Trauma, resilience and healing

“I think about trauma as any pattern of activating your stress response system that leads to an alteration in how that system is functioning, and that leads to an over-activity and an over-reactivity.” Dr. Bruce Perry

Today I very simply want to recommend a podcast entitled Trauma, Resilience and Healing. It’s a conversation between Brene Brown, Bruce Perry and Oprah that is fascinating and helpful on so many levels to listen to.

When I want to refresh myself on what’s new in trauma research and practice, I most often look up what Dr. Perry is writing because while he is deeply rooted in science, he is also (and more importantly in my opinion!) a compassionate human being. I can highly recommend his book The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog co-authored with Maia Szalavitz. If you want to understand how complex the impact of trauma is on the developing brain, read this book. It tells stories of several children that Dr. Perry has worked with over decades and how his own understanding of trauma and its impact grew and evolved over time. Many people have found it an incredibly useful resource to start making sense of their own childhood trauma.

In today’s world, I believe we all need to live a little more trauma-informed if we want to grow in love and compassion for those around us. From a South African perspective, my wish is that we could have an increase in accessible research, knowledge, skills and tools that help us navigate our own particular trauma context. Having said that, I think you will find that there is much discussed in this podcast that is really helpful and thought-provoking.

Let me know at [email protected] if you listen to the podcast and what you think!

Brown, B. (Host). (2021, May 5). Brené with Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce D. Perry on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing. [Audio podcast episode]. In Unlocking Us with Brené Brown. Parcast Network. https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-oprah-winfrey-and-dr-bruce-d-perry-on-trauma-resilience-and-healing/