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Thanks to presenters Alex, Samantha and Sabrina for allowing me to share their presentation on this Padlet!

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view presentation here

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Trauma is Ubiquitous

The first thing I want to impress upon professors is that trauma is everywhere. The recent global pandemic and protests against systemic racism and racial policing, mass shootings, and climate change, and the past few years of social and political events and movements like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter, have brought trauma and mental health into the spotlight. On top of that, our college students have been coming into Minnesota State University for years - decades - with prior trauma histories. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) studies show us that around 65% of the general population in the United States has had at least one adverse childhood experience, such as violence, abuse, or neglect, a family member attempting or dying by suicide, or growing up with a mentally-ill or substance-addicted parent; and over 12% experienced more than four ACEs. Women and people of color are at a higher risk for ACEs. There is also evidence that students are at a higher risk of experiencing new trauma in college (e.g., sexual assault) than the general population (Galatzer-Levy, Burton, & Bonanno, 2012). Therefore, it is not only important to understand how these recent and collective traumas are currently impacting our students (and ourselves or loved ones), but also that these recent events might be compounding on top of pre-existing traumatic experiences and subsequent trauma responses.

There are a number of different definitions of trauma. A traumatic experience can be simply defined as an event that "overwhelms one's capacity to cope". More than that, though, "trauma is not just an event that took place sometime in the past; it is also the imprint left by that experience on mind, brain, and body. This imprint has ongoing consequences for how the human organism manages to survive in the present. Trauma results in a fundamental reorganization of the way mind and brain manage perceptions. It changes not only how we think and what we think about, but also our very capacity to think." (Bessel van der Kolk, pg. 21, book cited below)

The terrifying, possibly life-threatening situation an individual endures highjacks the higher-order functions of the brain - the area responsible for logic and reason and planning - and the individual is instead operating purely on an emotional and survival brain. And it has long-lasting impacts on things like emotional regulation, memory, concentration, self-image, and even relationships. These recent state, national, and global events have not only disrupted our emotional or cognitive functioning, but individuals may now face things like illnesses, public safety concerns, or financial, food, or housing insecurity. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs reminds us that when physiological and safety needs are not met, higher-order processes and goals cannot be obtained.

To more fully understand our students and their learning - and then how to implement trauma-informed and trauma-responsive practices - we must learn a little bit about trauma and toxic stress, and its impact on the mind and body. You don't have to become an expert in trauma, post-traumatic stress, or mental health. Instead, the goal here is to help you start seeing some of the learning, emotional, and behavioral problems going on in your classrooms and with your students from a more holistic, trauma-informed lens. And then use that knowledge to adapt your teaching practices.

An Introduction to the Brain and Trauma Responses

Short video: "A Quick and Simple Way to Think About the Brain"

This infographic (in OneDrive) and video briefly explain the structures of the brain. Learning about the brain can help us better understand the areas and functions most affected by trauma.

Short video: "Understanding Trauma: Learning Brain versus Survival Brain"

This video specifically helps teachers understand, in simple terms, what the difference is in your students who are able to be present in class in their "learning brain" versus students who have experienced trauma and are instead in a "survival brain" having a survival response.

Short video: "Three Ways Trauma Can Change the Brain"

Bessel van der Kolk describes the three ways trauma can change the brain: 1) threat perception is heightened and therefore the individual is more primed to be triggered, 2) the filtering system is disrupted, making it harder to focus and engage, and 3) the self-sensing system changes the way the person feels about themselves.

Short video: "Recognizing the Symptoms of Trauma"

Bessel van der Kolk describes the three main life areas affected by trauma: 1) attention, focus, and concentration, 2) affect regulation, or the ability to identify and respond to emotions in a balanced way, and 3) interpersonal relationships.

Book: The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk

If you were interested in Dr. van der Kolk's explanations of how trauma affects the brain and the individual, his book is a must-read. He delves into and synthesizes decades of research on the neurobiological, psychological, and psychological disruptions that trauma causes - and therapeutic approaches to address such problems.

