HEALING FROM HISTORICAL AND GENERATIONAL

TRAUMA THROUGH MOVEMENT, MINDFULNESS,

AND SPIRITUALITY

THE DIVINE DANCE

Workshop Description

From the first tenet of Osteopathic Medicine: the body is a self-regulating unit, composed of mind, body, and spirit. Very often in

persons who are living with or who have inherited historical and

generational trauma we hide in our bodies our hurt, humiliation, fear,

and shame.

OBJECTIVES

Utilizing a variety of techniques combining wisdom traditions and

modern day science, at the end of the session participants will have

practical Monday morning Take Always to use immediately for their

own self care and to share with their patients, clients, and/or students

and even family members.

Participants will have the opportunity to free

their Spirits with:

Embodied Joy, an expressive meditation involving shaking and

dancing;

Chaotic Breathing, a core strengthening breath technique designed to energize, uplift, relieve tension and enhance mental

clarity;

Dialogue with a Symptom, beginning with a Guided Meditation, this exercise concludes with a letter to oneself addressing an

emotional or physical challenge and then exploring what one can

learn from the symptom or problem;

Forgiveness Meditation, this journey incorporates both a

mindfulness approach to meditation as well as concentration

meditation to evoke a deep state of inner listening. this

transcendent form of meditation simultaneously heals the

individual as well as the greater community.

Participants will be introduced to the UN 17 Sustainable Goals as potential blueprint for how one can begin or expand Unity

Consciousness from self healing to Community and Global Healing

OPENING MEDITATION

MY STORY: From Dancer to Doula to Doctor

The Limbic-Hypothalamus-Pituitary Axis

(LHPA)

Fight/Flight/Freeze

Trauma activates stress responses and shifts metabolism to fight, flight or freezing

ht/flight/freeze

PREFRONTAL CORTEX – Executive Function

Executive function is necessary for everyday adaptive behaviors:

The need to pay attention and concentrate

Plan a course of action

Adapt to unforeseen events

Control impulsive behaviors

These processes include:

Working memory

Attention

Flexibility

Typically acquired during development and decline with age

Acute Stress and Executive Function

Acute stress activates the LHPA

Enhances sensory gain, environmental scanning and performance

Negatively impacts working memory, problem solving and cognitive

flexibility

A short term adaptive strategy to improve reaction to stimuli at the

expense of higher order cognitive function

Catecholamines levels lower in about an hour for most stressors

Glucocorticoids remain elevated longer

Toxic Stress and Brain Development

Glucocorticoids are important for normal brain development

Glucocorticoid receptors act as transcription factors and regulate gene expression for metabolism and immune function as well as for cognition and brain development

Both suppressed and elevated level stress hormones may lead to

adverse brain development through apoptosis, delays in myelination,

inhibition of neurogenesis and decreased brain growth factors

Toxic Stress and Brain Development - 2

In animals, severe stress in early life, can disrupt the LHPA process

Reduced cognitive function

Reduced number of CA3 hippocampal neurons

Decreased branching in hippocampal pyramidal neurons later in life

Elevated CRF persists into adulthood

Initially high ACTH and cortisol attenuate with chronic exposure

High CRF downregulates neural CRF receptors after trauma

Toxic Stress and Brain Development - 3

However, increased CRF can be found in the CSF even into adulthood in childhood trauma victims and those with PTSD

Chronically elevated CRF caused generalized arousal, anxiety, aggression, hypervigilance and stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system

“Priming”-Early exposure to catecholamines

Primed system will hyper-respond with higher ACTH and cortisol during stress (or any occurrence of reminders of trauma)

Increased ACTH has been found in depressed abused teens and women who experience chronic adversity

Toxic Stress and Brain Development - 4

With intense or prolonged exposure there is:

Perceived difficulty with concentration

Difficulty with working memory and decision making

Poor performance on tests of set shifting and working

memory

Shift toward automated response patterns during

decision making

Toxic Stress and Prefrontal Cortex

Executive dysfunction and dysregulation can reduce ones quality of life

Acute stress events and chronic stress are strong risk factors for mental illness

