Resilience in the Face of Violence and Abuse International Conference on The Jewish Community Confronts Violence and Abuse - December 1, 2014 Linda Graham,

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Resilience in the Face of Violence and AbuseInternational Conference onThe Jewish Community Confronts Violence and Abuse - December 1, 2014

Linda Graham, [email protected]

All the world is full of suffering;

It is also full of overcoming.

- Helen Keller6 Cs of CopingCalmCompassionClarityConnections to ResourcesCompetenceCourageCalmManage disruptive emotions

Tolerate distress

Down-regulate stress to return to baseline equilibrium

Compassion Self-CompassionCompassion: care and concern in the face of other peoples pain and suffering

Self-Compassion: care and concern for ones own pain and suffering

Mindful Self-Compassion:Awareness of experience of sufferingKindness toward self as experiencer of sufferingFelt sense of common humanity; all human beings sufferClarityFocused attention on present moment experienceImproves cognitive functioningSelf-awareness, self-reflectionShifting perspectivesDiscerning optionsChoose wise actionsConnections to ResourcesPeople, Places, Practices

Counter-balance brains negativity biasStrengthen inner secure baseAccess resourcesCompetenceEmpowerment and mastery from changing old coping strategies, learning new ones

Embodying, I am somebody who CAN do this.CourageUsing signal anxiety as cue to:

Try something newTake risksPersevere to achieve goals

Neuroscience of ResilienceNeuroscience technology is 20 years old

Meditation improves attention and impulse control; shifts mood and perspective; promotes healthOxytocin can calm a panic attack in less than a minuteKindness and comfort, early on, protects against later stress, trauma, psychopathologyNeuroplasticityThe brain changes itself lifelong.Growing new neuronsStrengthening synaptic connectionsCreating and altering brain structure and circuitryOrganizing and re-organizing functions of brain structuresConditioningExperience causes neurons to fireRepeated experiences, repeated neural firingsNeurons that fire together wire togetherStrengthen synaptic connectionsConnections stabilize into neural pathways

Conditioning is neutral, wires positive and negativeStress Impacts Body-BrainHealth compromised immune system

Function higher brain offline, inability to regulate emotions

Structure damages brain cells; impairs learning, memoryTrauma Impacts Body-BrainTrauma memories stored in body

Function contraction, constriction

Structure compartmentalization, cant integrate experienceViolence/Abuse Impact Body-BrainShattering of safety and trust

Disorganizes-fragments psyche; dissociation

Mistrust harder to receive help from safe othersMindfulness and CompassionAwareness of whats happening(and our reactions to whats happening)Acceptance of whats happening(and our reactions to whats happening)

Two most powerful agents of brain change known to science; both foster response flexibility

All trauma therapy done in context of mindful empathy

Attachment Develops BrainSecure Insecure-AvoidantInsecure-AnxiousDisorganized

and shapes coping strategies

Attachment Styles - SecureParenting is attuned, empathic, responsive, comforting, soothing, helpfulAttachment develops safety and trust, and inner secure baseStable and flexible focus and functioning Open to learning inner secure base provides buffer against stress, trauma, and psychopathologyInsecure-AvoidantParenting is indifferent, neglectful, or critical, rejectingAttachment is compulsively self-reliantStable, but not flexibleFocus on self or world, not others or emotionsRigid, defensive, not open to learningNeural cementInsecure-AnxiousParenting is inconsistent, unpredictableAttachment is compulsive caregivingFlexible, but not stableFocus on other, not on self-world, Less able to retain learningNeural swampDisorganizedParenting is frightening or abusive, or parent is checked out, not thereAttachment is fright without solutionLack of focus Moments of dissociation Compartmentalization of traumaPre-Frontal CortexExecutive center of higher brainPlan, discern, make decisionDevelopment kindled in relationshipsEvolved most recently makes us humanMatures the latest 25 years of ageMost integrative structure of brainEvolutionary masterpiece

CEO of resilienceFunctions of Pre-Frontal CortexRegulate body and nervous systemQuell fear response of amygdalaManage emotionsAttunement felt sense of feelingsEmpathy making sense of expereinceInsight and self-knowingResponse flexibilityWindow of ToleranceSNS explore, play, create, produce. ORFight-flight-freeze

Baseline physiological equilibriumCalm and relaxed, engaged and alertWINDOW OF TOLERANCERelational and resilientEquanimity

PNS inner peace, serenity. ORNumb out, collapseMechanisms of Brain ChangeConditioningNew conditioningRe-conditioningDe-conditioningNew ConditioningChoose new experiencesGratitude practice, listening skills, focusing attention, self-compassion, self-acceptanceCreate new learning, new memoryEncode new wiringInstall new pattern of responseRe-conditioningMemory de-consolidation re-consolidationLight up neural networksJuxtapose old negative with new positiveNeurons fall apart, rewireNew rewires oldModes of ProcessingFocused AttentionTasks and detailsDeliberate, guided changeNew conditioning and re-conditioningDe-focused AttentionDefault networkMental play space random changeDe-conditioningDe-ConditioningImaginationGuided visualizationsGuided meditationsReverie, daydreamsBrain plays, makes own associations and links, connect dots in new waysReflect on new insightsShift Brain FunctioningFrom: contraction of lower brainTo: openness, engagement of higher brain

From: victim, at the effect ofTo: empowered, becoming an agent of changePractices to Accelerate Brain ChangePresence primes receptivity of brain

Intention/choice activates plasticity

Perseverance creates and installs changeBouncing Back from AdversitySomatic Intelligence body-based, rewire traumaEmotional Intelligence from survival responses to thrivingRelational Intelligence heal heartache, access havens and resources, navigate peopled worldReflective Intelligence conscious awareness; catch the moment, make a choiceI am no longer afraid of storms,For I am learning how to sail my ship.- Louisa May AlcottResilience in the Face of Violence and AbuseInternational Conference onThe Jewish Community Confronts Violence and Abuse - December 1, 2014

Linda Graham, [email protected]