Childhood Trauma and the Developing Brain
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

This is the study mentioned previously about the pervasiveness of childhood adversity and toxic stress.

TEDTalk: "How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime"

Nadine Burke Harris shares her journey of discovering and understanding the physical toll that toxic stress (trauma) has on an individual across the lifespan and her contributions to what we now know as the ACEs study.

Book: The Deepest Well by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris

If Dr. Burke Harris' TEDTalk grabbed your interest, her book is even better at describing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and how toxic stress affects the individual across the lifespan. Her own preliminary research uncovered that her pediatric patients with four or more ACEs were over 32 times more likely to have been diagnosed with learning and behavioral problems like ADHD (p. 59), which has significant implications for teaching and learning.

Trauma-Informed Teaching Resources

What educators have done is to try to apply the key principles of a trauma-informed care approach to teaching. Not surprisingly, there are not a lot of research articles on trauma-informed practices in higher education. [If anyone is wanting to research or write something, I am eager to collaborate!] There are a number of articles for children and secondary education that may be relevant. And of course, there are so many resources about the origins of trauma-informed care and applications in the public health and mental health arenas. However, I did find a number of useful articles and guides (all PDFs in the OneDrive folder) and online training videos.

A timely article that outlines a few basic things professors can do to prepare for the fall semester, with additional resources and readings listed at the bottom.

Janice Carello has a website with articles, websites, videos, presentations, and other useful resources that will introduce anyone in higher education to trauma-informed principles. More specifically, she has a number of posts and training related to times of crisis and COVID-19. Subscribe to receive updates.

Alex Shevrin Venet is an expert in trauma-informed teaching and learning. She writes articles, summarizes resources, and offers trainings, workshops, and consultations. Visit her "Getting Started with Trauma-Informed Teaching" post (2016).

Carello's presentation is a must-watch/listen. She outlines basic definitions of trauma, the importance of avoiding re-traumatization, the origins of trauma-informed care, and then shares practical strategies for college educators.

This video was linked in the above Chronicle article as an additional resource by Mays Imad. Like Dr. Carello, Mays Imad does a great job of outlining the basics of trauma consequences, the main principles of a trauma-informed practice, and also shares some specific examples and strategies for teaching.

This podcast does an amazing introductory job of introducing trauma, talking about the prevalence of trauma in higher education institutions, defining how trauma and toxic stress impact learning, and providing simple strategies for what faculty/professors can do to be trauma-aware and trauma-responsive in the classroom and with their students - especially now.

A useful podcast that outlines trauma-informed teaching as a "universal approach" to be taken with all students. Her DOs and DON'Ts with K-12 "kids" can be easily applied to college students.

Articles and Guides (PDFs)

SAMHSA's Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach (2014). This is a good background article that outlines the trauma-informed framework, and key practices and principles.
6 Guiding Principles to a Trauma-Informed Approach (Infographic)

Trauma-Informed Practices in Postsecondary Education: A Guide. Davidson, S. with Education Northwest.
This is an incredible resource that starts with how to understand and recognize trauma in learners, outlines higher-risk groups, and details campus-level and classroom-specific strategies.

Trauma Informed Care in the Classroom: A Resource Guide for Educators in Higher Learning. Smith, J with Trauma Informed Oregon Brief tip sheet.

Practicing What We Teach: Trauma-Informed Educational Practice (2015). Carello, J. & Butler, L.

The How and Why of Trauma-Informed Teaching (2018). Shevrin Venet, A.

Four Core Priorities for Trauma-Informed Distance Learning (2020). Newhouse, K. (summarizing Alex Shevrin Venet)

Trauma-Informed Positive Education: Using Positive Psychology to Strengthen Vulnerable Students (2016). Brunzell, T., Stokes, H., & Waters, L.

