Mindfulness, Trauma and the Brain

I wanted to share this article for people to read because the neurosciences are providing new hope for the individuals, families and communities who are dealing with the sometimes horrific effects of complex trauma.


Until recent times, normal psychology in the academy, “has had no pressing need to pay attention to the nature and structure of subjective experiences such as the present moment. Psychology’s new alliance with the neurosciences has changed that and a more fruitful dialogue is now taking place” (p. 137). The dialogue now reveals that there are not only objective brain correlates and limits to the mind known through subjective encounter, but that concepts of interpersonal neurobiology and neuroplasticity are disclosing how the mind shapes the brain (Gallese, 2001; Lewis et al., 2000; Lipton, 2005; Siegel, 1999).

In particular, recent technology is beginning to show the ways in which mindfulness helpfully affects the brain through such things as left prefrontal activation that enables people to not be fused or blended with emotional activation or obsessive-compulsive behaviors (Germer, 2005a, p. 22-23). Rather, impulses may be witnessed as they arise, and choice introduced in terms of a variety of responses (Austin, 1998; Libet, 1999; Schwartz & Begley, 2002; Schwartz, J. 1996). This ability supports the contention of Popper and Eccles (1981) that the best word for describing the unconscious is “disposition.” We are disposed in many ways through biochemistry, object-relations, conditioning, cultural and societal influences, but not absolutely determined. As the work of Kurtz (1990) demonstrates, these various dispositions can be mindfully studied and possibly modified as they arise or are evoked.

Nowhere is this more important than in work with trauma. Some studies report that nearly half of all Americans have experienced trauma, though perhaps not in the technical sense of a perceived threat to life (Kessler, Sonnega, Bromer, Hughes, and Nelson, 1995). For those who have experienced a real or perceived threat to their lives, the primitive reptilian and limbic brains have been activated and organized around fight, flight, or freezing (Levine, 1997, Herman, 1992). Clinically speaking, this implies that normal psychological counseling after traumatic incidents employing the neocortex in ordinary consciousness can be counterproductive or even serve to re-traumatize (Ehlers et al., 2003; Groopman, 2004).

What is needed is a form of therapy that addresses the need for bottom-up processing that respects the power of primitive sensory-motor and limbic processes to immediately start a trauma vortex that leads to dissociation when memories are evoked too quickly through top down processing that generally seeks meaning, understanding, and a coherent narrative (LeDoux, 1996; Van der Kolk, 2002).

One recent approach that has been exciting through its clinical effectiveness is Ogden’s Sensorimotor Psychotherapy that employs mindfulness in the service of bottom-up processing for those who have suffered trauma. Ogden and Minton (2000) write:

In Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, top-down direction is harnessed to support rather than manage sensorimotor processing. The client is asked to mindfully track (a top-down cognitive process) the sequence of physical sensations and impulses (sensorimotor process) as they progress through the body, and to temporarily disregard emotions and thoughts that arise, until the bodily sensations and impulses resolve to a point of rest and stabilization in the body. The client learns to observe and follow the unassimilated sensorimotor reactions (primarily, arousal and defensive reactions) that were activated at the time of the trauma. (p. 6)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mindfulness is the key to clients becoming more and more acutely aware of internal sensorimotor reactions and in increasing their capacity for self-regulation. Mindfulness is a state of consciousness in which one’s awareness is directed toward here-and-now internal experience, with the intention of simply observing rather than changing this experience. Therefore, we can say that mindfulness engages the cognitive faculties of the client in support of sensorimotor processing, rather than allowing bottom-up trauma-related processes to escalate and take control of information processing. . . .[Mindful questioning invites] the client to come out of a dissociated state and future- or past-centered ideation, and experience the present moment through the body. Such questions also encourage the client to step back from being embedded in the traumatic experience and to report from the standpoint of an observing ego, an ego that ‘has’ an experience in the body rather than ‘is’ that bodily experience. (p. 14)

Morgan (2002) echoes Ogden’s wisdom of dealing mindfully with signs and symptom of traumatic activation:

In excessive arousal the higher processing is shut down, and the tendency is to be overwhelmed by input from the emotional and sensory systems. The left brain and verbal centers are under-active and distressing memories are more likely to be activated by the more active right hemisphere. The hippocampus is under-functioning so a sense of sequence, context, and ability to make a story is dampened. (p. 9)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mindfulness calms the system, allows the person to focus attention. The . . . mindfulness induction has been shown to heighten mental imagery, disconnect attention from external sense and increase the blood flow to the anterior cingulated cortex. This is the brain area that allows attention to be focused on internal events. Candace Pert (1999), in her discussion of neuropeptides, talks of the system being able to digest information when there is focused attention on the body. This allows information to flow upwards, be filtered, and be processed. When the client reports experience to the therapist the verbal areas are kept active, which will help balance the two hemispheres. Memory fragments are gathered by the hippocampus and the frontal lobes, and these can be brought together in a meaningful way. Movement between the left and right hemispheres is crucial for memory consolidation. This could involve feeling something, speaking about it, expressing emotion, linking this to a remembered event, feeling the body, making some sense of the feeling. Freezing in the body can melt, and energy be released in movement, heat and trembling. Going slowly, mindfully allows processes to complete. (p. 9)

Therapists learning to encourage mindfulness in relation to bodily signs of primitive activation is a promising way to avoid dissociation while pursuing completion and integration of traumatic fragmentation.

printed from:

A Survey of the Use of
Mindfulness in Psychotherapy

by
Gregory J. Johanson, Ph.D., FAPA, FAAIM, LPC
Hakomi Educational Resources

The Annals of the American Psychotherapy Association
Vol. 9 No. 2. (Summer 2006):15-24

Food For People

One of our assignments in our MSW program at Humboldt State University was to create a Youtube video for our Social Work 643: Community Work class. Two of my classmates and I decided to make a video about an amazing program in our community called Food for People. I am including a list of all the programs that are available through this organization.

