{"id":4973,"date":"2019-07-18T10:59:28","date_gmt":"2019-07-18T14:59:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healwritenow.com\/?p=4973"},"modified":"2019-07-18T10:59:31","modified_gmt":"2019-07-18T14:59:31","slug":"survivor-led-or-survivor-porn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healwritenow.com\/survivor-led-or-survivor-porn\/","title":{"rendered":"Survivor-Led or Survivor Porn?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I was debriefing with my friend (Robin Cogan, aka the relentless school nur<\/a>se) about the first-ever hearing on childhood trauma<\/a> last week by the Committee on Oversight and Reform (viewable here). Robin mentioned how powerful the survivor testimony was, written about here by Elizabeth Prewitt,<\/a> and I wanted to celebrate and cheer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I kept biting my lip and swallowing my words. Some things were gnawing at me, and I wasn’t sure if I should just keep them to myself.
Robin and I are friends. We brainstorm, bond, and bare our souls to one another. So, I spilled about what I wished, noticed, or questioned as I watched the hearing without censoring myself.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Why was “survivor panel” was 50 minutes long while the “expert panel” was 150 minutes long?
<\/p>

\u2022 Why was a distinction made at all between survivors and experts?
<\/p>

\u2022 How come survivors are called brave to speak up childhood trauma, on the one hand, and that shame of trauma isn’t ours at all on the other? If there’s no shame in being in post-traumatic pain, why is it so brave to talk or share?
<\/p>

\u2022 Is a standing ovation to the survivor panel sincere and appropriate or is real respect equal time rather than applause?<\/p>

<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

But even as I type these words, I’m hesitant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I worry about sounding critical, negative, and angry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, survivors were present, speaking in the first person, sharing personal experiences of childhood trauma. Historically, survivors are spoken for or about by “experts” as we’ve been deemed too fragile, vulnerable, or in need of anonymity or protection (even when we’ve not asked for it). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rarely, have we been as visible, vocal, or as valued as during last week’s hearing. And that is crucial. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn’t even the only radical and notable shift. This hearing did not rely on the traditional medical, and clinical model with the identify, diagnose, refer out, and treat individuals with trauma symptoms. It didn’t detail the symptoms of post-traumatic stress as though that’s the important conversation, and one that ignores that we only have a diagnostic code for those who get post-traumatic stress and nothing for who or what causes it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This hearing was grounded, at least often, in considering root causes, and how the various types of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), cause toxic stress, especially when chronic, cumulative, and without buffering threatening the growing brains, bodies, and belief systems of all humans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s epic.

ACEs was said far more than PTSD or any other diagnosis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ACEs that happen in the home before the age of 19, are typically defined as follows: <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. physical abuse<\/li>
  2. sexual abuse<\/li>
  3. emotional abuse<\/li>
  4. physical neglect<\/li>
  5. emotional neglect
    living in a household before the age of 19 with a household member:<\/li>
  6. diagnosed as mentally ill<\/li>
  7. with a substance abuse disorder<\/li>
  8. who has been incarcerated
    as well as parents who:<\/li>
  9. are divorced\/separated or abandoned family<\/li>
  10. have physically abused their partner (domestic violence)
    Several of the expanded ACEs, which happen outside the home, during childhood were also mentioned: <\/li>
  11. homelessness<\/li>
  12. violence in the wider community (bullying, gun violence)<\/li>
  13. being in the foster care system<\/li>
  14. racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    Impact of ACEs & ACE Scores

    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The move away from the shame-blame-treatment framing of childhood trauma, which has harmed survivors for far too long, is seismic. It’s evidence, in fact, of the power of the trauma-informed movement’s influence – even if it came without acknowledgement or apology for horrible treatment, historically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That’s worth celebrating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Not that it was perfect. Missing from the hearing though is the emphasis on who is most impacted, most often, by the most types of ACEs, though Dr. Houry did mention the research, from over 200,000 is titled, “<\/a>Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences From the 2011-2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System in 23 States,” (link here<\/a>) “significantly higher exposure reported by participants who identified as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n