DOVES Executive Director Helen Adams and I just attended the IVAT (Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma) Conference where Dr. G. Slutkin has addressed violence as a contagious epidemic. We are exposed to violence by our sight and hearing. While it doesn't travel like that of a cold (i.e.: through a sneeze), it still travels to our brain and infects us. Also, as advocates, we are becoming aware of the studies of trauma and biofeedback as a treatment, as well as other breakthroughs in the treatment of trauma and how to change the message of the brain caused by trauma.
Thanks to Helen, DOVES is a place where the continued education of advocates is supported. By learning about new research and treatments, the advocates at DOVES can continue to improve the ways in which we help survivors and their children heal.