Food for People, Inc.
The Food Bank for Humboldt County
307 W. 14th St.
Eureka, CA 95501
(707)445-3166
(707445-5946 fax
www.foodforpeople.org


FOOD FOR PEOPLE, INC. – 2008-2009 PROGRAMS LIST

Food for People first opened its doors in 1979 as a small food closet, designed to fill a void in the County’s social service programs. Our programs and services have grown and matured over the past 30 years, thanks to the generous support of the local community and the various grant making foundations that have provided funding for new and existing projects. Federal and state contracts specific to the distribution of USDA, FEMA and other purchased or donated foods provide approximately 32% of our annual funding. We rely on grants and local donations for the remaining 68%, which makes it possible for us to provide food for over 10,000 low income children, families, seniors, people with disabilities and other individuals each month. According to data provide through the California Health Interview Survey, Humboldt County has one of the highest rates of hunger and food insecurity statewide.

Food for People is a member of the California Association of Food Banks and is designated as a subsidiary distribution organization by Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks. We are also members of the Northern California Association of Nonprofits, which helps to build and strengthen our focus on local partnerships and collaborations.

The programs offered by Food for People are intended to serve as a safety net for those whose circumstances have left them at risk of hunger and food insecurity. Our goal is to provide individuals and households with the emergency and supplemental food they need, while working to address the root causes of hunger in our county.

The California Department of Social Services Emergency Food Assistance Program has designated Food for People, Inc. the Food Bank for Humboldt County.

Our mission:
Food for People is working to eliminate hunger and improve the health and well being of our community through access to healthy and nutritious foods, community education and advocacy.

Food for People, Inc. currently operates a total of 12 programs, each of which is designed to address the needs of those who are experiencing hunger and food insecurity. Last year, our food bank received and distributed a total of 1.3 million pounds of food.

Our programs include the following:

• The Food Bank coordinates the distribution of food through all designated program areas, and also oversees the direct distribution of food every Wednesday and Friday to an average of 1000 households (2800-3000 individuals) each month.

• Our Emergency Food Pantry Network provides food for 18 pantries and 3 congregate meal programs (soup kitchens) located throughout Humboldt County. Food for People monitors each site in accordance with USDA regulations and provides technical assistance, as needed. Collectively, these food pantries serve approximately 9,000 to 10,000 people each month.
• The Senior Brown Bag Program has been in operation since 1987, and currently provides a bag of groceries for an average of 620 low income seniors each month. Volunteer drivers deliver bags to those who are unable to pick up their own food.
• Our Homebound Delivery Program provides a monthly bag of groceries for 60-70 individuals who are too ill or disabled to leave their homes. Some of our recipients are recovering from surgery, while others may be coping with a terminal illness. Referrals are accepted from hospital discharge planners, social workers, home health workers, etc.
• The Summer Food Service Program, also known as the Children’s Summer Lunch Program, served 12,713 lunches at 15 community sites last summer. Free sack lunches are provided to low income children whose families cannot afford the additional cost of the extra meals once school is out. The majority of the children served qualify for free or reduced cost breakfast and lunch during the school year.
• The After School Snack Program was initiated in October 2006 and provides healthy snacks in after school settings at various schools and youth programs for more than 445 children per day. Many of the sites are also partners in the summer lunch program.
• The Backpacks for Kids program provides a backpack filled with kid-friendly food every Friday during the school year for children who are considered at risk for hunger over the weekend. This year, the program will serve up to 260 children at schools in Eureka, Fortuna, Blue Lake, Rio Dell, Redway, Manila and Willow Creek.
• The USDA Commodity Supplemental Food Program provides a 30-40 pound box of nutritious food monthly for 300 program participants. Our target population includes income eligible seniors, pregnant or nursing mothers and children up to age 5 who are not enrolled in WIC (Women, Infants and Children program).
• The Nonprofit Food Network allows 26 local nonprofit organizations providing residential, rehabilitation or after school programs to access food obtained through the Feeding America Food Bank Network at a low, per pound cost. Food must be used by programs serving only low income children and adults.
• The Farm Gleaning Program is overseen by our Local Food Resources Coordinator and accesses donations of fresh produce from commercial farms, orchards and backyard gardens. It also encompasses the national “Plant a Row for the Hungry” campaign, which encourages backyard gardeners to plant an extra row of food to donate to a local food pantry. Volunteers helped glean 58,385 lbs. of fresh produce last year.
• Community Education and Outreach Programs include Hunger 101, a hands-on curriculum designed for children and adults of all ages which provides insight into the tough decisions low income households face daily when trying to obtain adequate nutrition. Our Food Stamp Access Outreach Project advocates for the elimination of bureaucratic barriers to food stamps for working families and seniors. Cooking and nutrition classes are offered monthly at the Eureka Coop demonstration kitchen.
• The Emergency Food and Disaster Program links Food for People with our local chapter of VOAD, Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster. Should a disaster strike Humboldt County, Food for People would work with other local groups to make food available to any community experiencing hardship.

