++ Promise me this one thing –
that you’ll watch this video in
the next 24 hours ++
What is it?
It’s a tribute to Dr. Vincent Felitti.
He uncovered one of the most important findings in medical history: the link between early childhood adversity/abuse and chronic illness later in life.
The study is called The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, or The ACE Study for short.
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But, the vast majority of doctors and health professionals have ZERO clue about this research.
I want this to change. Because I believe it has to.
In this video tribute he talks about why it has been so tough to get this statistically significant research – they studied 17,000+ people in the USA and are seeing the same trends worldwide – into the mainstream.
He also speaks about what has to happen for this knowledge and scientific fact to be finally taken seriously. (HINT: It has to do with those in the healing and medical professions coming to terms with their own early adversities and the ghosts of their traumatic pasts.)
So,
… I do hope that you can carve out 19 minutes to watch this tribute.
(It would mean the world to me.)
I watched it the other night and just had to share it with you, because we can’t deny this scientific truth, this reality, anymore.
It isn’t a technical video. It is heart felt. And you see his passion, as well as his sadness, for this discovery he made by accident (!) in the mid-80’s.
I’d love to encourage you to share this with your people. On your Facebook profile. With your doctor. With your family. With anyone who is interested in helping the world heal.
What this man uncovered explains where so much of our pain comes from, both individually and collectively.
And please remember, no one is born wanting to be sick or wanting to hurt or harm others. It is our environment, how we are nurtured, how we are cared for … that creates our reality, our health, and what it means to experience deep goodness.
Thanks for being here, listening and learning.
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PS/FYI.
Entire books have been written about this research – here are two that I recommend:
- Scared Sick: The Role of Childhood Trauma in Adult Disease (One of my faves!)
- Childhood Disrupted: How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology, and How You Can Heal (I interviewed the author of this book, Donna Jackson Nakazawa, a few years ago and you can listen to this interview HERE.)
* * *
Plus, this popular TED talk, How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across A Lifetime, presented by a prominent doctor, Nadine Burke-Harris, is worth a watch as well.