ACEsTooHigh

After nearly a year of transition—mostly taken up by organization issues of spinning ACEsTooHigh off from PACEs Connection, applying to becoming an independent nonprofit organization, joining the Institute for Nonprofit News, and engaging it as my new fiscal sponsor—I'm taking my first sabbatical ever. ACEsTooHigh will return with a new look and new articles. I'll still be keeping an eye on the site and responding to comments. Let me know if you have any questions!

ACEsTooHigh on hiatus until March 4. After nearly a year of transition—mostly taken up by organization issues of spinning ACEsTooHigh off from PACEs Connection, applying to becoming an independent nonprofit organization, joining the I…

This isn’t your usual article about domestic violence, the one that’s pretty much been repeating itself since the 1980s: that there’s too much of it, the lifelong pain it causes (mostly) women and their children, that there’s not nearly enough support for them. All that is true. This article focuses on a remarkable solution to family violence: Programs that expand the focus on healing to the abuser, who’s traditionally shunted to the side as worthy only of blame, shame and punishment, and how these programs are evolving to offer hope to communities where little existed....

This isn’t your usual article about how bad domestic violence is; it’s about a solution This isn’t your usual article about domestic violence, the one that’s pretty much been repeating itself since the 1980s: that there’s too much of it, the lifelong pain it causes (mostly) women and …

In the world of family violence, the focus is on healing victims (survivors). This includes funding for domestic violence shelters, thousands of research projects, state and federal legislation, and changing the criminal justice response. But that’s providing help for only half the people involved in the problem. Batterers, the other half, have one option, generally speaking: punishment. Go to jail and/or complete a 26- or 52-week batterer intervention program....

Batterer intervention programs that take a healing approach drastically cut re-arrest rates In the world of family violence, the focus is on healing victims (survivors). This includes funding for domestic violence shelters, thousands of research projects, state and federal …

Cap Radio's Kate Wolffe highlighted how community workers (and took this photo) in a Sacramento, California, neighborhood have been telling people who live in encampments about the science of adverse childhood experiences (without calling it that). Some relevant excerpts: Near the start of Redding Park at the corner of Rio Linda and Harris avenues, (Dr. Gina) Warren (co-founder of the Neighborhood Wellness Foundation) asked a few people living outside about their childhoods, marking their answers to her survey on an online form....

2 Worth check out: Neighborhood uses ACEs to prevent opioid deaths; burgeoning research about PACEs science Cap Radio’s Kate Wolffe highlighted how community workers (and took this photo) in a Sacramento, California, neighborhood have been telling people who live in encampments about the science of…

lucentius/Getty Images From Anna Rankin in The Guardian: ‘There’s a huge problem’: New Zealand searches for new ways to tackle family violence... Joshua Wilson* was abandoned at birth and then adopted into a family where he was sexually abused by his father and violently tormented by his mother. Cycling through state-run boys’ homes, he battled addiction and later wrestled with thoughts of ending his own life....

2 Worth checking out: innerBoy app a promising solution for family violence. Could Ozempic curb cravings for alcohol, shopping & gambling? lucentius/Getty Images From Anna Rankin in The Guardian: ‘There’s a huge problem’: New Zealand searches for new ways to tackle family violence… Joshua Wilson* [not his real name] was abandone…

Adobe A study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine links adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with "functional impairment" in older adults, including "objective signs of physical mobility impairment, cognitive impairment including problems with memory and concentration, and also to report difficulty carrying out core activities of daily living", Dr. Alison J. Huang was quoted as saying in Statnews.com article by journalist Ambar Castillo....

http://acestoohigh.com/2023/08/04/worth-checking-out-childhood-adversity-linked-to-health-financial-problems-in-older-adults-bill-introduced-to-untangle-poverty-from-child-neglect/

Worth checking out: Childhood adversity linked to health, financial problems in older adults; bill introduced to untangle poverty from child neglect Adobe A study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine links adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with “functional impairment” in older adults, including “objective signs of ph…