Unfortunate Humor

Ford Unveils New Car For Cash-Strapped Buyers: The 1993 Taurus

Between the hysteria of this week's SEMA Show and Chrysler's never-ending (and partially baffling) revelations yesterday, a shocking announcement by Ford Motor Company has been nearly drowned out. But rest assured, your Autoblog team never rests (even after huffing down 9,000 calories apiece at Vegas' Wynn Buffet!) and have tracked down this astounding piece of news. Ford has taken a long, hard look at the state of the American automotive scene and has decided to do the (almost) unthinkable – sell us a car for $650.
-Copied from Onion News

I thought this was real at first, but I understood that it was a comedy sketch after watching it twice. Unfortunately, people would probably buy a cheap car to live in if they could. When you are homeless, a car may be safer than the streets.

IMAGINE A WOMAN

Wangari Muta Maathai is a Kenyan environmental and political activist. She received her education in the United States at Mount St. Scholastica College and the University of Pittsburgh, as well as the University of Nairobi in Kenya. Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental non-governmental organization focused on the planting of trees, environmental conservation, and women's rights. In 2004 she became the first African woman, and the first environmentalist, to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for “her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.”

Angela Davis is an American political activist and retired professor from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She was director of the university's Feminist Studies department. Her research interests are in feminism, African American studies, critical theory, popular music culture and social consciousness, and philosophy of punishment (women's jails and prisons). Davis is the founder of Critical Resistance, an organization working to abolish what it calls the prison-industrial complex. Davis was an activist during the Civil Rights Movement and a candidate for the U.S. Vice Presidency on the Communist Party ticket. Since leaving the Communist Party, she has identified herself as a democratic socialist. She was found innocent of murder in the August 1970 abduction and killing of Judge Harold Haley in Marin County, California.

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I read this a long time ago and kept it hanging on my refrigerator for my daughter and me to read every day so we didn't forget what it means to be true to ourselves, always.



Imagine a Woman

Imagine a woman who believes it is right and good she is
a woman. A woman who honors her experience and
tells her stories. Who refuses to carry the sins of others
within her body and life.

Imagine a woman who believes she is good. A woman who
trusts and respects herself. Who listens to her needs and
desires, and meets them with tenderness and grace.

Imagine a woman who has acknowledged the past's influence
on the present. A woman who has walked through her past.
Who has healed into the present.

Imagine a woman who authors her own life. A woman who
exerts, initiates, and moves on her own behalf. Who refuses to
surrender except to her truest self and to her wisest voice.

Imagine a woman who names her own gods. A woman who
imagines the divine in her image and likeness. Who designs
her own spirituality and allows it to inform her daily life.

Imagine a woman in love with her own body. A woman who
believes her body is enough, just as it is. Who celebrates her
body and its rhythms and cycles as an exquisite resource.

Imagine a woman who honors the face of the Goddess in her
own changing face. A woman who celebrates the accumulation of
her years and her wisdom. Who refuses to use precious energy
disguising the changes in her body and life.

Imagine a woman who values the women in her life.
A woman who sits in circles of women.
Who is reminded of the truth about herself when she forgets.

Imagine yourself as this woman.
Patricia Lynn Reilly
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Maya Angelou is an American autobiographer and poet who has been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer" by scholar Joanne M. Braxton. She is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adulthood experiences. The first, best-known, and most highly acclaimed, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), focuses on the first seventeen years of her life, brought her international recognition, and was nominated for a National Book Award.

Arandhati Roy is an Indian writer (in English) and activist who won the Booker Prize in 1997 for her novel, The God of Small Things, and in 2002, the Lannan Cultural Freedom Prize. She is also a writer of two screenplays and a number of collections of essays. Roy is a well-known activist for social and economic justice.

Winona LaDuke is a Native American activist, environmentalist, economist, and writer. In 1996 and 2000, she ran for vice president as the nominee of the United States Green Party, on a ticket headed by Ralph Nader. She is currently the Executive Director of both Honor the Earth and White Earth Land Recovery Project.

Becoming a Visionary of Change in Social Work Community Practice

We know from our reading that “professional social work practice requires ethical, ideological and emotional grounding” (Hardcastle & Powers, 2004). “Personal fortitude, integrity, and dedication” are also mentioned in our text as necessary personal attributes for skillful practice in community work. Interpersonal skills are extremely important in direct service provision as well as in community work. These skills include such things as “awareness of the feelings of others and attentiveness to our body language when we are uncomfortable or annoyed” (Ibid, 209). It is extremely important to be able to flow with a client and to have internal and personal boundaries so, as clinicians and caseworkers, we are not hypersensitive to the thoughts, feelings or words that we hear in our work and that we do not take any of these things personally. If feelings of resentment or anger towards a client appear, it is our responsibility to look within ourselves to discover the reasons or “triggers” for these feelings. Our clients can be the mirrors for deeper learning about ourselves if we are willing to do the interpersonal work.

