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Our Exchange Community has been asking for resources on "trauma-informed care." Here are two from beloved author and speaker, Holly Elissa Bruno:

In an article that’s part of the new Exchange Essentials collection, "Trauma-Informed Practice," Bruno explains that "throughout my childhood, I survived incest and blackout beatings. Yet, here I am, a testament to the teachers who helped, and more whole because I was broken. I am not alone. We empathize with traumatized children, in part because the majority of us survived abuse or neglect. One (unpublished) study by colleague Jackie Taylor reveals that 58 percent of early childhood teachers experienced childhood trauma (Master’s thesis, 2006).

When I ask ECE professionals across the country: ‘Did you experience a nurturing childhood,’ no less than 75 percent of us describe our early years as outright dysfunctional. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study (2010) enumerates the knee-capping effects childhood trauma has on our adult lives...Although dispiriting, these realities can be liberating. How? In the most simply elegant of relational ways, we can be the first in a child’s life to see, hear, and affirm the child. We can help the child find and express her voice. We can co-create safe sanctuaries where children can breathe and play."

In her inspiring book, Happiness is Running Through the Streets to Find You: Translating Trauma’s Harsh Legacy Into Healing, Holly Elissa writes about how the lessons she learned as she dealt with her own childhood trauma might be helpful to all of us. Especially in today’s current situation, where each of us is experiencing some level of challenge, Holly Elissa’s words bring comfort and support: "You know a traumatized person. Or several. You may be one. Trauma can terrorize at any age...Loss is trauma..." She then celebrates the learning that comes from courageously facing and dealing with trauma:
"Witness our resilience. Trauma faced has become our spiritual guide home…"

Want to learn more? Join Holly Elissa Bruno on January 26, 2021 for a live online session, "Building Resilience with Nature Connections" – 6-8pm Central Time. Group rates available. Dimensions Foundation Education Specialist Heather Fox will be joining her to explore ways nature connections alleviate trauma and build resilience.

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