It is with a happy heart that I post this great news! On May 1, ACEsTooHigh.com is spinning off from PACEs Connection. The reason? It gives the organizations the flexibility each needs to grow as it should. When I founded ACEs Connection in 2012, it comprised ACEsTooHigh.com, a news site for the general public that I founded in 2009, and ...

http://acestoohigh.com/2023/05/01/acestoohigh-spins-off-from-paces-connection/

ACEsTooHigh spins off from PACEs Connection It is with a happy heart that I post this great news! On May 1, ACEsTooHigh.com is spinning off from PACEs Connection.The reason? It gives the organizations the flexibility each needs to grow as it…

Photo: Fred Olivier/Alamy CONTENT WARNING: This story contains graphic content and descriptions of sexual abuse involving a minor. Reader discretion is advised. In my beginning is my end. — T.S. Eliot Friday, July 24, 1998 / 2:29 a.m.Aboard The RSV AURORA AUSTRALIS100 miles off the Antarctic coast One long, ear-thrumming alarm jerks me from the edge of sleep. A fire drill?...

Mayday at the Bottom of the World [Personal note: People often ask what prompted me to found PACEs Connection, which began as ACEs Connection in 2012. There are two parts to this answer: the professional part—how ACEs Connection gr…

How do we, as a country, learn about mass shootings and gun violence? The news media. How do we learn about the best approaches to prevent mass shootings and gun violence? The answer should be “the news media”, but it’s not. Yet. People who know about the science of positive and adverse childhood experiences (PACEs)—that’s all of you in this community—understand that PACEs are at the root of violence....

http://acestoohigh.com/2022/07/13/mass-shootings-and-the-news-media-catching-up-to-the-science-of-paces/

Mass shootings and the news media: Catching up to the science of PACEs How do we, as a country, learn about mass shootings and gun violence? The news media. How do we learn about the best approaches to prevent mass shootings and gun violence? The answer should be “the…

Just as millions of other people over the last few days, we’re still reeling from the news of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that overturned Roe v. Wade. One overpowering emotion after another hit us—we’re sad, devastated, numb, livid. So many parts of people’s lives are affected that it’s overwhelming to try to comprehend....

http://acestoohigh.com/2022/06/30/supreme-court-justices-and-originalism-a-legacy-of-aces/

Supreme Court justices and originalism: A legacy of ACEs Just as millions of other people over the last few days, we’re still reeling from the news of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that overturned Roe v. …

Thousands of parents, pediatricians, social workers, educators, community advocates, kids, judges, police, district attorneys know exactly what led to Salvador Rolando Ramos running into a school and slaughtering 19 kids and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas. And what could have derailed his path, as well as the path of all other recent mass shooters. To people educated about the consequences of too many childhood adversities and too few positive experiences, what happened in Uvalde is not a mystery....

http://acestoohigh.com/2022/06/07/theres-no-mystery-to-what-happened-in-uvalde-there-were-many-opportunities-to-prevent-it/

There’s no mystery to what happened in Uvalde; there were many opportunities to prevent it . Thousands of parents, pediatricians, social workers, educators, community advocates, kids, judges, police, district attorneys know exactly what led to Salvador Rolando Ramos running into …

To prevent mass shootings, don't bother with motive; start doing forensic ACE investigations Because 18-year-old Payton Gendron provided in his 180-page diatribe a motive for shooting 10 people in Buffalo, NY, on Saturday night, police didn’t need to search for one, as they often have other in mass shootings. But using motive to prevent mass shootings will just get you a useless answer to the wrong question....

http://acestoohigh.com/2022/05/18/to-prevent-mass-shootings-dont-bother-with-motive-do-a-forensic-aces-investigation/

To prevent mass shootings, don’t bother with motive; do a forensic ACEs investigation To prevent mass shootings, don’t bother with motive; start doing forensic ACE investigations Because 18-year-old Payton Gendron provided in his 180-page diatribe a motive for shooti…