It is also our responsibility in our positions to be able and willing to communicate with our coworkers and supervisors in a genuine and authentic manner. We cannot avoid communication opportunities that may produce positive and healthy outcomes in uncomfortable situations and relationships because it is easier to do so. It is also unproductive to take the problem to someone else because of our inability to effectively participate in the communication process for true understanding between individuals to occur. I would not want a client or coworker to take a complaint about me to a supervisor instead of respectfully talking to me about the problem, especially if I had made it clear that I looked forward to such exchanges. We show respect for ourselves, and others, by our willingness to fully engage in the process of honest and genuine communication efforts, especially in times of conflict.

It is equally important to pursue learning and continue to take advantage of educational opportunities that will broaden our skills, knowledge and awareness that can be applied in our lives and work. If I am unwilling to engage in learning opportunities because I don’t think the knowledge applies to my life or the work I wish to do, I have limited my interpersonal and professional growth, which is the antithesis of being a student of higher learning.

A few years ago I read a media report that received attention because it focused on accomplishments that improve women’s self esteem. Completion of a graduate program appeared on that list because this endeavor was seen as highly effective for improving self-esteem, and transforming self-awareness and emotional intelligence in women. I know that many women wish they had the resources, time, and emotional and physical support to accomplish this goal. I feel honored to have this opportunity to participate in the social work graduate program at Humboldt State University. I am thrilled and humbled to have an opportunity to pursue my dream and to accomplish such an important and worthy pursuit in my life instead of staying in a job that was unfulfilling and meaningless. I am also aware that many women do not have this opportunity because of oppressive class, power, and financial structures that keep them buried in a daily struggle to survive. I am privileged because of my skin color, ethnicity and educational background and it is clear that I have a political, spiritual and moral responsibility to challenge the status quo and to become a “visionary of change” for the oppressed, subjugated and powerless in this world (Hardcastle & Powers, 2004).

I have walked a long road of healing that began when I was a young child and realized that I carried around a seed of hope within that saved my life. I have seen first hand what violence, rage, and refusal to face our deepest insecurities and fears can create in the external world. Our society is physiologically addicted to violence and suffering. We see it every day played out in movies, television shows, news coverage and in our own relationships. We see it played out over and over again in places like Viet Nam, Cambodia, South Africa, Lebanon, Palestine, Guantanamo Bay, Pine Ridge, South Dakota, Big Mountain, Arizona…. People turn away from the homeless who often display their misery for all to see because it strikes something deep inside that is too uncomfortable, too fearful, too real. I appreciated the pictures in Dr. Yellow Bird’s class for this reason. I never want to forget that people suffer and die on this planet and in my own back yard. Would someone help me if I was homeless and dying on the street? What am I doing to help them? What am I doing to stop my government from continuing the practice of genocide and oppression in my own backyard, and around the planet? I need to look at the pictures and be reminded of all that I have and all that still needs to be done.

Minnesota Red Lake Band of Ojibwe People

I have been looking for information about this particular group of Ojibwe Indians since Professor Yellow Bird talked about the conditions on this reservation that brought him there after the school tragedy occurred in 2005. It is an unbelievably beautiful place and sits near the mouth of the great Mississippi River. There is plenty of information on the web that talks about drugs, gangs, violence, hopelessness, poverty and racism against the people on this reservation.

I discovered a history of resilience, courage, pride and wisdom within the people of this particular area of the earth that I want to share because it is a story that should be heard.

The Red Lake Nation lives on 837,736 acres of land in northern Minnesota that connects up to the Canadian border area. This nation has consistently resisted all attempts at allotment of their land whenever they could using formal rejections and informal methods such as running off surveyors, social workers,and missionaries. Other Minnesota Ojibwe tribal bands failed to do this and as a result, although boundaries are drawn around their reservations, their lands are very heavily checkerboarded by non-Indian ownership. Red Lake alone of all the Minnesota tribes rejected Public Law 280, so unlike other Minnesota reservations, Red Lake retained criminal and civil jurisdiction (except for the federal Major Crimes Act) over its remaining lands and its citizens. Red Lake governs itself and does not belong to the Minnesota Chippewa Tribal Federation, which has various economic and other powers over its members. The other Ojibwe reservations in Minnesota all belong to the MCT. Red Lake rejected being tied to this federation and goes it alone, though there are many relationships and intermarriages among Anishinaabe peoples of Red Lake and the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe (federation). The results of Red Lake's consistent and historical strategies are best seen in comparing the land they have kept to the land other, more cooperative-with-whites tribes have lost.

Economically, the reservation suffers from the usual effects of isolation. At one time they operated a fish marketing co-op that iced, packed and shipped catches of individual and family-group net fishers since 1929. This may have been the oldest Indian-controlled marketing co-op in the western hemisphere. It began well before the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 which Red Lake rejected, as well as any other U.S. governmental action they were able to. The earliest Indian marketing co-ops other than Red Lake began in the Post World War II period. They market only arts and crafts, and are relatively small enterprises.

