#thebreathenetwork

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We just launched our free mini e-course, 12 Elements of Trauma-Informed Care! This series of weekly emails explores 12 key components that we believe are invaluable when providing support for survivors of sexual violence. There are many layers and nuances to sexual violence, the trauma of the experience/s itself, and the intersecting traumas, wounds, triggers and silencing that is both collateral and directly entwined with living in this culture as a survivor. This kind of trauma is complex and it is person specific. It is also pervasive - survivors are everywhere. As a healing arts or health + wellness provider you will inevitably work with survivors (whether or not you know it) and you can choose to positively influence how that interaction will go by gaining more knowledge on the topic. One size could never fit all when it comes to healing or trauma-informed considerations. Survivors are not a monolith, they are a diverse group in terms of identity and experiences. One course will peel back the first layer of what it means to provide trauma-informed care. One course will give you a glimpse into the scope of sexual violence on a person's heart, their tissues and their dreams, although its reach is so much more. One course will raise more questions than it can deliver answers. However, we have to start somewhere and we have to start now. These 12 elements are part of the larger constellation within a nonlinear journey of healing practices, social support, physical, mental, energetic + spiritual challenge + resilience, activism, art making, political advocacy, existential questioning and community building that is required to rebalance the soul. They may shed light on something absent within your healing arts practice or something you've sensed intuitively but didn't fully understand, and they may give a survivor a kind of entry point into a necessary, although difficult, conversation with a healer, partner, family member or friend. Sign up by following the link in our profile. #12elements #traumainformed #slidingscale #holistichealing #survivor #sexualassault #mindbodysoul #embodiedjustice #traumatraining #nonprofit #thebreathenetwork #buildingresilience

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"Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity." -Pema Chödrön Thank you to my colleagues, friends and trauma healing teachers - Jennifer Patterson, Karen Rose, Mark Gerow and Jane Clapp for believing in our mission and vision, for facing your wounds and searching out such powerful pathways to build your inner resilience, and for reminding us that we have the capacity to surf the waves of healing when met by trauma-informed healers who help us lovingly uncover our darkness and remember our light. Thank you to new friends and colleagues in the movement to end sexual violence and the many trauma healers and survivors who brought themselves to the space with curiosity, presence and care for themselves and for one another. We are grateful for the work you all do to promote holistic healing for survivors and for your commitment to your own process. ❤️-M #slidingscale #traumainformed #holistichealing #embodiedjustice #healingisapractice #mindbodysoul #nonprofit #thebreathenetwork #traumatraining #sexualassault #survivor #traumaresilience #newyorkhealers (at New York, New York)

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Today we celebrate our 4 year anniversary! Thank you to our 100+ healing arts and health + wellness practitioners for your commitment to serving the sexual assault survivor population with expertise, grace and compassion. Thank you to our supporters and donors who believe that the time to center healing - body, mind and soul - is now. Thank you to friends and family who have offered emotional and energetic support to this massive undertaking to build a network of sliding-scale, trauma-informed, holistic healing arts professionals across the U.S., Canada and beyond giving survivors tools and resources that will lead them towards their own innate resilience. Thank you to all the other anti-violence, trauma healing and social justice organizations and movements for teaching, collaborating and inspiring us to believe in the possibility for transforming our society. Thank you to our board and volunteers for their enthusiasm, creativity and faith in our capacity to create our own path and for lovingly tending to our garden of ideas, dreams, projects and aspirations for where and how our mission and vision may organically want to grow. Thank you most of all to the survivors of sexual violence and trauma who remind us that healing is not only possible but every person's birthright, and whose struggles, vulnerability and strength fuels and humbles us every single day. #thebreathenetwork #buildingresilience #embodiedhealing #holistichealing #traumainformed #traumaresilience #embodiedjustice #mindbodysoul #survivor #sexualassault #sexualabuse #sexualviolence #transformingtrauma #survivorcentered #nonprofit #breathe #justbreathe