As a Weinstein survivor, I’ve noticed that journalists love to explore the presumed solidarity among “sister survivors” – in our case, the over 100 women who came forward about Weinstein’s sexual predation. But what journalists don’t write about are the challenges in preventing any group of trauma survivors from imploding. Only when we survivors understand the impact of trauma can we overcome the underlying forces that threaten to pull us apart and stand together against injustice and abuse....

http://acestoohigh.com/2022/04/22/the-myth-of-survivor-solidarity-why-its-so-hard-for-us-to-all-just-get-along/

The myth of survivor solidarity: Why it’s so hard for us to all just get along As a Weinstein survivor, I’ve noticed that journalists love to explore the presumed solidarity among “sister survivors” – in our case, the over 100 women who came forward about Weinstein’s sexual p…

TRIGGER ALERT - CONTENT REFERENCING S*XUAL ASSAULT, CHILD S*X TRAFFICKING, PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL ABUSE. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. I don’t think it matters which month it is—when you feel called to share a portion of your story the calendar is irrelevant. In my case, the calendar serendipitously lined up with a surgery that occurred the same month. I had a full hysterectomy because of a large fibroid tumor in the wall of my uterus and multiple tumors in and on my ovaries....

http://acestoohigh.com/2022/04/21/hysterectomy-triggers-renewal-of-childhood-trauma/

Hysterectomy Triggers Renewal of Childhood Trauma TRIGGER ALERT – CONTENT REFERENCING S*XUAL ASSAULT, CHILD S*X TRAFFICKING, PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL ABUSE. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. I don’t think it matters which month it is—w…

Growing up as the eldest daughter in a family of three girls and three boys in Nairobi, Kenya, Becky Ndung’u and all her siblings attended school, which is mandatory for children ages six through 14. Her parents—both farmers and her father also a lifelong government accountant—were committed to providing all their children a good education. Her education began in a public school, followed by a private high school....

http://acestoohigh.com/2022/04/06/paces-champion-rebeccah-ndungu-launches-trauma-informed-schools-in-kenya/

PACEs champion Rebeccah Ndung’u launches trauma-informed schools in Kenya [Ed. note: This is a continuing series of articles about people who are involved and contributing in the movement to implement practices and policies based on the science of positive and adverse ch…

As a survivor of interpersonal trauma, commitment and intimacy have never been easy, which is why I never did remarry after my first marriage fell apart. That is until last October, when my boyfriend who had been living at a comfortable distance (measured in thousands of miles) suggested I pack up my apartment and ride out the pandemic with him in Hawaii....

http://acestoohigh.com/2022/04/06/the-intolerable-cure/

The Intolerable Cure As a survivor of interpersonal trauma, commitment and intimacy have never been easy, which is why I never did remarry after my first marriage fell apart. That is until last October, when my boyfrie…

Three relatively recent studies from different parts of the U.S. show that only a tiny percentage of physicians, medical school faculty and other healthcare providers are integrating practices and policies based on the science of positive and adverse childhood experiences (PACEs). Why it matters: For people in the PACEs community, the following is news that’s 20 years old: Adverse childhood experiences…...

http://acestoohigh.com/2022/03/29/research-shows-only-a-tiny-percentage-of-physicians-integrating-paces-science/

Research shows only a tiny percentage of physicians integrating PACEs science Three relatively recent studies from different parts of the U.S. show that only a tiny percentage of physicians, medical school faculty and other healthcare providers are integrating practices and …

In 1994, former President Jimmy Carter proposed establishing a group of physicians to ascertain the mental health of a sitting president. A panel was assembled to consider the proposal, but the idea withered. During the Trump presidency, some U.S. lawmakers suggested that the vice president and the cabinet hire experts to evaluate the mental health of the president due to his erratic behavior, but that proposal went no further, either....

