15/10/2021

Dr Bruce Perry on How To Transform Pain Into Power

‘I think of the most transformative people I have ever known, every single one of them had personal pain and traumatic experience that was a core element of who they became. And it didn’t crush them… Those people tend to have tremendous empathy for others who are struggling […]
12/10/2021

Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD): Nurture Development

I believe strongly in Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) as a powerful way forward for communities. I’ve written about this invaluable approach in three blogs on this website: Community Building: ‘Mental health is not a product of pharmacology or a service that can be singularly provided by an institution: […]
07/10/2021

Community Capacities & Community Necessities

I have previously posted articles about Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) entitled Community Building and Sustainable Community Development: From What’s Wrong to What’s Strong – Cormac Russell. The ABCD approach focuses on a community’s assets, capacities and abilities. Historical evidence indicates that significant community development takes places only when local community […]
05/10/2021

The Repair of Early Trauma: A Bottom Up Approach

‘Told to us through the voices of children, this unique animation teaches us that by putting together the seven-piece jigsaw puzzle of ‘Developmental Trauma’, we can understand how a child’s adverse childhood experiences have shaped their emotional world and outward behaviour. Once we understand this, we can then […]
30/09/2021

Factors Facilitating Addiction Recovery: A Summary

Some of you will know that I run two other websites, one of which, Recovery Stories, focuses on addiction and mental health recovery. Over the period from March to August I posted about 100 articles on my blog, but had to stop for a time while I was […]
27/09/2021

Marion’s Film Story, Part 2

I continue the series of films made by Mike Liu and I when we spent a day with Professor Marion Kickett, Director of the Centre for Aboriginal Studies at Curtin University, in York in September 2103. Marion is a Noongar from the Balardong language group. The first six […]
22/09/2021

Marion’s Film Story, Part 1

I first became interested in Aboriginal culture and in Indigenous healing after reading Judy Atkinson’s wonderful book Trauma Trails: Recreating Song Lines – The Transgenerational Effects of Trauma in Indigenous Australia. I developed the educational initiative Sharing Culture which aimed to help Indigenous peoples heal from historical trauma. That website […]
22/09/2021

On Relationships and Connectedness: Bruce Perry

In two previous blogs, which you can find here and here, I have described the book What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing, written by Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey. It’s one of the most important books I have read in the many years I’ve […]
15/09/2021

Oprah Winfrey & Dr. Bruce Perry in Conversation: SXSW EDU 2021

‘Oprah Winfrey and leading child psychiatrist and neuroscientist Bruce Perry, MD, PhD explore the impact of childhood trauma on who we become, the decisions we make, and how healing must start with one question ‘what happened to you?’ in anticipation of a new co-authored book of the same […]
13/05/2021

Healing Section of the Recovery Stories Website

I have another website, Recovery Stories, which focuses on recovery from addiction and mental health problems. One section of the website, labelled Healing, takes you on a journey that focuses on the healing of intergenerational trauma. I have arranged this section so that a person can start with […]
04/05/2021

On Trauma and Healing: Quotes from Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey’s New Book

In yesterday’s Story Blog post, I talked about one of the best books I have read, particularly in the area in which I work. What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry MD, PhD and Oprah Winfrey is informative, inspiring and deeply-moving. In […]
26/04/2021

‘Addiction is a Medical Disorder’ No Way!

In a recent Healing blog post, I described how I spent the first 25 years of my career as a neuroscientist studying brain function. After working in Sweden and the USA, I returned to the UK to set up my own neuroscience laboratory in the Department of Psychology, […]
20/04/2021

The Importance Of Grounding

Last week, I was feeling rather overwhelmed with my work and some of the other things going on in my mind. I shouldn’t have felt overwhelmed with work, as I am officially ‘retired’ and don’t need to be doing what I do. But I was… and I do, […]
15/04/2021

Brain Chemicals to Human Connection

Here is a blog that I posted on one of my other websites, Recovery Stories, the first part of a summarised description of my professional career from neuroscientist to addiction recovery advocate to working in the field of healing intergenerational trauma. This part focuses on my transition from […]
06/04/2021

Box Set of Healing Cards: Indigenous Healing as Mindfulness Practice

As some of you know, I was inspired to start working in the healing of intergenerational trauma field after reading Judy Atkinson’s book Trauma Trails: Recreating Song Lines – The Transgenerational Effects of Trauma in Indigenous Australia. Judy is Patron / Elder Advisor of the wonderful Aboriginal healing initiative […]