How can we use the trauma-informed lens to help people make meaningful life changes? This question inspired Matt to start a multiyear project that accumulated in his first book Connecting Paradigms: A trauma-informed and neurobiological approach to Motivational Interviewing. In this episode, Matt and Curt discuss Matt’s thought process that evolved into the book and new insight gain during the last year spent talking about the book and presenting its concepts to various groups.
Discussion Questions:
- How do we mix different philosophies and approaches in our programming and services?
- How does our understanding of trauma influence which approaches we use and how we utilize those approaches?
- Is there an opportunity to rethink or strength the foundations of our programming or services by a fresh look at our philosophy and integration of best practices?
Podcasters: Dr. David A Treleaven, Matt Bennett, Curt Mower, & Dr. Jerry Yager
Author of Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness: Practices for Safe and Transformative Healing Dr. Treleaven joins Matt, Curt, & Jerry to explore Dr. Treleaven’s terrific book and the topic of trauma-sensitive mindfulness. While research demonstrates many benefits of mindfulness for those with unresolved trauma, our approach to teaching and practicing mindfulness with those, we work with it critical to maximize positive results and minimize the chance for re-traumatization. Dr. Treleaven will share his expertise and insights as we explore this critical topic.
Discussion questions:
- How can Treleaven’s work inform the integration of mindfulness into your work?
- What are some barriers to effective implementation of mindfulness in your practice? How can you overcome these?
- Is there a way to use Dr. Treleaven’s approaches to strategically improve the outcomes of your work with people with unresolved trauma?
- Have we convinced you yet that you need to practice mindfulness as a part of your self-care!?!?
Learn more about Dr. David Treleaven’s work at davidtreleaven.com
Podcasters: Matt Bennett, Curt Mower, & Dr. Jerry Yager
In this episode, we build upon our recent discussion on resiliency and explore the role of tolerance and sensitization as it relates to trauma. The type and intensity of the stimulus, including trauma, determine whether the individual builds resiliency or vulnerability. Understanding sensitization and tolerance help us understand certain behaviors and mindsets while providing us with a roadmap for developing trauma-sensitive approaches.
Discussion Questions
- How does sensitization and tolerance help explain some of the maladaptive behaviors of those we try to help?
- Think about a specific client, how did repeated trauma impact their tolerance?
- How can you improve programs and intervention utilizing this knowledge of sensitization and tolerance?
Podcasters: Dr. Melody Brown, Matt Bennett, Curt Mower, & Dr. Jerry Yager
Dr. Melody Brown joins Matt, Curt, and Jerry to explore the concept of microaggressions and how repeated experiences, even small ones, of racism, heterosexualism, and other forms of discrimination become traumatic. For too many people, these acts of prejudice and bigotry become part of a person’s narrative or story of themselves. Attention to the effects of these microaggressions are an essential part of trauma-informed approaches and help us expand our definitions of trauma in an important way.
Discussion questions
- Can you identify ways which microaggressions are impacting those you work with?
- Have you ever experience covert or overt microaggressions? What was that experience like?
- How can we help those we serve to address the discrimination and bigotry they have experience and change their narratives?
- Can you conceptualize the relationship between traumatic events a person experience and microaggressions? What is the impact of this multidimensional experience?
Dr. Melody Brown’s Contact Information: [email protected] or 720.507.6764
In this episode, Curt turns the tables and asks Matt questions about his life, career, and how this all contributed to his passion for trauma-informed thinking and interventions. Matt’s life changed when he started to learn about the Adverse Childhood Experience Study and the research on trauma and neurobiology. Join us for a fun conversation.
Discussion Questions:
- What impact has the research on trauma had on your thinking about yourself and your work?
- When were you first introduced to the information about trauma and what was your initial reaction to it?
Podcasters: Matt Bennett, Curt Mower, & Dr. Jerry Yager
Resiliency is a word that gets thrown around quite a bit in relation to trauma. While building resiliency is crucial in the journey to healing, is it the end destination? In this episode, Matt, Curt, and Jerry will explore resiliency and post-traumatic growth and make sense out of the different language we use to describe healing.
Discussion Questions
- What does resiliency look like in those you serve?
- What strategies do you use to build resiliency?
- How do you distinguish between resiliency and post-traumatic growth?
- How can this distinction inform your work?
Chris Bliss’ Ted Talk: Comedy is Translation
Podcasters: Matt Bennett, Curt Mower, & Dr. Jerry Yager
Building on the research discussed in Episode 36, Matt, Curt, and Jerry explore how the research concerning social networks and the contagious nature of emotions influence helper and helping organization. What are the consequences for those of us who spend the majority of our time with those struggling with trauma and mental illness? What challenges does this reality present for leadership and all of us as we try to establish and maintain healthy and productive organizations and schools? These questions and more are tackled in this important episode.
Discussion Questions
- How do you feel like having people with trauma and mental illness as a constant part of your social network has affected you?
- How have you seen this work affect others?
- What does the research on social networks and parallel processes challenge our ability to create and maintain a healthy organization culture?
- What steps can we take personally and organizations to use the research to improve well-being for ourselves and outcomes for our clients
Podcasters: Matt Bennett, Curt Mower, & Dr. Jerry Yager
It is too easy to see ourselves and those we work with as isolated individuals. When we look at any person in isolation, we miss not only the bigger picture but some of the most important drivers of behavior, mental, and medical health. In this episode, Matt, Curt, and Jerry examine the research on social networks and what it means for our services and ideas about self-care.
Discussion Questions
- How are the social networks of those you work with influencing their health and behaviors in negative ways?
- Could changing social networks improve the well-being of the people you work with? If so how can you approach this topic?
- How do we need to adjust our assumptions or strategies considering this research on social networks?
Resources mentioned in podcast:
Podcasters: Matt Bennett, Curt Mower, & Dr. Jerry Yager
Our first listener request episode! We spend our days giving our all to those we care about. Often our compassion and caring are met with frustration and a sense of entitlement by those we serve. What is going on here? Why don’t people we serve appreciate our efforts and sometimes treat us like disposable people in their lives? In this episode, Matt, Curt, and Jerry explore this issue in depth and try to answer the great questions from our listener.
Discussion Questions
- What are the factors that might prevent those we help from experiencing gratitude?
- What are the factors that might make a person feeling gratitude uncomfortable with expressing appreciation?
- How can we help people who don’t show us gratitude learn to express it with others?
Matt’s Blog Post on Entitled Client
Podcasters: Matt Bennett, Curt Mower, & Dr. Jerry Yager
In the last couple of episodes, we did a deep dive into safety. We have more to say! In this episode, Matt, Curt, and Jerry will reflect on the material covered in the last couple of episodes. We will examine how safety planning plays promote trauma-informed services as well as look at how slowing down increases safety and helps us avoid re-traumatization.
Discussion Questions:
- How can we implement/improve safety planning in our services?
- Are there opportunities for us to slow down to improve outcomes?
- What are other ways we can reduce harm and improve psychological and physical safety?