http://acestoohigh.com/2022/03/02/how-vladimir-putins-childhood-is-affecting-us-all/

How Vladimir Putin’s childhood is affecting us all In 1994, former President Jimmy Carter proposed establishing a group of physicians to ascertain the mental health of a sitting president. A panel was assembled to consider the proposal, but the ide…

In 1964, Dan Press was in his first year of law school and was not liking it; he wanted a way out. He applied for a volunteer spot with AmeriCorps VISTA, the domestic version of the Peace Corps, and was intrigued by a position on an Indian reservation. Dan Press “I knew nothing about Indians, but it sounded like a good opportunity,” says Press, who was raised in Flushing, in the Queens borough of New York City....

http://acestoohigh.com/2021/11/19/dan-press-traces-how-legal-work-for-native-americans-led-to-advocacy-to-uproot-trauma/

Dan Press traces how legal work for Native Americans led to advocacy to uproot trauma In 1964, Dan Press was in his first year of law school and was not liking it; he wanted a way out. He applied for a volunteer spot with AmeriCorps VISTA, the domestic version of the Peace…

Through the news media, Americans are served an almost-daily dose of violence caused by guns. This year to date, more than 33,929 people in the United States have been killed and another 30,000+ have been injured by guns. The U.S. homicide rate for fi****ms is 22 times greater than that of the European Union, even though the European population is 35% larger....

http://acestoohigh.com/2021/10/13/gun-violence-expert-says-tackling-underlying-inequities-key-to-prevention/

Gun violence expert says tackling underlying inequities key to prevention Through the news media, Americans are served an almost-daily dose of violence caused by guns. This year to date, more than 33,929 people in the United States have been killed and another 30,000+ ha…

In a recent nightmare, 8-year-old Jovina dreamt that her father got COVID-19. He was getting sicker, but she and her mother weren’t able to get there in time. “There,” in her father’s case, is a cell at the California Correctional Center (CCC) in Susanville, California, nearly 300 miles from where she lives in San Jose. In Jovina’s mind are a swarm of worries about her father’s welfare, her mother Benee Vejar reports....

http://acestoohigh.com/2021/09/29/california-advocates-press-for-expansion-of-visiting-rights-to-incarcerated-loved-ones/

California advocates press for expansion of visiting rights to incarcerated loved ones In a recent nightmare, 8-year-old Jovina dreamt that her father got COVID-19. He was getting sicker, but she and her mother weren’t able to get there in time. “There,” in her father’s case, is a ce…

“Gannett launches a network-wide push to rework its crime coverage.” It’s about damn time. We advocated this more than 20 years ago, and we go a LOT further in our suggestions to make crime reporting more relevant, less racist and more useful to communities. Berkeley Media Studies Group, a public health research organization, launched the Reporting on Violence…...

http://acestoohigh.com/2021/08/18/dear-gannett-great-start-now-go-the-distance/

Dear Gannett: Great start! Now go the distance. “Gannett launches a network-wide push to rework its crime coverage.” It’s about damn time. We advocated this more than 20 years ago, and we go a LOT further in our suggestions to make crime reporti…

The murder of George Floyd in May 2020 unleashed hundreds of articles, books, podcasts, film and online documentaries. It’s not that the roots of racism and inequity in historical trauma hadn’t been known about or written about previous to his death (Frederick Douglas, James Baldwin, anyone?), but the pressures of hundreds of years of injustice began a near explosive untangling from the massive twisted and angry knot they’d formed over generations....

http://acestoohigh.com/2021/07/14/think-you-know-something-about-historical-trauma-paces-connections-historical-trauma-in-america-series-promises-to-be-an-eye-opener/

Think you know something about historical trauma? PACEs Connection’s ‘Historical Trauma in America’ series promises to be an eye-opener The murder of George Floyd in May 2020 unleashed hundreds of articles, books, podcasts, film and online documentaries. It’s not that the roots of racism and inequity in historical trauma hadn’t bee…