Trauma, caused by exposure to toxic stress, deeply impacts the human body. In fact, understanding the workings of trauma takes the focus off an individual and offers a more systematic and socially-just perspective, helping to better understand the systemic barriers to healthy-living. Becoming trauma-informed helps to create room to envision more equitable (and therefore healthier) lives for everyone in our community. At the center of the film, Dr. Gabor Mate offers a vision for a trauma-aware society in which parents, teachers, physicians, policy-makers, and legal personnel are not concerned with judging symptoms and creating diagnoses, but seek to understand the sources of troubling behaviors in our wounded human souls. The movie looks at trauma-aware practices in action, including the work of the Compassion Prison Project (current or formerly incarcerated people advocating for a more compassionate world), The Chrysalis Society (a Vancouver based women’s recovery center), and Downtown Streets Team (Bay Area homeless resource group).
