Aflevering Raising Resilience #13

In episode #13 we listen to developmental psychologist Suzanne Zeedyk, who is one of the leading forces in the ACE-awareness movement in Scotland. A day after the conference with Gabor Maté in Glasgow on 30th September, she shares with us the story of how the Scottish consciousness around ACEs grew. There were several events and seeming coincidences that led to where the community is right now and it is proof of how certain developments cannot be planned, but will arise organically when curious people find the right people at the right time. She speaks about the courage of leadership, that really helps and really matters. Big changes often do not start from an institutionalised setting, but from a couple of innovative free-thinkers who see the world through a different lens. Once it was decided that the high criminality and homicide rates in Glasgow should be treated as a public health issue, not a criminal justice issue, a radical shift happened. This brought the focus to trauma. It also created a crucial awareness of the fact that if we know how humans develop, we can also take care of the circumstances in which they have to grow up. Once we are open to what the consequences of childhood suffering are, we can honour every single initiative, small or big, to relieve it. “I love this problem, but I like uncomfortable things! Lots of people want to solve it by denying it. So how do we hold on to the difficulties for the babies while also holding on to the difficulties for the mothers and not trade one for the other? (…) For me, trauma, ACEs and attachment are all the same landscape”, Suzanne says, and near the end shares a scoop with us…! Enjoy!