Shifting Teacher Practice in Trauma‑Affected Classrooms: Practice Pedagogy Strategies Within a Trauma‑Informed Positive Education Model (2019). Brunzell, T., Stokes, H., & Waters, L.

How to Respond to Students in Distress - Recorded PowerPoint

Lindsay Murn developed and recorded this presentation to help professors (and other university staff who have regular interactions with college students) learn active listening and responding skills to help students who are struggling with any issue - recent trauma, COVID-19 pandemic, mental health issues, etc. (in OneDrive)

Referrals

Again, professors should not have to take on the role of trauma professional or mental health therapist and instead should become familiar with the resources on (and off) campus to point students in the right direction. Making changes to your classroom or delivery will be extremely beneficial for ALL students - not just the ones with trauma histories. But then knowing how they can get additional support beyond your classroom is the next biggest step.

Counseling Center

507-389-1455 | mnsu.edu/counseling

We provide a range of mental health and wellness services for students.

Our website has a number of self-guided resources, peer supports, and on-demand presentations on a variety of topics like mindfulness, finding balance, self-care, etc.

Counselors are available for university faculty and staff consultations, or for psychoeducational and mental health-related presentations in your classroom.

Student Health Services

Minnesota State University Mankato Campus Services and Supports
There are a number of other campus offices that can help students, including Accessibility Resources, the Women's Center, the Center for Academic Success, the Multicultural Center, and so many others.

Self-Care

Compassion fatigue in higher education is real (Raimondi, 2019). Professors take on a lot already, and although adding this knowledge and these strategies to your toolkit is tremendously helpful for your students and yourself, it can be mentally and emotionally draining.

Remember to practice good boundaries with others (especially students), invest time and energy into hobbies and non-work interests, and engage in daily mindfulness or other practices that relieve stress and foster feelings of calm.

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The first thing I want to impress upon professors is that trauma is everywhere. The recent global pandemic and protests against systemic racism and racial policing, mass shootings, and climate change, and the past few years of social and political events and movements like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter, have brought trauma and mental health into the spotlight.

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Understanding Trauma: Learning Brain vs Survival Brain

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Thriving - in college and in life - requires taking care of every component of your well-being. See how Barnard helps you do wellness your way.

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Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL)

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Keeping Up With . . . Trauma-Informed Pedagogy

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This edition of Keeping Up With… was written by Desirae Zingarelli-Sweet. Desirae Zingarelli-Sweet is the Reference Librarian at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, email: dzsweet@crcds.edu. Introduction Trauma-informed pedagogy adapts the trauma-informed care framework from health and human s…

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Visually appealing graphics that distill current events

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The information you want. The news you need. Visually Epic.

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Essential viewing for understanding how the dominant gender binary affects how we view the world.

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There are about 7,000 languages spoken around the world -- and they all have different sounds, vocabularies and structures. But do they shape the way we think? Cognitive scientist Lera Boroditsky shares examples of language -- from an Aboriginal community in Australia that uses cardinal directions instead of left and right to the multiple words for blue in Russian -- that suggest the answer is a resounding yes. “The beauty of linguistic diversity is that it reveals to us just how ingenious and how flexible the human mind is,” Boroditsky says. “Human minds have invented not one cognitive universe, but 7,000.”

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"Slow looking" can help students see more detail and uncover deeper meanings in visual media (as well as their physical surroundings) that they might not have otherwise.

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The Art of Slow Looking in the Classroom

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The cross-disciplinary learning benefits of paying close attention.

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"Canción sin miedo" ("Song without fear")

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"Canción sin miedo" ("Song without fear")

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This song has been popularized and sung in many languages all over the world.

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Vivir Quintana - Canción sin miedo ft. El Palomar

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From Harvard's Project Zero

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Para ver este contenido, favor activar JavaScript, o intentar con otro navegador

#NiUnaMenos: la indignación que saltó de Argentina al resto de América Latina

Tras escuchar otro caso de violencia de género a principios de mayo, un grupo de mujeres -periodistas, actrices, artistas e intelectuales- decidieron no quedarse calladas.