Mood disorders

Generalized anxiety disorder

Obsessive compulsive disorder

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Post traumatic stress disorder

Addictive behaviors

Toxic Stress and Brain Development

Prefrontal Cortex:

Reduction in apical dendrites

Debranching of pyramidal neurons

Dendritic spine loss in the mPFC

Hippocampus:

Thinning of apical dendrite spines in the CA1region

Shortening of dendrites in CA3

Toxic Stress and Premature Aging

Shortened telomeres in institutionalized children

Increased telomere erosion if 2 or more types of violence

Increased pituitary volumes at a younger age than typical

Memory deficits in adulthood

Increased risk of heart attack, cancer and other diseases

Increased risk of early death

In Summary

Summary of Impact on Prefrontal Cortex

Stress: A Little is Good – A Lot is Bad

Toxic Stress is a Public Health Crisis

If your ACE Score is ≥ 4 there is an increased risk of :

− Diabetes (1.5 x)− Stroke (2.5 x)

− Hepatitis (2.5x− Depression (4.5 x) − Suicide (12 x)

If your ACE Score is ≥ 7 there is an increased risk of :

− Lung Cancer 3x− Heart Disease 3.5 x

Mind Body Medicine

Mind Body Medicine simultaneously unites and looks

across the continuum of modalities that bring about a

state of relaxed awareness. We combine modern science,

wisdom traditions across cultures, and human connection

to create a powerful new medicine centered on a simple

concept: Self-Care.

Mind Body Medicine (continued)

Mind Body Medicine practitioners teach skills including

breath work, meditation, guided imagery, biofeedback

and small group support to health professionals,

educators, and other community leaders. Research

validates mind-body medicine's powerful effect in

relieving trauma, reducing stress, and restoring hope.

Exercise#1: SHAKING and DANCING

EMBODIED JOY

An expressive Meditation

involving shaking and

dancing

Exercise#2: CHAOTIC BREATHING

A core strengthening breath technique designed to energize, uplift, relieve tension and enhance mental clarity.

PHOTO

Exercise#3: DIALOGUE with a SYMPTOM

Beginning with a guided meditation.

PHOTO

Exercise#4: FOREGIVENESS MEDITATION

This journey incorporates Doula mindfulness…

PHOTO

UN 17 Sustainable Goals

Graphic representation of goals…..coming!

Start with yourself, understanding that the ability

to understand the roots of trauma in a child or in

an adult begins by understanding your own

experiences of trauma and including yourself as

part of the equation.

Trauma is often the root cause of many somatic

based and organ-based pathologies, remember

that in your diagnostic and treatment approach.

In your recommendations to your patients

consider offering any of the mind body medicine

tools discussed or referenced here today, they

are proven, quick and effective, easy to learn

and easy to teach in a small group setting or one

on one in an office-based setting.

When considering the high incidence of trauma

in our patient population consider that it is likely

that there is an element of trauma in every

patient that you see.

Your Charge

Becoming a better clinician, a deeper

listener, and a more effective agent for

change.

Today’s Action Items

Explore one of the websites listed in the

references for more information

Focus on understanding your own trauma(s) &

begin to normalize & therefore broaden your

working definition of trauma

Go Take a CME on Trauma to expand your

toolkit

Practical Tip -1

Billing and Coding

In the office when I am working with Meditation for example, I bill at the appropriate codes for what-ever co-morbidities the patient has and integrate the meditation into the session with the patient along with the physical exam, ordering labs if needed. I save some time by having my Certified Medical Assistant and or Nurse handle medication renewals, prior authorizations and insurance questions.

Practical Tip - 2

In Office Tips

We begin every morning with a 5-10 minute huddle that

will include practical things related to office management

and flow but always includes a brief meditation and some

gentle movement to help the entire clinical team and

staff create the best possible mindset for that day.

