Trauma Stewardship
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health, 162
help, asking for, 205
helping professions, 158
helpless feelings, 15, 48–51, 152
Herman, Judith, 216
heroic mode, 42
Holocaust survivors, 94, 181
homeostasis, 175
honesty, 168
honoring life, 123
hooks, bell, 197
hopeless feelings, 37, 48–51
Howell, Helen, 177–179
Howell, Lem, 177
H Street Skateboards, 182
humility, 3, 156, 223
humor, 104, 219–222
Hurricane Katrina, 78, 157, 217
hyperintellectualism, 131–132
hypervigilance, 64–67, 227–228
I
idealism, 50, 82–83
ideal society, 29–30
identity, work as, 111–113
imbalance, neutralizing, 96
immigrant rights workers, 151–154
immunity from trauma exposure response, 42
improvement, choosing, 14
inadequacy, 59–64, 82
Inconvenient Truth, An (Gore), 169
indicators of trauma exposure response, 45
inertia, 94
inner well-being, 209
Inova Regional Trauma Center, 186–187
inquiry
creating space for, 122, 147–148
self-, 117–120
space for, 167–171
into yourself/your history, 117–120
instinctive behaviors, 117
intellectualization, 131–132
intention, creating, 231
internal disarmament, 197
internalized oppression, 60
isolating yourself, 87, 93, 118–119, 239
J
James, William, 175
Jansen, Golie, 21
Jewish Federation, 64
jobs. See also organizational culture
addiction to, 239
commitment to, 84
cultural issues of, 24–25, 79–80, 113
finding a calling, 170–171
finding passion for, 86–89
guilt at leaving, 98
motivation for embracing, 168–169, 187, 191–192
overwork, 109–110
self-inquiry/self-reflection about, 148–149
service rationing, 22
taking breaks/vacations, 107, 127, 211–212
understanding effects of, 42
us-versus-them mentality, 139
wanting to stop, 169
workplace dynamics, 70–71
Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 6
Jung, Carl, 165
K
Kabat-Zinn, Jon, 12
Katrina, Hurricane, 78, 157, 217
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 123
Kingston, Maxine Hong, 71
Knuth, Marianne, 202
Kornfield, Jack, 119, 175, 196, 215
Kufunda, 202
L
Lan, Luo, 63–64
laughter, 222
law enforcement personnel, 83–84
Lawson, Billie, 70–71, 119, 217
lawyers, 59, 107, 177–179, 207
learned helplessness, 95
Learning as Leadership, 241
Leitch, Laurie, 42
LeRoy, Andree, 5, 30
lesbians, domestic violence among, 76
Levine, Peter, 44, 117, 131, 213–214
Levine, Stephanie, 66–67
Lewen, Donna, 151–154
liberation theory, 28–29
life outside work, 208–212
lifestyle, 121
Lips, Karen, 48
Lipsky, Michael, 22, 23
listening, 90
Liu Dong, 132, 133, 135
Loeffler, Kati, 81–82
loving-kindness meditation, 197–198
M
Malcolm X, 187
Man’s Search for Meaning (Frankl), 170–171
Maples, Cheri, 137–142
Marsalis, Branford, 45
Martin, Lesra, 174
martyrdom, 17, 83
mastery of trauma, 156–160, 192, 223
McCann, I. L., 6
McFarlane, Alexander C., 30, 31
meaningful tasks, 121
meditations, 197–198, 217–218
Merton, Thomas, 108
microcultures, 184–188
military personnel, 5, 102
Miller-Karas, Elaine, 65
mindfulness
definitions, 12
doing activities with, 217–218
reasons for behavior, 147–150
mindfulness bells, 232–233
minimizing feelings/events, 78–80, 96
mistreatment, 93
Mooney, James, 93, 167
Mooney, Linda, 157
Moore, Jonathan, 153–154
motivation, 147, 158, 161
Muir, John, 245
N
Native American Ceremonies, 167
Native Americans
First Nations Tribe, 185–186
spirituality of, 157
traditions of, 144–145, 216, 240
violence among, 76
natural disasters, 78, 157, 217
nature solos, 162
negativism, 79–80, 173
Newcomb, Charles, 132
Newsweek, 92
New York Times Magazine, 25
Nhat Hanh, Thich, 72–73, 97, 119, 137, 138, 139, 216, 225
NiCarthy, Ginny, 112
Niebuhr, Reinhold, 224
Nietzsche, Friedrich, 147
No Child Left Behind Act, 22
north/space for inquiry, 122
evaluating behavior, 167–171
mastery of trauma, 156–160
mindfulness of reasons for behavior, 147–150
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP), 151–155
Northwest Network of Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian and Gay Survivors of Abuse, 68–69
not enough-ness, 59–64
numbness/lack of empathy, 48–51, 78, 104–106, 131, 198
O
obligations, 82
obstacles, seeing paths around, 93–94
opening inquiry, 117–120
oppression
forms of, 60–61
role in trauma of, 28
systematic, 28–29, 31, 102
oppressive messages, 59–60
organizational culture, 24–25, 79–80, 113, 122, 162
organizations
covert emotional life of, 240
cultures of, 79–80, 113, 122
roles in trauma stewardship of, 21–27
overwhelming feelings, 51, 81, 91, 95, 235
overwork, 109–110
