This friendly presentation by Katja Swift goes beyond its title. It provides a rich perspective on how traumatic events can stick with people in particularly disruptive ways, and how we can prevent and heal those disruptions. The extensive list of herbs are good for people struggling with traumatic events, and for those who are in the role of helping with that recovery. Even if you’re not planning to try any of the recommended herbs, her introduction and descriptions provide food for thought about how we understand both trauma and recovery.
In particular, I love Katja’s introduction about the role of stories in our lives. She situates the notion of healing in the idea that our narratives about our lives are vitally important. It’s hard to overstate the power of the ways that we describe our experiences to ourselves and others.
Then she’s got great info on the brain, including an accessible description of the role of the hippocampus and cortisol in people’s responses to traumatic events.
This video comes from the Commonwealth Center for Holistic Herbalism, which is a great resource for more info on herbalism and health generally, including videos, blog posts, workshops and periodic free clinics.
The vimeo stream got stuck occasionally when I was watching. If that happens to you, just skip ahead a second and it will continue from there.