Fishery nearly failed as a local industry due to the effects of acid rain pollution that killed most of the lakes' whitefish -- but some reductions and control of distant industrial air pollution as well as a hatchery to restock the lake, have helped restore the fish. In 1982 the co-op handled 1,880,671 lbs of fish. This began the period of rebuilding the fish population, which was decimated in the 1970's.
A moratorium eventually had to be placed on the lake because of a declining fish population.

Commercial timberlands occupy 330,000 acres. (Upper and Lower Red Lakes occupy one-third of the total acreage.) For many years the tribe has owned and operated a sawmill, and 2 wood manufacturing plants: the Red Lake Cedar Fence plant and the Red Lake Pre-fab Housing plant.

Wild rice became a commercial tribal enterprise in 1968. There are 300 acres in production of paddy or cultivated-seeded rice, with an estimated 55,000 acres considered potentially suitable for cultivation.

Red Lake is also the first reservation in Minnesota to build an archives-library program to preserve tribal records and historical material.

Tribal leadership during the late 1800's and early 1900's skillfully resisted allotment legislation and held the land intact for the Tribe as a whole. Today the Tribe's Independence Day, July 6th is in honor of the courage of their chiefs in resisting allotment during the negotiations of the 1889 Nelson Act. Only one other tribe in the United States also resisted allotment, the Warm Springs Tribe in Oregon.

The tribal government has full sovereignty over the reservation, subject only to federal legislation specifically intended to deal with Red Lake, which makes it a "closed" reservation. The Tribe has the right to limit who can visit or live on the reservation. It has never been subject to State law.

Printed from http://www.kstrom.net/isk/maps/mn/redlake.htm

Wild rice is an aquatic grass not related to common rice. Early in the summer, the plants bloom with tiny maroon and gold flowers, and by late summer, their seeds mature into dark brown kernels. Domestic cultivation and combine harvesting of wild rice are relatively recent developments; wild rice is commercially produced as a field crop on about 20,000 acres in Minnesota. For many years, basically all of the wild rice produced in the world came from Minnesota, and most still does. Wild rice often is harvested from lakes in a traditional way, from canoes; people interested in harvesting wild rice in Minnesota must purchase a wild ricing license, similar to a fishing or hunting license. Wild rice grows naturally in the shallow waters of lakes in central and northern Minnesota. For many years, all the wild rice produced in the world came from Minnesota. It is harvested from lakes in the traditional Anishinabe Indian way, from canoes. It is also planted as a farm crop.




Harvesting Wild Rice



I spent about six years living in Fargo, North Dakota when I was young and "wild at heart" at the age of 18 until I was 23 years old. My best friend was a student at Bemidji State University and I was a student at Moorhead State University. Both schools were in Minnesota and each of us had enrolled in the BSW program, which I eventually dropped out of and went on to other things!! I spent a lot of time visiting her in Bemidji and getting to know people from the various Ojibwe reservations in northern Minnesota.
I thought about how I could practice community work at Red Lake. It is clear from the tribe's history of not allowing social workers on their land that I might never be trusted or invited there. The only thing I might be able to do is live and work in the area, where I would hope to get to know people from the local area, or meet relatives or friends that might bring me to community events where I might slowly be accepted. That would all have to take place with a great deal of humility and respect on my part, and I would have to allow events to take their course as the members of the reservation wished, not what I would like to accomplish.

The killing of Derrion Albert

On September 24, a 16 year-old Chicago youth by the name of Derrion Albert was beaten to death in a large street fight at the end of a school day. The brutal death was caught on video by another student. Most of the teenagers involved, about 50 students, attended Christian Fenger Academy High School. According to those who were interviewed, Derrion was drawn into the fight as he walked to his city bus stop and he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. There were no grudges against him by his attackers. Four teenagers are now being held without bond with first degree murder charges for this killing.
According to the Chicago Tribune, there have been repeated fights on the streets involving Fenger students. The students are specifically from two neighborhoods. One is close to the school, called Roseland or the “ville” and the other is located five miles away, separated by a complex of railroad and industrial complexes. This development is called Altgeld Gardens, and it is the largest public housing project in Chicago. The reason the Altgeld Gardens teenagers are students at this particular school that is so far away is because their local school was transformed into a selective-enrollment military academy by the Chicago Public School board. Little attention was paid to integrating the two groups of students. This is not surprising since the students are from poor African-American communities that no one cares about outside of these neighborhoods until the violence explodes onto the national scene via television or the internet.
Most commentary on the graphic video of Darrion’s murder has focused on the “senselessness” of this brutal act which allowed most people to avoid facing the brutality, violence and horrific poverty that has led to the social collapse of many neighborhoods in the city, all factors in this "senseless death". This particular situation is also intimately connected to governmental policies related to education that have been implemented over many years. Dozens of schools have been closed with a forced displacement of thousands of students into huge consolidated schools, which is the cause of the underlying violence between Altgeld Gardens and Roseland students. At least 5 Chicago teenagers have died and 7 others have been wounded in similar violence since the beginning of the school year a few months ago. It is also important to know that Fenger is one of the worst performing schools in the city with a graduation rate of “33% and only 38% of those that do graduate go on to college” (Fangmann & Spencer, 2009).
The larger crisis confronting Chicago youth involves the social and economic destruction of the working class neighborhoods in the city. The Roseland neighborhood where this murder occurred has an unemployment rate of “19.7%” even before the latest economic crisis. “98.8% of Fenger High School students come from low income families” (Fangmann et al., 2009). There have also been decades of factory closures, decaying public housing with little access to shopping or transportation, and heavy pollution by nearby landfills and toxic facilities in these neighborhoods.

