The Living Room Collective Blog
Posted by Suzanne Brogger on December 08, 2017 at 8:20 AM @ http://www.upstanderprojects.com/bystander-behaviour-interview The news right now is full of stories of sexual harassment and abuse. From Cosby to Trump, to Weinstein, Louis C.K. and so many others, the story seems to be the same. A powerful man uses his position to get away with harassment and even rape. Now, as women are finally stepping forward to speak out against these high-profile aggressors, we are also hearing that many others knew about the abusive behavior going on. Take the Harvey Weinstein case, for example. Many celebrities, like Jane Fonda, Quentin Tarantino and Seth Macfarlane are now coming forward saying that they knew that Weinstein was an abuser but failed to speak up until the news was already out. The question on everyone’s mind? Why didn’t anyone say anything? This question is one that researcher Alan Berkowitz has thought a lot…
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Why do families, religious institutions, and universities – fail to intervene when sexual abuse is disclosed? Why do laws favor the perpetrators instead of the victims of abuse? How do sexual predators groom their victims and manipulate bystanders into looking the other way? How has “rape culture” permeated our media, our campuses, and our society? Our goal is to not only educate and create awareness; but most importantly, to create meaningful and lasting change in bystander behavior in order that we might support victims to not just survive, but to THRIVE after abuse. We need to Change The Culture! Watch our video about Bystander behavior in sexual abuse
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By Ed Prideaux posted on February 3rd, 2021 on BBC.com When the pandemic is over, how should we process the memories of what happened? Ed Prideaux discovers counter-intuitive answers from the science of trauma.Y You are living amid the first global mass trauma event for several decades. It’s arguably the first of its kind since World War Two, and likely the first of such severity in your lifetime. At the time of writing, more than two million lives have been lost, and the number continues to rise by tens of thousands every day. The global economy, complex webs of international relations, individual mental health, the pitter-patter of everyday life: nothing has been spared in the viral storm. When thinking about Covid-19, though, “trauma”, let alone “mass trauma”, may not be the first thing that springs to mind. Other frames of reference – economic, political, ecological, scientific – may seem more fitting. And…
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By Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter MONDAY, Dec. 7, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Growing numbers of younger kids are overdosing on stimulant medications commonly used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new study indicates. The researchers called for greater efforts to identify kids at risk for overdose, and more education on safe storage of prescription and over-the-counter medications for parents and caregivers. “Stimulant prescribing has been on the rise among youth, and as more prescribed stimulants are in the public, there is greater potential for misuse among all populations,” said study author Douglas Roehler, an epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We need a better understanding of effective interventions for youth who are at risk for stimulant overdoses.” For the study, Roehler’s team reviewed charts from close to 90 million emergency department visits for nonfatal overdoses that took place over three years among U.S. kids in three age…
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PTSD (Post-Traumatic-Stress Disorder) is not only a growing concern for the medical world, but a socioeconomic issue, as more and more people are diagnosed with it, whole new groups like inmates and C-section born are vulnerable and the cost of dealing with it, either by treatment or suffer the social consequences of non-treatment, are huge. New developments, like more specific biomarkers, the role of certain hormones and the consequences for life-expectancy and health, shed light on what is as yet atoo broad a diagnosis (in the DSM-V), while understanding the underlying dissociation and substitute identity formation mechanisms can help to find better diagnostic and therapeutic tools and procedures. PTSD is associated with reduced cognitive and psycho-social functioning, fractured relationships, in ability to maintain employment, substance abuse, and increased risk of depression and suicide. Click here to Download the full article by Luc Sala from October 2019.
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Written by Jennifer Maerz on July 14, 2016 for sfchronicle.com. Quoted from article: “On a Friday evening in May, 1,000 people lined the steps of Grace Cathedral, clutching blankets, pillows, yoga mats, eye masks and sleeping bags, awaiting entry to a sold-out event. A latecomer bounded up the steps, her disco jacket reflecting the scene in thousands of silver sequins. Her outfit offered flashes of color against the Patagonia-vested seniors and twentysomethings outfitted for camping trips. Everyone here paid roughly $25 to experience a “sound bath.” That’s the popular name for the highly relaxing, deeply meditative and occasionally psychedelic experience involving practitioners playing crystal bowls, Tibetan singing bowls and planetary gongs, among other healing and ritualistic instruments on the night’s lineup. Guests absorbed this cosmic concert while lying bundled up on the floor. The pop-up sound bath is one of many eccentric meditation experiences that San Franciscans are seeking out…
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This article examines the subjective experience of the Holistic Healing Arts Retreat to improve both trauma-related and resilience outcomes for trauma. In this article, we assessed the extent to which the conceptual model of the Holistic Healing Arts Retreat, termed the Healing Arc, characterized retreat participants’ actual experience based on narratives recorded in real time while participating in the retreat. This study was part of a larger randomized control trial involving 109 women who reported histories of child abuse, sexual assault, or domestic violence and who were randomly assigned to 5-day residential retreat (retreat now) or to wait-list control (retreat later) conditions. For this study, narrative data from participants in the retreat now condition, only, were collected using audio digital recorders during the period that participants were in residence at the retreat. Framework analysis was used to analyze the narrative data against a predetermined conceptual framework. This analysis identified 6…
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Secondary traumatic stress and vicarious traumatization present a burden that counselors, advocates, and lawyers risk when working with survivors of childhood sexual abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault. While effective trauma interventions provide one option for addressing the effects of secondary traumatic stress, the focus of these treatments is typically on clinical symptom reduction, rather than a broader emphasis on healing the whole person. Unlike modern Western medicine, holistic healing is anapproach that attends to mind, body, and spirit. The primary objective of this study was to pilot test the standardized procedures for delivering the Joyful Heart Foundation (JHF)’s Holistic Healing Arts Retreat and to gather preliminary data on the its effectiveness for improving well-being and supporting resilience. Results of an open trial of the 4-day JHF Retreat found support for improvements in stress related outcomes (posttraumatic stress symptoms, insomnia, somatic symptoms, perceived stress, depression symptoms, fatigue, general life satisfaction,…
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Tree Sisters Inspiring a Reforestation Revolution What if everyone started giving back to the natural world in ways that restore the global forest? How fast could we make a difference in the face of climate change?
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Exercise has tons of mental health benefits, but sometimes it’s hard to do during this coronavirus pandemic. Enter these stretches. This articles is from HuffPost.com and written by Kate Bratskeir on April 24, 2020. Click here to read the full article. Quoted from the article: “The world is currently very scary and weird. We’re all acutely aware that exercise can help us get out of a mental funk during the coronavirus pandemic, but sometimes nothing sounds worse than a home workout. But know this: However much or little you are moving, you are doing just fine. There is no guidebook for coping with this endless bombardment of headlines, bad news, sluggishness and disruption in your routine. You are no less worthy if you’re not exercising. So how can you reap the mental benefit of exercise when you just can’t fathom working up a sweat? There is one move you can do…
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