Talking ACEs

It’s two weeks since Oprah talked developmental trauma on 60 Minutes and introduced the world to the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study and ACE Quiz on national television.  

I’m still flying high and committed to 30 days of posts about developmental trauma from ACEs. However, it is time for some digital diversity and the brilliant and varied voices of ACEs experts.

These talks are all available online, for free, and can be understood whether one has a Ph.D. or PTSD – or both. Personally, I need to hear a lot of different people talking about the same subject before I can absorb and retain the content. All of this viewing and listening has informed me. I have watched some of these dozens of times. 

I find this information validating, motivating, shocking and kind of common sense as well – all at the same time. However, I’ve heard some find this information to be shocking, depressing or hard to listen accept. Please know there are some links to resources below to further support your living, loving, parenting, and processing. Each of these experts has books, articles, websites, or businesses built around sharing ACEs science and research.

If you know of other great videos not included, please leave a comment.

Persuasive Pediatrician: TedTalk: Dr. Nadine Burke Harris

Dr. Nadine Burke Harris with more time.

Go to the Source: Co-Principals of the ACE Study: Dr. Vincent Felitti / Kaiser Permanente

A tribute to Dr. Vincent Felitti can be found here and two talks given by him can be found here and here.

Dr. Robert Anda / Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) & ACE Interface

Dr. Survivor: Why ACEs Matter with Allison Jackson

“What if the largest public health discovery of our time, and maybe all time, was about the smallest of us?” Laura Porter on Neurobiology

Science Writer Talking Parenting & Healing from ACEs: Donna Jackson Nakazawa

Need some hope?
Donna Jackson Nakazawa’s book Childhood Disrupted includes sections on parenting and healing as well as in-depth research about the ACEs study. If, like me, you are obsessed with research about ACEs and who is doing what and where with what Jane Stevens has coined ACEs Science, you want to go to ACEs Too High, the all-things-ACEs journalism site or join ACEs Connection (like Facebook for ACEs).

Disclosure:
I now work for ACEs Connection as my day job. I have written for ACEs Too High as well. But I continue to blog, speak and write about ACEs because it’s my passion and I believe inspires personal, parenting and social change. I’m not selling anything. It’s important for all parents, trauma survivors and others to know about this research.

We deserve the raw data, research and to hear from all kinds of experts. Too often, this content is made inaccessible to most people because it’s talked about mainly in clinical contexts or professional settings as though it’s not stuff that impacts all of us in all parts of our life

What we do with this information, once we have it, is individual. Maybe we’ll take the ACE quiz, share our ACE scores with loved ones or medical providers or we will decide HELL NO. Totally individual. Maybe we’ll be inspired to do social change work or just eat better and go to the doctor more often. I do hope we’ll all learn more about parenting so all kids can have the low-ACE advantage and live happier, healthier and longer – who doesn’t want for that???

All I know is this is public health information and it belongs to each and every one of us.

Let’s keep the conversation going even after Oprah. 

#ACEs
#ToxicStress
#MeTooChildren

This is day 15 of my 30 Days After Oprah series. Days 14, 13, 12, 11 & all days prior