“According to the latest Forbes richest Americans list, there are 18 billionaires with a combined net worth of 35 billion dollars in the Chicago area” (Fangmann et al., 2009).

In a democracy, many people believe that we all receive an equal start in our lives. The truth is that the actual worth of a child depends on what their family status is that includes the wealth of the family, color and ethnic and cultural factors. Those with economic and political power and status in a community or society are the individuals that make the decisions and define who and what is important, who has worth, and who gets labeled or blamed.
As social workers, problem solvers or social movement participants, we should draw on community strengths, engage others to become involved in projects or actions, build relationships to affect change, formulate goals and action plans and include those that are often ignored and oppressed. Community building is essential in creating healthy changes which is a process built on “principles of reciprocity, respect, inclusiveness and accountability” (Hardcastle & Powers, 2004). Asset building is an important theme in revitalization of communities which focuses on strengths and resiliency in the areas of housing, financial resources, and living wages. Community building also includes identifying individual leadership assets, cultural assets and existing community assets in order to affect healing and positive change.

Historical Trauma

Since we are talking in class about adding a definition to Wikipedia, I though I would include some ideas here about some of the effects of historical or generational trauma.



Generational or historical traumas can include such experiences as war, genocide, oppression, poverty, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, loss of parents or siblings, residential schools, institutionalization, alcoholism, and substance abuse. The effects of generational trauma need to be grieved so healing can occur for individuals, families and communities. Otherwise, the effects of unresolved trauma are carried into the next generation. Individuals can suffer from isolation, loss of cultural identity, low self-esteem, hyper-vigilance and the inability to sustain healthy relationships. Families can experience communication breakdown, increased domestic violence, shaming and sexual abuse. The healthy rituals for grieving, celebration, and rites of passage can become lost. Family members become isolated from one another and the community. Community members frequently experience increased apathy, substance abuse, trauma and suicide epidemics among the youth. Signs of lateral violence such as family feuds, religious wars, competitiveness, and gossip can develop between members of the community. This only furthers the isolation and prevents healing. When communities begin to understand the effects of generational trauma, a process of validation and healing can begin which empowers individuals and stops the trauma from being carried into the next generation of families and communities.

Beautiful Experiment

This is an excellent question to ask ourselves. What else are we missing in our daily, rushed, stressed out lives?

Perception -


Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007.
The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.
During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station,
most of them on their way to work.

After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing.
He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried away.


4 minutes later:
the violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw the money in the hat,
and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him,
then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly.
The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard,
and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time.
This action was repeated by several other children.
Every parent, wthout exception, forced the child to move on quickly.

45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while.
About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace.
The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over.
No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew that the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in
the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a
violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a
theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.


This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the
Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and
people's priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment
at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it?
Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion from this experiment could be this:
If we do we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians
in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most
beautiful instruments ever made, what else are we missing?

Source:
Gene Weingarten – “Pearls Before Breakfast; Can one of the nation’s great musicians cut through the fog of a D.C. rush hour? Let’s find out.” Washington Post, April 8, 2007

The Asset Building Framework in Rural Social Work

Our MSW program at Humboldt State University strictly adheres to the long tradition of practice in social work that focuses on strengths and assets, whether we are talking about individuals, families, neighborhoods or communities. I have learned to use this practice in my internship and strongly believe that it is the most positive thing I can bring to the table in my work. As the authors noted in the text, Rural Social Work: Building and Sustaining Community Assets, we can choose to see the problems facing our communities and become overwhelmed by the depth of despair in our society that is reflected in the individuals, families and communities that we come into contact with on a daily basis in our work. We have another choice though, and that is to see the assets that are available in the systems we work in. It is the choice of seeing the glass half empty, or half full. Seeing the glass half full allows us to tune into the “depth of the human spirit and the richness of the creative process” (Scales & Streeter, 2004). This perception can create a vibrant and enriching reality that is usually missing in the concept of social work in rural communities.
Since most of my family still lives in the rural community that I grew up in, it was refreshing to read about the wide range of strengths and assets that are available in rural communities since I have thought about working in a rural area when I graduate. The assets that are available include the associations people have with each other and the land, family histories that can include many generations of ties between individuals and families, and family and local traditions that connect people.
The authors identify three significant streams of asset building work that have helped to shift the focus in rural social work from deficiencies to assets. The book, Building Community From the Inside Out, by Kretzmann and McKnight, focuses on asset building by “identifying resources and fostering relationships in the community” (Scales et al., 2004). This approach has been established in the Asset-Based Community Development Institute at Northwestern University. Kretzmann and McKnight’s central approach is that every individual has promise, and it is essential to define what that is because the totality of these assets can be used to revitalize a rural area.
A second stream of asset building work is located at the Search Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Search Institute identified forty critical factors necessary for the healthy development of our youth in the belief that healthy communities value healthy children. It is the responsibility of every community to nurture their external experiences like creating supportive environments and clearly stated boundaries. It is also equally important to nurture the internal qualities of each child. This can include helping kids make a commitment to learning, creating boundaries, and helping each child to develop a strong sense of power and worth. These children will then make positive contributions to their communities, which will empower all of us.
The third area of work focused on the asset-building framework is located at Washington University in St. Louis in the George Warren Brown School of Social Work. The focus of this work challenges the current welfare policies that penalize families for creating assets that would allow them to get off welfare. Encouraging people to create and save money using individual development accounts would allow families to start small businesses or save for college for their children.
I encourage social workers everywhere to learn more about the asset-building framework because the rural environments will impact our practice even if we work in urban areas. The reason for this is there are huge populations of people living in cities that have migrated from rural areas.

