by Jim & Lynea Gillen | Sep 24, 2016 | Trauma
Since the New York Times Magazine’s feature on noted trauma researcher Bessel van der Kolk a couple years ago, somatic (body-based) approaches to stress and trauma have continued to move to the fore. In a world where exposure and cognitive therapies are still thought...
by Jim Gillen | May 13, 2015 | Media, Trauma
Though this year’s Screen Free Week is now a fading memory, the reason for such events persists It’s tough to unplug from our electronic entertainment, isn’t it? Though Lynea and I watch less TV than the average American, even we “had” to watch American Idol,...
by Jim Gillen | Jun 16, 2014 | Class plans, Families, Mental Health, Trauma
Within a day of last week’s shooting at Reynolds High School in Troutdale – just outside of Portland here and where some of Lynea’s colleagues work – several particular posts about it began cropping up on Facebook a lot. One was especially sad and sobering: Though...
by Jim Gillen | Jan 9, 2013 | Mental Health, Trauma
A few years ago, after hearing news of another mass shooting, I sat with the principal of the rural elementary school where I worked as a counselor, feeling sad and discouraged. Then he said something I’ve never forgotten: “The children you save never make the...
by Jim Gillen | Dec 11, 2012 | Stress, Trauma, Workshops
Read Part One Words Are Not Enough: Yoga & Meditation As we discussed last time, recovery from trauma is both a mental/emotional process and a physical process. Key to the latter is deactivating the somatic cues that trigger the troubling emotions and autonomic...
by Jim Gillen | Nov 28, 2012 | Stress, Trauma, Workshops
Have you ever been so nervous or scared, your body was literally shaking? That shaking is called neurogenic tremoring – an innate release system that nearly all mammals are born with and seems to be a key component in how they handle stress. Yes, just as our bodies...