Monthly Archives: June 2016

Time and again: This time, Orlando, and again more pertinent questions must be asked

June 14, 2016 By in ACE Study, Adverse childhood experiences, Child trauma, Solutions 21 Comments
Mourners in Orlando. Photo credit: Sam Hodgson for The New York Times

Mourners in Orlando. Photo: Sam Hodgson for The New York Times

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For those of us who know that childhood adversity can lead to chronic disease, mental illness, and violence, among other consequences, the questions about Omar Mateen, the man who killed 49 people and wounded 53 others in an Orlando night club early Sunday morning, aren’t answered yet. In fact, most of the questions that would address the roots of his violent actions — and our successful efforts to prevent other mass shootings — haven’t even been asked.

There are a couple of hints. According to this New York Times article, “Mr. Mateen had a chilling history that included talking about killing people, beating his former wife and voicing hatred of minorities, gays and Jews…”

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At Science of Trauma briefing on Capitol Hill, U.S. Sen. Heitkamp urges panelists to “keep preaching”

June 1, 2016 By in ACE Study, Adverse childhood experiences, Solutions 3 Comments

Aheitkampbrief

When U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) arrived mid-way through a congressional briefing on the Science of Trauma last week, she delivered her remarks with passion, humor, and most of all, a sense of urgency to the room full of Capitol Hill staff and a smattering of advocates. Her message was macro as well as micro—change national policy to incorporate what the ACEs science tells us about trauma, and see and respond to the needs of those you encounter in everyday life. (Her remarks start at 27:48 and continue through 41:45.)

ACEs science refers to adverse childhood experiences. This includes the epidemiology of ACEs (the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study and several dozen ACE surveys in U.S. states and organizations), the neurobiology of toxic stress, the effects of toxic stress on our bodies, how toxic stress is passed from one generation to the next (epigenetic consequences), and resilience research, which shows our brains are plastic and our bodies want to heal.

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