In 1975 Edward Tronick conducted the ‘Still Face Experiment.’ In this experiment mothers of young children were coached to have a ‘still face’ with their child, in other words they were expressionless and unresponsive (facially or emotionally) to their infant.  Infant’s initial reactions were of…

    As February is Black History Month, I feel I must speak to the current hot topic of Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI). As many others have been pointing out, the assumption that BIPOC individuals are only hired due to their skin color and…

As I have been discussing different types of trauma, today I want to reflect on the relationship between trauma and religion. For some people, religion can be a source of comfort, community, purpose and healing in their trauma journey. But this is not the case…

In his book, The Will of the Many, James Islington writes “Chain your anger in the dark, my mother used to tell me, and it will only thrive.” This is true of all emotions that we try to deny, suppress or contain. By our very…

In our culture there can sometimes be a sense of embarrassment or shame at wanting or needing others, but I think it’s important to know that we come into this world hardwired for attachment. According to John Bowlby who developed attachment theory, attachment is a…

Interpersonal trauma is the type of trauma that occurs between people, as opposed to a natural disaster or car accident. And it often comes with shame, silence and keeping secrets. A significant reason that many people keep silent about what they’ve gone through is the…