P
Pantesco, Victor, 48
paradoxes, 15, 23
paramedics, 33
Parry, Cindy, 33–38
passion, finding, 86–89
patience, 123
Pearlman, Laurie Anne, 6
People of Color Against AIDS Network, 24–25
People’s Hurricane Relief Fund, 217
People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, 217
persecution, 93–95
personal control, 121
personal dynamics, 19–21
personal history, 161
personal life, 91, 109–110
Petersen, John, 100
physical problems/exhaustion, 81–84
Plan B, 180–183
policies, effective, 24
pollution metaphor, 27–28
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 42, 122
power, abusing, 27
powerlessness, 54
practice, steps toward, 231–234
presence in the experience
act of/quality of, 245
bell-ringing tradition for, 232
cultivating quality of, 116–117
for healing process, 45
; mindfulness for, 12
nonantagonistic, 93–94
openness to, 97–98
practice of, 135
traditions of, 130–131
primary trauma, 158, 161
prison inmates, 75, 138–139, 158
prison workers, 26, 148
Proust, Marcel, 172
Psychological Trauma (van der Kolk), 121
public health workers, 95
public views of trauma responders, 30–31
Q
qigong, 132–133, 196, 217
R
rape laws, 74, 75
reactions, habitual, 165
reality, perceptions of, 233
Rebuild, 186–187
reflection, self-, 134
reframing experiences, 174, 215–216
relationships
emotional presence in, 64
self/work, 120
for trauma mastery, 157
relaxation, 211
relief, lack of, 51
resiliency, 237–238
resolutions for happiness, 87–88
resourcing, 174–175
responsibility, 51, 164
Rice, A. K., 240
Richards, Kimberley, 217
Richie, Beth E., 25, 76
Robinson, Jill, 202
roles, negotiating, 70–71
Roshi, Suzuki, 13
Rosten, Leo, 221
Roy, Arundhati, 202
Rumi, 181
rumination, 186
Rwandan genocide, 15
S
Saakvitne, Karen W., 6
Sahn, Seung, 4
sainthood, 224
Sanders, Kerry, 25–26
sangha, 184
scarcity, 60–61
Schwartz, Karyn, 112–113
Schwegel, Bob, 92
scientists, 57, 132
Sealth, Chief, 198, 244
secondary posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 42
self-awareness, 132–133, 175
self-care, 97, 121–123, 193
self-efficacy, 94, 95
self-inquiry, 117–120
self-reflection, 134
self-transformation process, 12
Seligman, Martin E. P., 50–51
Senge, Peter, 184–185
sense of humor, 220
service rationing, 22, 23
service to others, 170–171
shamanic traditions, 185
Shantideva, 109
sharing trauma, 195, 215, 237–238
Shiva, Vandana, 28
Siegel, Daniel, 12, 132, 175
Sinclair, Cameron, 202–203
sleep, 133–134, 212
slowing down, 216
social norms, 102
social support, 121
societal impacts on trauma stewardship, 27–31
somatic experiencing, 174–175, 214
south/building compassion and community, 122
microcultures, 184–188
practicing compassion for self and
others, 196–199
systemic change, 200–203
Spence, Harry, 234–242
spirituality, 144
Stade, Kirsten, 49
Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace, 99–100
Stifter, Vicky, 151–154
stillness, finding, 134–135
Stohr, Kate, 202–203 Street-Level Bureaucracy (Lipsky), 22
street-level bureaucrats, 23–24
stress, resistance to, 121–122
stress hormones, 5
structural violence, 28–29
Suarez, Ray, 43
success, envisioning, 87
suffering, 17–18, 197
Sufi wisdom, 197
suicide, 23, 227
Sultanoff, Steven, 220, 222
support
from community, 185–187
culture of, 122
family, 165
getting/using, 127–128
need for, 164–165
social, 121
for trauma exposure response, 24
from your organization, 21
systematic oppression, 28–29, 31, 102
systemic change, 200–203
T
taking sides, 70–71, 80
Taoism, 132
Tatum, Diane, 97
Tavistock Institute, 240
Taylor-Murphy, Kanika, 217
teachers, 22, 24
teamwork models, 236
Ternasky, Mike, 182
Thanassi, Mark, 214
Thoreau, Henry David, 7
threat responses, 213–214, 220
Through the Looking Glass (Carroll), 68
Thurber, James, 222
Thurman, Howard, 244
tikkun olam, 203
Tomlin, Lily, 104
transformation. See change transformation, self-, 12
trauma
acknowledging exposure to, 44–45
being the creator of, 235
effects of, 1–8, 17, 124–125
first-hand experience with, 158, 161
mastery of, 156–160, 223
Trauma Center (Boston, Massachusetts), 83–84
trauma exposure response
definition, 41
identification with, 47–48
keeping positive, 46
methods for dealing with, 125
occurrences of, 42
other terms for, 6
understanding/defining, 4–5, 41–46
Trauma First Aide, 65–66
trauma stewardship, concept/definition, 4, 6, 11
Traumatic Stress (deVries), 186
Traumatic Stress (van der Kolk and McFarlane), 31
trust, 228
Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 43
