the National Center for Victims of...

Join Us! Wednesday March 1, 2017 from 1:00PM - 2:30PM Location: Washington D.C.; Building & Room: TBA The National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives , First Focus and the Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at Pennsylvania State University will co-host a briefing with nationally recognized experts and legislative perspectives on child and intergenerational poverty. for more information: http://www.npscoalition.org/child-poverty-announcement

My saddest story is not the story of growing up in foster care, or losing a brother to HIV, or losing another brother to drug addiction. My saddest story is a simple one. One where I was a young girl, maybe around eight, and I loved everyone and everything. I loved my street, I loved my mailbox, I loved my teacher, I loved my hair, I loved clothes, I loved buses, I loved trees, and I assumed everyone and everything loved me back. But then one day I discovered that wasn’t so. Maybe someone...

Arms interlocked, dressed in black t-shirts, Lower Merion presented a united front as the national anthem played Tuesday night at Marple Newtown High School. “I am a Muslim,” the shirt worn by all members of the Aces boys basketball team read in white script. “I am a refugee. I am an immigrant. I am an American. I am an Ace.” Lower Merion forward Terrell Jones wears a t-shirt during warmups before Tuesday’s Central League final that shares a message of solidarity with immigrants and...