Practical Tip - 3

In the Community

Look for Community partners that will attract your audience,

clients, and/or patients. For example, I am currently working

with a Pilates studio that has ample floor space and is centrally

located in my community. I am holding a 7 week Mind Body

Medicine Course : Becoming Weightless in Mind, Body, and

Spirit. This has accomplished many things:

It has attracted new patients for both Medimorphosis and

Ocean Health Initiatives

It has attracted new clients for the Pilates Studio

Practical Tip – 3a

In the Community 2

Since a big part of my focus now is on helping individuals free themselves of embedded trauma, when they come into the space they can’t escape the fact that this is a place where one comes to move. the suggestion is there in a subtle way without me having to talk about it all the time. The space was purposefully chosen because it speaks a lot about who I am as both a person and a healer.

Practical Tip – 3b

In the Community 3

In a great community partnership, other events and

gatherings will organically develop, for example in July I

will be holding my community meditation series at this

same studio and the studio owner is offering a mat based

Pilates series to introduce beginning students to the

principles and practice of Pilates.

Bibliography I

A., Van Der Kolk Bessel. The body keeps the score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of

Trauma. New York (New York): Penguin Books, 2015.

Eddy, Martha. Mindful Movement: The Evolution of the Somatic Arts and Conscious

Action. Bristol, UK: Intellect, 2017.

Gintis, Bonnie. Engaging the Movement of Life: Exploring Health and Embodiment through

Osteopathy and Continuum. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 2007.

Huang, Al Chung-liang. Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain: the Essence of Tai Ji.

London: Singing Dragon, 2011.

Rankin, Lissa, M.D. Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself.

Brighton-Le-Sands, NSW: Hay House Australia Pty Ltd., 2015.

Bibliography II

Huang, Al Chung-liang., and Si Chi. Ko. Essential Tai Ji. London: Singing Dragon, 2011.

Huang, Al Chung-liang. Tai Ji Dancing for Kids: Five Moving Elements. London: Singing Dragon, 2017.

Ortner, Jessica. The Tapping Solution for Weight Loss and Body Confidence.Australia: Hay House, 2014.

Rankin, Lissa, M.D. What's Up Down There? Questions You'd Only Ask Your Gynecologist If She Was Your Best Friend. New York City, NY: St. Martin's Press, 2010.

Rankin, Lissa, M.D. Anatomy of a Calling. Place of publication not identified: Rodale, 2015.

Bibliography III

Michael D. DeBellis, MD. MPH and Abigail Zisk A.B. The Biological Effects of Childhood Trauma Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2014 April; 23 (2); 185-222. doi; 10.1016/j.chc.2014.01.002

Milena Girotti. Samantha M. Adler. Sarah E. Bulin, Elizabeth A. Fucich, Denisse Paredes, David A. Morilak. Prefrontal Cortex Executive Processes Affected by Stress in Health and Disease. Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry (2017). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.07.004

Michael J. Watt, Matthew A. Weber, Shaydel, R. Davies, Gina L. Forster. Impact of Juvenile Chronic Stress on Adult Cortico-Accumbal Function: Implications for Cognition and Addiction. Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry. http://dx.dol.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.06.015

M. J. Caruso, D. E. Reiss, J. I. Caufield, J.. L. Thomas, A. N. Baker, S. A. Cavigelli, H. M. Kamens. Adolescent Chronic Variable Social Stress Influences Exploratory Behavior and Nicotine Responses in Male, but not Female, BALB/cJ Mice. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2017.08.001

Leah K. Gilbert, MD, MSPH, Matthew J. Breiding, PhD, Melissa T. Merrick, PhD, William W. Thompson, PhD, Derek C. Ford, PhD Satvinder D Dhingra, MPH, Sharyn E. Parks, PhD. Childhood Adversity and Adult Chronic Disease: An Update from Ten States and the District of Columbia, 2010. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016./j.ampere.2014.09.006