Todo empezó con un tuit en el que una de estas mujeres gritaba "nos están matando, tenemos que hacer algo" y encontró respuesta.

Ahora, #NiUnaMenos se ha usado cientos de miles de veces y ha trascendido fronteras como te lo contamos en este video de Gabriela Torres.

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#NiUnaMenos: la indignación que saltó de Argentina al resto de América Latina - BBC News Mundo

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Para ver este contenido, favor activar JavaScript, o intentar con otro navegador #NiUnaMenos: la indignación que saltó de Argentina al resto de América Latina Tras escuchar otro caso de violencia de género a principios de mayo, un grupo de mujeres -periodistas, actrices, artistas e intelectuales- decidieron no quedarse calladas.

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Focus on the empowered response, not the violence

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FOTOS | Mujeres latinoamericanas salen a las calles para conmemorar el Día Internacional de la Mujer

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El 8 de marzo miles de mujeres salieron a las calles para manifestarse contra la violencia de género, para conmemorar el Día Internacional de la Mujer.

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I adopted a reading protocol that I heard about in the podcast "Harry Potter and the Sacred Text." For each text we studied in class (or that students read/heard on their own), we asked these questions in this order:
1) Literal level: What does the text say?
2) Symbolic level: What deeper meanings, symbols or metaphors might the text contain?
3) Personal level: How can you connect the text to your own life?
4) Public level, or a call to action: What moral or lesson can we derive from the text? What should we do with the knowledge we have gained through the text?

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Reading fiction doesn't help us escape the world. It helps us live in it.

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Natural History Museum of LA County

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Published September 15, 2020
Source for the above photo:Facebook - Vela Muxe Los Angeles
Connecting Our Past and Present

The Anthropology Department in partnership with the Community Engagement team are excited to share contemporary stories and NHM collections items spotlighting the Mapuche, Muxe, Fa'afafine and Fa'afatama. Follow along for two additional stories linked below highlighting these vibrant and diverse third gender communities from all around the world.

The gender binary system that exists within many western societies is far from a universal concept.

In fact, numerous Indigenous communities around the world do not conflate gender and sex; rather, they recognize a third or more genders within their societies. Individuals that identify as a third gender many times have visible and socially recognizable positions within their societies and sometimes are thought to have unique or supernatural power that they can access because of their gender identity. However, as European influence and westernized ideologies began to spread and were, in many cases, forced upon Indigenous societies, third genders diminished, along with so many other Indigenous cultural traditions. Nevertheless, the cultural belief and acceptance of genders beyond a binary system still exist in traditional societies around the world. In many cases, these third gender individuals represent continuing cultural traditions and maintain aspects of cultural identity within their communities.

Within a Western and Christian ideological framework, individuals who identify as a third gender are often thought of as part of the LGBTQ community. This classification actually distorts the concept of a third gender and reflects a culture that historically recognizes only two genders based on sex assigned at birth - male or female - and anyone acting outside of the cultural norms for their sex may be classified as homosexual, gender queer, or transgender, among other classifications. In societies that recognize a third gender, the gender classification is not based on sexual identity, but rather on gender identity and spirituality. Individuals who identify with a cultural third gender are, in fact, acting within their gender/sex norm.

Muxes, Mexico

The Muxes (pronounced mu-shay), a recognized third gender among the Zapotec people in Oaxaca, maintain traditional dress, the Zapotec language, and other cultural traditions that are less prevalent among the broader Zapotec community. In Juchitán de Zaragoza, a small town on the Istmo de Tehuantepec in the state of Oaxaca, there remains a large population of Muxes who have been celebrated since pre-colonization times. The wider acceptance of a third gender among the community may be traced to the belief that individuals who identify as Muxes are part of the culture and its traditions, not separate from it.