Using the American Flag as a Blanket to Stay Warm

This picture of a father using the American flag as a blanket to shield his son points to the contradictions and complexities of the United States when it comes to dealing with race and class together. Images such as this broadcast across the nation in the wake of Hurricane Katrina illustrate the economic stratification and racial inequality that still exists in a country that refuses to come to terms with its history of slavery and economic disparity between the rich and the poor.

Watch Spike Lee’s four hour documentary about Hurricane Katrina, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, which highlights this disparity, as well as the system wide failure of the government on all levels, and gives a voice to the survivors and victims of the storm.






The latest census data show a widening income gap in the United States as poor and middle class people take a bigger hit in this recession. The economic gap between the richest and poorest Americans is widening once again. The wealthiest 10 percent of Americans who make more than $138,000 per year earned 11.4 times the income earned by those living at or below the poverty line in 2008, which is roughly
$12,000.

Household income dropped at sharper percentage levels for those people who are part of the middle and lower income classes, eliminating a decade's worth of gain since 1997 and poverty levels jumped to an 11 year high at 13.2 percent.

Use of food stamps has increased by 13 percent to nearly 9.8 million households. These increases were most evident in households with 2 or more workers, which highlights the impact of this recession on working families as well as the unemployed.

President Obama is considering new regulations to rein in executive earnings at companies in which we, the taxpayers, have paid tremendous amounts of money in order to keep workers employed and the companies afloat. The president is also talking about the need to tax the wealthy to pay for health care overhaul and other measures, since the wealthy have disproportionately benefited from tax cuts during the Bush administration.

President Carter Speaks Out About Racism in America

President Carter speaks on racism towards President Obama



Keith Olbermann discussing President Carter's comments on Racism







This is a perfect moment to talk about the history of colonialism, oppression, and
racism in the United States.

Seven Stages of Colonialism

1. Invasion-Christopher Columbus, United States in Iraq, Vietnam, Central America
2. Destruction of entire groups- introduction of small pox, appropriation of land,
forced migrations-Cherokee "Trail of Tears"
3. External political control-Bureau of Indian Affairs. No other group of people
are managed by a bureaucratic institution in the United States
4. Economic dependence-United States Government in role as Benefactor
5. Lower quality of social services for those that need it the most
6. Social interactions are disrupted or severed
7. Racism becomes institutionalized- hate speech towards President Obama and Ward
Churchill

Historical trauma is the direct result and the key feature of colonialism and can be described as the collective emotional and psychological injury that occurs across generations. This particular form of trauma is so significant and devastating because the stories of suffering are repeated over and over again throughout our country's history with Native American, African American and other ethnic and cultural groups which encompasses four hundred years of suffering and survival. Unfortunately, there is no victory dance or heroic narrative to mitigate the suffering which becomes part of the generational psychic structure.
The consequences include a "culture of silence" that leaves these unresolved events shrouded in mystery which can take control of the individual and group consciousness.

Some of the continuing problems that plague those that suffer from historical trauma are mental and physical health problems, frustration and apathy, inability to sustain healthy change, intense fear, feelings of helplessness, horror, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms can include intergenerational grief, cynicism, and infighting between families or communities.

Oppression Psychology focuses on the patterns that are created when people are colonized and oppressed that include fight, flight and capitulation (Fanon and Bulhan).

There are many horrific examples of United States Colonialism and racism against our own people and others throughout the world that are killed, subjugated or oppressed in the name of power, control and insidious and never-ending greed that is clearly addictive. A few of these include the seventh cavalry and Wounded Knee, President Andrew Jackson who is known as the "Cherokee killer" and the "Trail of Tears", and President Abraham Lincoln and the "Minnesota Massacre." These events are almost nonexistent in the history books of middle and high school students, or even in many college textbooks. Other examples include the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War, the Iraq War and Abu Ghraib, the firing of Ward Churchill at the University of Colorado, clearcutting of the Amazon rainforests for soybean production that is grown for the European beef market, and the racist commentaries, web sites and demonstrations by American citizens that believe that Barack Obama should not be president because he is African American.