Bibliography IV

Vincent J. Felitti, MD, FACP, Robert F. Anda, MD, MS, Dale Nordenberg, MD, David F. Williamson, MS, PhD, Alison M. Spit, MS, MPH, Valerie Edwards, BA, Mary P. Koss, PhD, James S. Marks, MD, MPH. Relation of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 1998;14:245-258

7. Jennifer A. Campbell, BS, Rebekah J. Walker, PhD, Leonard E. Egede, MD, MS. Associations Between Adverse Childhood Experiences, High-Risk Behaviors, and Morbidity in Adulthood. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2016; 50 (3):344-352

8. Matthias Mejer, Urs M, Nater, Jin-Mann S. Lin, Lucile Capuron, ad William c. Reeves. Association of Childhood Trauma with Cognitive Function in Healthy Adults: a Pilot Study. BioMedCentral Neurology 2010 10:61

9. Capt. Sandra K. Swedean, USAF MC; MAJ Monica V. Gonzales, MC USA; Betty A. Zickefoos, RN; Anneke C. Bush, ScD, MHS; Maj Jessica M. Davis, USAF MC; Diane C. Elrod, RN; Maj David T. Hsieh, USAF MC. Recurrent Headache in Military-Dependent Children and the Impact of Parent Deployment. Military Medicine, 178, 3:274, 0213.

10. Synne Øien Stensland, MD, PhD, John-Anker Zwart, MD, PhD, Tore Wentzel-Larsen, MSc and Grete Dyb, MD, PhD The Headache of Terror-A Matched Cohort Study of Adolescents from the Utøya and the HUNT Study. Neurology 2018;90:59, doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000004805

References and Acknowledgements

Rankin, Lissa, M.D. Fear Cure: Cultivating Courage as Medicine for the Body, Mind, and

Soul. Place of publication not identified: Hay House Inc., 2016.

Rouzorondu, Eraka. Answers: A Philosophical Foundation for an Empowered Life. Ph,B.,

Inc., 2014.

Wolynn, Mark. It Didn’t Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are

and How to End the Cycle. NY, NY: Penguin Books, 2017.

National Institute of Mental Health nigh.nih.gov

The Center for Mind Body Medicine cmbm.org

NY Times Sunday Magazine, April 15, 2018 Why are Black mothers and babies in the

United States dying at more than double the rate of white mothers and babies? The

answer has everything to do with the lived experience of being a black woman in

America. Linda Villarosa

Research Articles

Dance for health: improving fitness in African American Adults and adolescents • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1382101/

The effect of Tai Chi on health-related quality of life in people with elevated blood glucose or diabetes: a randomized controlled trial • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23143590

Tai Chi and Rheumatic Diseases • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3058626/

Tai Chi and Qi Gong for Health and Well Being • https://nccih.nih.gov/video/taichiDVD

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to The Restorative Medicine Conference; Dr. James S. Gordon,

Founder and Executive Director, Center for Mind Body Medicine; Colleagues

and patients at Ocean Health Initiatives; Medimorphosis Medical Weight Loss;

and Diem Jones, Chief Executive Officer, All One Consulting Group, LLC.

Heart felt gratitude always to my family; my parents Arthur and Alma Penn,

my first teachers, my husband Diem and our boys, Keita and Dima. The songs

of my heart that have danced the tears of my trauma(s) into the shadows.

“The past is never dead. It’s not even

past.”

William Faulkner

(It Didn’t Start with You, Mark Wolynn)

Acknowledgements

I wish to acknowledge the Jen Palmer, ND and the staff of the Association

of Restorative Medicine

I especially offer my gratitude to the Omnipresence in my life, One Love

and to my husband and business partner Mr. Diem Jones, Founder of All

One Consulting, LLC and Co-Founder and Executive Director of VONA. I

extend gratitude to my parents, grandparents, and the ancestors, our sons

Keita Erskine and Dima Jones, our glorious blended family and my fabulous

patients and clients whose love, courage, and strength lifts me beyond the

depths of my own despair and carries me to unchartered heights in the

boundless field of all possibilities.

drcarol@drcarolpenn.com

(732) 842-3932

IM4US20172794

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