Today marks the launch of Transform Trauma Oxford, a four-day conference featuring the world's best trauma experts. Anne Marsman, our initiator and editor-in-chief, together with managing director Frank Bonekamp present on behalf of Traumanet.
Together with some 6,000 other participants, they will spend four days learning from top international trauma experts, such as Ruth Lanius, Bessel van der Kolk, Licia Sky, Janina Fisher, Frank Anderson, Richard Schwartz, Gabor Maté, and many others who dedicate their work and lives to advancing knowledge and better care regarding trauma.
Daily updates via Instagram
Every day around 20:00 Anne and Frank come to our Instagram account with a new video in which they share their key insights and experiences with you.
Take a look at the first video below 🙂Â
Day 1: 'The Atlas of the Traumatized Brain: A Sensory Roadmap for Healing'
Watch below a short video report by Anne and Frank about their session with Professor Ruth Lanius and colleagues on the impact of trauma on the brain, and how working consciously with the senses and sensory experiences can promote healing.
Read the article Anne wrote about the session here: The traumatized brain does not predict the future, but the past
Day 2: ‘It's all One: Seeking the Unity Beyond Trauma’ with Gabor Maté
A whole day with Gabor Maté, billed as the ‘Mick Jagger of mental health,’ but essentially just a very upright and humble person.
He (naturally) spoke about trauma, healing, unity, consciousness, our search for love and validation, and all the walls and ways we develop to protect ourselves from pain. And that, first and foremost, we should look at this with compassion and respect for what it has done for us.Â
We talked about it more in the evening during a live video on our Instagram channel. You can look back below.Â
Day 3: 'Transforming Cultural Trauma with a Decolonized Lens' with Yemi Penn
Who are you? What do you identify with? Where do you come from, not only geographically but also historically and culturally? Yemi Penn, who calls herself a Cultural Alchemist, fired off questions and one-liners that hit home and made us think, and called for ‘rebellious curiosity’. Be curious, assume nothing, dare to question yourself and your own beliefs.
This was followed by a session with Bessel van der Kolk and Licia Sky, who discussed a number of case studies that had been submitted and offered advice based on their respective perspectives and areas of expertise. Here, too, the importance and power of being and remaining curious—and of inviting others to be curious—came up repeatedly.
We wrapped up the day with what felt like a 1.5-hour sprint through a topic that was certainly not an easy one: forgiveness 😅 And how—or whether—to forgive someone who has caused you (extreme) pain. Mathias Baker said some very insightful things, but our brains still need time to process them before we can put them into words.
In short, another wonderful and rewarding day—more on that later. Tomorrow is already the last day, when we’ll get to hear Janina Fisher and Frank Anderson. What a wonderful finale!
Day 4: ‘Trauma Beyond the Words’ with Janina Fisher and Frank Anderson
By the time this video is online, we will already be back home. How this week has flown by, how much we have enjoyed ourselves, and how grateful we are that we could be here together. A great privilege, of which we are very much aware.
We wrapped up our Oxford adventure today with a final lecture by Janina Fisher and Frank Anderson. Two wonderful people whom we hold in the highest regard, and who have meant—and continue to mean—so much to the field of trauma.
They reflected on what Janina also calls ‘the living legacy of trauma.’ This legacy often defies description in words but is typically recalled by the body and brain as a feeling, sensation, or thought. These memories are often implicit (unconscious), and that is precisely why they have such a profound impact. We’ll certainly explore this topic further in a future article on Traumanet.
On Friday, Sept. 18, at 8:00 p.m., we'll be back one more time lCheck out our Instagram channel to look back on this session and the rest of our Oxford adventure. Welcome!