Dr. Michael Yellow Bird testifies at Professor Churchill's trial






Cedar Tree

The Heavenly Sky and Rumi

(Helix Nebula gaseous envelope expelled by a dying star)

These Spiritual Window Shoppers by Rumi

Our death is our wedding with eternity.
What is the secret? "God is One."
The sunlight splits when entering the windows of the house.
This multiplicity exists in the cluster of grapes;
It is not in the juice made from the grapes.
For he who is living in the Light of God,
The death of the carnal soul is a blessing.
Regarding him, say neither bad nor good,
For he is gone beyond the good and the bad.
Fix your eyes on God and do not talk about what is invisible,
So that he may place another look in your eyes.
It is in the vision of the physical eyes
That no invisible or secret thing exists.
But when the eye is turned toward the Light of God
What thing could remain hidden under such a Light?
Although all lights emanate from the Divine Light
Don't call all these lights "the Light of God";
It is the eternal light which is the Light of God,
The ephemeral light is an attribute of the body and the flesh.
...Oh God who gives the grace of vision!
The bird of vision is flying towards You with the wings of desire.
(Mystic Odes 833)



(A perfect storm of turbulent gases in the Omega/Swan Nebula)

Social Work 643:Community Work

--Obama Speaks to School Children Across Country--In our Social Work 643:Community Work class this week, we talked about President Obama and his speech to school children across the country and how they could achieve their goals through their experiences in school. I downloaded part of his speech here where you can view it if you missed it originally. The president explained to students that no matter what they wanted to accomplish in their lives, they would need an education, and that we as a country need them to develop their knowledge, problem-solving, and intellectual skills for the great challenges we will face in the future. He also said that "we can have the most dedicated teachers and parents as well as the best schools possible, but those things won't matter unless each child fulfills his or her responsibilities." (http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thegaggle/archive/2009/09/08/full-text-of-obama-s-speech-)
It is thrilling to hear our president speak to children about their responsibility as citizens of this country as well as their teachers and parents. President Obama was speaking about the tradition in this country of civic responsibility. The first time I understood what that meant was when I heard the original inaugural speech given by President Kennedy on January 20, 1961 when he said..."ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for your country." As the years have gone by since that time in history, we no longer expect that kind of civic duty from ourselves or our children. It seems that shopping has replaced civic responsibility as our "duty" as citizens.





I included the cartoon of President Obama and George Bush giving advice to children because it speaks to the obvious and important differences between these two men. It is important to remember that when a reporter asked former President Bush what the citizens of this country should do a few days after the 9/11 tragedy, his unbelievable response was that Americans should not be afraid to go out to our favorite stores and malls AND SHOP.

It is very difficult to make sense of the ugliness that permeated the news and internet sites with angry parents and Fox News broadcasters ranting about President Obama's speech to the school children of our nation. Being exposed to the words of the president of this country is an excellent civics lesson creating stimulating learning possibilities and stimulating dialogue between students, parents, teachers, and classmates.

Yoga, Sanskrit and the language of meditation

According to Houston (2006), the world of vision and clarity can open through yoga and meditation. The language of Sanskrit is the vehicle to that world as preparation to meditation through chanting aloud or silently within. You can read the complete article at http://www.americansanskrit.com/read/a_meditation.php.

This article was important to me because it points out how our "individual life fields," that are not necessarily limited to the parameters of our physical bodies, are programmed by our habits, both mentally and physically." According to Houston (2006), this limits our sense of self and yoga is a practice that can terminate these habitual activities that limit us and our life experiences. The information we have been studying these last two weeks in class have focused on the brain and its never ending ability to change. We have also discussed how thoughts do lead to changes in brain connections and thoughts are wired together as we think. We also learned that words and thought can change the structure of matter.

If this is true, as social workers we have tremendous opportunities to help individuals begin to think differently about what is possible in their lives. In therapy, the words we use can rephrase what we are hearing in a more positive way for someone else, possibly creating changes in brain connections through the listening process for both of us. I like to think of it as partnership growth and healing for the client and social worker in the therapeutic process.

References:

Houston, V. (2006). Sanskrit, the language of meditation, American Sanskrit Institute. Retrieved September 3, 2009 from http://www.americansanskrit.com/read/a_meditation.php

The sacred journey

This picture is called Sacred Journeys. It reminds me of the sacred journey I took to Dharamsala, India where I was able to meditate and pray with the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan monks that live and work there, and many other visitors. It was an experience I believe created new pathways in my brain as I experienced this transformational event. I remember feeling afterwards that I was taller, that I could reach farther, and that my body was buzzing with energy. I had the opportunity to sit with this experience to some degree after watching the Dan Rather video on neuroplasticity and the brain's never-ending capacity to change, grow and rewire itself. The connections between consciousness and the brain, meditation, and the quest for enlightenment in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, are being studied and researched at the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies. You can read about this new research at info@sbinstitute.com. Another website to check if you are interested is www.cultivatingemotionalbalance.org/links.html. The institute is sponsoring a six-week Cultivating Emotional Balance Teachers' Training next summer in Phuket, Thailand which will enable those who receive certification to guide others to enhanced emotional health and mental stability and can teach CEB in many venues including hospitals, schools, and businesses. The training will focus on learning the theories and practices of psychology regarding emotional balance, and the relevant theories and practices of Buddhist meditation and mindfulness, loving-kindness, compassion, and empathetic joy. It is expensive but I plan to ask about scholarships, as well as ask about similar trainings here in California in the future. I believe this research will be especially applicable to the field of Social Work in the expansion of therapeutic help we can offer our clients as well as using what we learn for self care and stress reduction in our own lives so we don't burn out and become less effective in the work we do.