Healing – Page 5 – Aboriginal Child Artists of Carrolup: Healing Trauma

24/10/2019

Author: David Clark on 24/10/2019

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Healing

The Stolen Generations

When I came to live in Australia in December 2008, I knew little about the past government policy of removing Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. This policy was introduced by Federal and State government acts in order to assimilate Aboriginal and Torres Strait […]

18/10/2019

Author: David Clark on 18/10/2019

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Healing

‘Ruby’s Story’: Marion Kickett

It’s hard to believe that it is over six years ago since I launched Sharing Culture, an educational initiative to facilitate the healing of intergenerational, or historical trauma, trauma. It is also six years ago since Michael Liu and I went out with Professor Marion Kickett to her […]

10/10/2019

Author: David Clark on 10/10/2019

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Healing

Reducing Suicide By Connecting To Culture

Suicide amongst Aboriginal peoples in Australia was almost non-existent a few generations ago. ‘When the first suicide occurred we didn’t have a word for it. In the Arnhem they had to find a new word for it.’ Elder David Cole. However, today it is at one of the […]

03/10/2019

Author: David Clark on 03/10/2019

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Healing

‘Morning Meditation. Be Like Geese’ by Judy Atkinson

Back in July 2018, I saw a beautiful posting about geese on Facebook from Judy Atkinson. I couldn’t resist asking Judy if I could use her posting as my Sharing Culture blog that day. Here is Judy’s post again, with modified paragraphing for added impact. ‘Fact one: As each […]

13/09/2019

Author: David Clark on 13/09/2019

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Healing

The Four Stages of Recovery

I was looking through one of my other websites, Recovery Stories, yesterday. I came across a blog I posted in 2014 about an article on recovery from mental health problems by Mark Ragins. That blog is as pertinent today, so here it is: Mark is a leading recovery figure […]

05/09/2019

Author: David Clark on 05/09/2019

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Healing

The Healing Power of Stories: Native Hope

Last month, I blogged about the exciting Native American storytelling project by Native Hope: We believe in the power of storytelling to dismantle barriers, bring healing, and inspire hope for Native people. Here is a section from one of their articles, The Science Behind the Healing Power of […]

03/09/2019

Author: David Clark on 03/09/2019

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Healing

Without A Life Story: Bruce Perry

I often wonder about the consequences of the government policy of taking Aboriginal children away from their families, the impact on the children and the parents. Children taken away in this way were not only losing the essential care of their parents, but also disconnecting the child from […]

20/08/2019

Author: David Clark on 20/08/2019

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Healing

‘Do Things With Us, Not To Us!’: Chris Sarra

Dr. Chris Sarra is the Director-General of the Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships. He is an internationally recognised Indigenous education specialist and is the founder and Chairman of the Stronger Smarter Institute. Nearly four years ago, I posted a blog on my Sharing Culture website which […]

13/08/2019

Author: David Clark on 13/08/2019

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Healing

Native Hope: An Awesome Project!

Last week, I came across the fascinating Native Hope website. What an awesome project! Please check it out. I’ve included some excerpts from the website, to give you an idea of what’s in store for you if you visit the website. ‘Why We Work. We believe in the […]

08/08/2019

Author: David Clark on 08/08/2019

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Healing

The Healing Power of Healthy Relationships

I have previously emphasised the importance of healthy relationships for wellbeing, and for the healing of trauma and its consequences, in blogs focused on thoughts from Bessel van der Kolk and Bruce Perry. Here are further thoughts from the former of these world-leading experts, taken from his seminal book […]

01/08/2019

Author: David Clark on 01/08/2019

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Healing

Untangling the Elements Involved in Addiction Treatment

Here is an article I wrote for my Recovery Stories website some years ago, which summarised a piece of research done in collaboration with Lucie James, one of my favourite pieces of research in which I have been involved. The research was conducted 12 years ago when I […]

25/07/2019

Author: David Clark on 25/07/2019

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Healing

The Indigenous world view vs. Western world view

Below, is a powerful five and a half minute video entitled Enoughness: Restoring Balance to the Economy which contrasts Indigenous and Western world views. This video is becoming increasingly relevant given what is happening in society today. Here is how it starts: ‘How we see the world determines how […]

10/07/2019

Johann Hari, author of Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions.

Author: David Clark on 10/07/2019

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Healing

‘Lost Connections’ by Johann Hari: Part 2

In a Healing blog posting in April, I described Johann Hari’s enthralling and inspirational book Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions. This has to be one of the most important books I have read in the mental health field since I […]

03/07/2019

Dr. Gabor Maté, renowned addiction expert, calls for a compassionate approach toward addiction. He believes that the source of addictions is not to be found in genes but in the early childhood environment.

Author: David Clark on 03/07/2019

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Healing

Our Strange Indifference to Aboriginal Addiction: Gabor Maté

One of the most impressive people working in the addiction field is Gabor Maté. I introduced Gabor in one of my initial Healing Blog postings, Addiction and Psychological Pain. Here is a blog that Gabor wrote in 2008 about native peoples in Canada that I think is well […]

28/06/2019

Author: David Clark on 28/06/2019

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Healing

Psychiatry Must Stop Ignoring Trauma: Bessel van der Kolk

THIS PROFOUNDLY HUMANE BOOK offers a sweeping understanding of the causes and consequences of trauma, offering hope and clarity to everyone touched by its devastation. Trauma has emerged as one of the great public health challenges of our time, not only because of its well-documented effects on combat […]

20/06/2019

A helicopter view of the Bungle Bungle Range, located within Purnululu National Park.

Author: David Clark on 20/06/2019

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Healing

The Nature of Healing: Voices of We Al-li

I have written about Judy Atkinson on a number of occasions in my blogs. Her book Trauma Trails: Recreational Song Lines – The Transgenerational Effects of Trauma in Indigenous Australia inspired me into this field. I have learnt so much from her about the healing of trauma and its consequences. […]

13/06/2019

Author: David Clark on 13/06/2019

Categories

Healing

Impact of substance use problems on the family

Some people use drugs or alcohol to numb the pain arising from trauma which has resulted from adverse experiences in earlier life (e.g. abuse as a child, war experiences, car accident). Some of these people go on to develop an addiction to the substance. The drug concerned may […]

06/06/2019

Bruce Perry, a psychiatrist, is the Senior Fellow (and Founder) of the ChildTrauma Academy in Houston, Texas, USA.

Author: David Clark on 06/06/2019

Categories

Healing

Aboriginal healing practices for loss and trauma: Bruce Perry

Examination of the known beliefs, rituals, and healing practices for loss and trauma that remain from Aboriginal cultures reveal some remarkable principles. Healing rituals from a wide range of geographically separate, culturally disconnected groups converge into a set of core elements related to adaption and healing following trauma. […]