The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is famous for its Tehuana traje, or traditional dress, which has beautiful floral embroidery. Geographically, the Isthmus was exposed to items from China and Southeast Asia not seen in other parts of the Americas, and the embroidered silks from those areas influenced the women of Tehuantepec to create their own embroidered garments. Selling and trading these popular, elaborate garments garnered a strong matriarchal society of independent women who are financially independent and respected as the main source of income for the family. This relative equality of genders in the region also contributes to the widespread acceptance of Muxes.

The huipil grande, also called a resplendor (meaning "radiate" in Spanish), is likely the most iconic element of traditional Tehuana traje. The huipil grande is worn with the ruffled collar framing the face. Frida Kahlo featured the huipil grande in two of her paintings, making the item famous to people outside of Mexico.

In the painting (right), Self-Portrait as a Tehuana (Diego on My Mind), 1943, she chose to show the garment as it would be worn to church or on special occasions. Frida Kahlo not only brought worldwide popularity to the Tehuana traje through
her paintings, she also adopted the traditional attire into her own identity. Frida's mother was Oaxacan and she often wore the outfits because she admired the strength and independence of the region's women. As a woman who challenged the gender stereotypes and boundaries of the art world, she is hailed as an icon among the Muxe community.

Celebration of the vibrant Tehuana traje and recognition of the strong Muxe community in Oaxaca continues to the present day. The beautifully embroidered traje and huipil grande are most notably on display in the Tehuantepec region during velas, or time-honored fiestas. Muxes maintain this essential aspect of Tehuantepec culture by largely organizing these fiestas and wearing traditional attire. In 2013, Vice covered a three-day vela dedicated to the Muxe community held in Juchitan every November.

Muxe still thrive today.

Every November a celebration known as the Vigil (vela) of the Authentic Intrepid Searchers of Danger takes place in the city of Juchitán, Oaxaca, in Mexico. In this documentary VICE travels to Juchitán to meet members of the Muxe of Zapotec culture, and to hang out at the Vigil, which VICE described as "one of the best parties we've ever been to".

Los Angeles hosts its own Muxe vela, Vela Muxe Los Angeles. Pictured here (right to left) is Maritza the Muxe Queen in 2014, Noelia the 2016 Muxe Queen, and Brianna the 2015 Muxe Queen.

In December 2019, Vogue México & Latinoamérica made history by featuring Muxe Estrella Vazqueza on the cover of the magazine for the first time.

In the Vogue cover on the left you can see Estrella wears the huipil grande the way that it is worn on full-dress occasions so that the wide frill surrounds the wearer like radiating beams of light while the collar and sleeves hang down behind.

Recommended Reading
Behind the Mask: Gender Hybridity in a Zapotec Community by Alfredo Mirandé
After seeing a video of a muxe vela, or festival, sociologist Alfredo Mirandé was intrigued by the contradiction between Mexico's patriarchal reputation and its warm acceptance of los muxes. Seeking to get past traditional Mexican masculinity, he presents us with Behind the Mask, which combines historical analysis, ethnographic field research, and interviews conducted with los muxes of Juchitán over a period of seven years. Mirandé observed community events, attended muxe velas, and interviewed both muxes and other Juchitán residents. Prefaced by an overview of the study methods and sample, the book challenges the ideology of a male-dominated Mexican society driven by the cult of machismo, featuring photos alongside four appendixes.

Delving into many aspects of their lives and culture, the author discusses how the muxes are perceived by others, how the muxes perceive themselves, and the acceptance of a third gender status among various North American indigenous groups. Mirandé compares traditional Mexicano/Latino conceptions of gender and sexuality to modern or Western object choice configurations. He concludes by proposing a new hybrid model for rethinking these seemingly contradictory and conflicting gender systems.

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Beyond Gender: Indigenous Perspectives, Muxe

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A limited series on some of the world's third gender Indigenous people

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A Student's Guide to Queer & Non-Binary French

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A Student's Guide to Queer & Non-Binary French

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From Julia Spiegelman, UMass-Boston

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From Julia Spiegelman, UMass-Boston