Tum, Rigoberta Menchú, 28
Tutu, Desmond, 43, 201, 240
U
unconscious beliefs, 231–232
unethical behavior, 25
U.S. Air Force personnel, 102. See also military personnel U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 85
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), 75
V
van der Kolk, Bessel A., 30, 31, 121–122, 158, 240
veterans/Veterans Administration (VA), 92
veterinarians, 81–82, 132
violence, structural, 28–29
violence prevention workers, 66, 68–69
Vitaliano, Peter, 5, 30
Vredenburg, Vance, 52–58
vulnerability, 100, 237
W
Wake, David, 55
Waking the Tiger (Levine), 44, 214
warning signs of trauma exposure response
addictions, 108–111
anger/cynicism, 101–104
avoidance, 49, 90–91, 225
diminished creativity, 67–69
dissociation, 38, 91–93, 92
dissociative moments, 91–93
exhaustion/physical problems, 81–84
fear, 99–101
grandiosity, 111–113
guilty feelings, 95–98
helpless/hopeless feelings, 48–51
hypervigilance, 64–67
inability to embrace complexity, 70–73, 74–77
inadequacy, 59–64
lack of empathy/feeling numb, 104–108
minimizing feelings/events, 78–80
sense of persecution, 93–95
wave metaphor, 172–173 Way of Qigong, The (Cohen), 133
web of life, 244–245
wellness path, 209–210, 214, 246
west/finding balance, 122
energy, 213–218
gratitude, 223–226
life outside work, 208–212
White, E. B., 7
Wilson, Ed, 133
Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic
Violence, 137
Wonder, Stevie, 18
worldview, 42, 168, 173
Worrell, Richard, 6
X
X, Malcolm, 18
Y
Yawnghwe, Harn, 100–101
yuan shen, 132–133
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laura van Dernoot Lipsky has worked directly with trauma survivors for over two decades.
At age 18, she regularly spent nights volunteering in a homeless shelter. From there, she went on to work with survivors of child abuse, domestic violence, acute trauma, and natural disasters. Simultaneously, she has been active in community organizing and movements for social and environmental justice and has taught on issues surrounding systematic oppression and liberation theory.
Like so many of her colleagues, Laura initially engaged in her work with great passion and commitment, and with a sense that it was a privilege to serve others. But over time, the worked changed her, until she was no longer the person she had once been. She felt a rising despair about the brutality of the world and anger at those who had helped to create the conditions of trauma and suffering of humans, animals, and our planet. About 10 years ago, she finally faced an uncomfortable reality: The work she cared so much about was taking a toll on her. Her work had compromised her ability to be present in her life, enjoy her relationships, and even be an effective social worker and educator.
Feeling that she could no longer work with integrity, she began the second stage of her involvement with trauma. In 2000, she quit her job as an emergency room social worker at Harborview Hospital in Seattle, Washington, and began an urgent quest for wisdom that would allow her to preserve her trust in life and its beauty even when doing work that guaranteed exposure to endless waves of pain. Her explorations took her from Buddhist monks and nuns to qigong healers to Native American medicine men and women to the latest scientific research on the effects of prolonged exposure to others’ trauma. Laura’s hunger to embrace both the joy and the sorrow of our life experiences is at the root of her concept of trauma stewardship.
Laura offered her first version of a workshop on trauma steward-ship to a group of public health workers in 1999. Since then, she has trained a wide variety of people, including zookeepers and reconstruction workers in post-Katrina New Orleans, community organizers and health care providers in Japan, U.S. Air Force pilots, Canadian firefighters, public school teachers, and private practice doctors. She has worked locally, nationally, and internationally.
Recently, Laura turned her attention to the effects of trauma exposure on those doing frontline work in environmental and conservation movements throughout the world. She was among the first to talk publicly about the profound price that the witnessing of mass extinctions and other potentially irreversible ecological losses caused by global warming and other forms of human encroachment is exacting from the organizations and individuals who are attempting to save our planet.