“..for the majority of people, deep shock and trauma do not heal of their own accord and they don’t fade naturally; if trauma is ignored, time will compress it, solidifying it, layer after layer. Though the circumstances may differ, the symptoms of trauma tend to follow a common trajectory..”

R.Martin on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) taken from an anthology 

’24 Stories of Hope For Survivors of the Grenfell Tower Fire’ Kathy Burke 2018

There is an increasing body of evidence that highlights that many mental and physical health conditions are rooted in trauma. Dr Gabor Mate in his recently released film The Wisdom Of Trauma says “The common template for virtually all afflictions, mental illness, physical disease is in fact trauma..”

“Trauma is the invisible force that shapes our lives. It shapes the way we live, the way we love and the way we make sense of the world. It is the root of our deepest wounds. Dr. Maté gives us a new vision: a trauma-informed society in which parents, teachers, physicians, policy-makers and legal personnel are not concerned with fixing behaviors, making diagnoses, suppressing symptoms and judging, but seek instead to understand the sources from which troubling behaviors and diseases spring in the wounded human soul.”

During our conferences in May 2018 and September 2019 we heard from Cath Wakeman OBE who is a Trauma Practitioner and Director of the charity Imara. Her presentation can be viewed below and also via our YouTube channel.

One of our aims as a charity is to promote universal access to, and research in, trauma resolution therapies. In addition, we are working with IMARA to commission therapy for those unable to access therapy through statutory services. Please follow the link here if you are able to contribute to this fundraising initiative.

To find out more about the research around trauma and mental health please have a look at the reading list on Dr Gabor Mate’s website here. This includes links to the work of the renowned psychiatrist Bessel Van Der Kolk

“Bessel van der Kolk, MD, is a psychiatrist, researcher, professor of psychiatry at Boston University, and one of the world’s leading experts on post-traumatic stress — especially when it comes to how trauma affects the brain, body, and nervous system.

He has pioneered approaches for trauma treatment that focus on calming the nervous system, increasing executive function, and grounding patients in the present. In his research, Bessel has worked with a variety of clinical approaches, including neurofeedback, EMDR, psychodrama, and yoga.”

During our first conference we also ran a break out session about Trauma and linked by Skype with Penny Parks who described the therapy she formulated ‘Parks Inner Child Therapy’ (PICT)  Penny Parks

Please visit Staying Safe for help if you’re feeling suicidal