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“It is important for people (survivors + non-survivors) to understand that a survivor's healing is nonlinear and might greatly vary from another survivor. Survivors do not exist in a monolith - we deserve to be validated in the healing ways that resonate to us - even if these practices don't work for someone else. It's incredibly important to understand that a survivor has the key to their own healing. They may need a guide, but they are the ones who know the most.” -Anonymous Our survey was both qualitative and quantitative, which allowed us to gather hundreds of incredibly powerful statements from survivors about over a dozen different healing arts practices as well as the unique benefits + barriers they have identified in recovery within and outside of the healing arts. This comment about nonlinear healing, that there is no one size fits all approach to trauma recovery - is among countless insights that survivors shared with us - and cannot be overstated! We are grateful for the trust participants placed in us and their willingness to share about their experiences so that we might enhance the care we provide and ultimately, that our movement to end sexual violence will also expand, refine and diversify resources. We look forward to publishing a comprehensive summary of our findings where survivors, their allies, advocates, family, friends, colleagues, health and wellness providers and more, can discover some of the many ways, tools and practices to empower resilience and recovery after trauma. #saam2016 #30daysofholistichealing #nationalstudy #sexualassaultresearch #nonprofit #nonlinearhealing #traumainformed #slidingscale #mindbodysoul #holistichealing #embodiedhealing #embodiedjustice #survivor #sexualassault #buildingresilience #thebreathenetwork

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This week we highlight some of the discoveries we are making through our national sexual assault study, "Alternative Therapies for Survivors of Sexual Assault" which we are still in the process of completing. 265 survivors participated in the online survey and over 30 participated in the in-person or phone interview. This question, "Did any aspects of the practitioners's training and experience help you feel more comfortable seeking care?" captures the significance of training healing arts practitioners in understanding the nuances of sexual violence and its impact on the body, mind and spirit, as well as best practices in providing trauma-informed care. Additionally, we believe that informing people upfront about how these different practices work creates more accessibility by giving the survivor's information about what to expect from the healer and the modality. 72% of respondents told us that their practitioner's previous training in the topic of sexual violence was significant, 85% said having previous experience working with survivors was significant, and 55% said being able to learn about the treatment approach prior to making an appointment mattered to them. We are continuing to learn from survivors through their comments on our online survey as well as through in person interviews. As we plan our next four trainings across the United States, and work to update and refine our website, we are taking into account this critical feedback from the people that we seek to serve. Stay tuned for more updates and the eventual release of a comprehensive report on our research! #saam2016 #30daysofholistichealing #survivor #sexualassault #nationalstudy #sexualassaultresearch #alternativehealing #holistichealing #embodiedhealing #embodiedjustice #traumainformed #training #buildingresilience #transformingtrauma #thebreathenetwork #nonprofit

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We will close our online sexual assault survey *after* today and shift our focus to the next stage of research. We are grateful to the 200+ participants that chose to complete this survey and the many who have shared it. Survivors have powerfully shared with us about their experiences exploring the healing arts, the barriers they faced in accessing healing, and many other mind opening insights as to what is required to repair after trauma. If you'd like to take the survey, it is available on our website. We recommend identifying your support systems/practices prior to taking the survey, and we also list a variety of resources for you to access as well. While we don't specifically ask @ the event/s, recalling the pathways of how one began to heal, why one *needed* healing support, can just as easily bring us back. Make the choice that works for you, trust yourself on whether or not taking the survey feels right. We already see the myriad ways that the outcomes of this research will impact the resources available to people after sexual violence, the ways in which practitioners approach their work with survivors and the ways it may also influence the larger conversation we are having in this country about the impacts of trauma and toxic stress. Link in profile. #sexualassault #survey #alternativehealingsurvey #sexualassaultresearch #nationalstudy #bodymindsoul #holistichealingresources #survivor #nonprofit #thebreathenetwork #buildingresilience #embodiedhealing #clarissapinkolaestes

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"We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already." -J.K. Rowling | Illustration: Yung Pueblo @yung_pueblo Whatever comes in the week ahead, remember the resource, its own kind of magic, that is the miracle of simply breathing in and breathing out. 💕#thebreathenetwork #tbnholistichealing #breathe #justbreathe #traumainformed #holistichealing #yousurvived #survivor #resilience #transformingtrauma #keepbreathing #comebacktothebreath #day7

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We've posted our first campaign update on our Indiegogo page! Thank you for your generous support! Together we are transforming the way or society responds to the trauma of sexual violence! ✨ #tbnholistichealing #indiegogo #nonprofit #day7 #15% #thebreathenetwork #traumainformed #slidingscale #holistichealing #survivor #sexualassault #transformingtrauma #mindbodyspirit