A Letter from the Editor... |
Dear Kindred,
Twice in the past month I’ve presented the quarter century history of Kindred World, our parent nonprofit whose organic vision is seeded in the tenacious activism of parents determined to create wellness for their children during America’s historically documented 50-year decline to the bottom of all developed nations' health indicators. One of these oral histories was presented to the Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health, APPPAH, and the other was to our new Kindred Fellowship Program participants of college and graduate students. During each presentation, I felt ancient, especially describing for Kindred fellows the pre-Internet phenomenon of sharing rare holistic health books from the trunks of our cars in public parks in the late 90s.
Crossing a threshold into ancient activism comes with advantages. After gathering up international thought leaders, researchers, and activists over the past two decades, we can share what we've learned and even track emerging language for crafting a new story in our New Story Glossary. As Michael Mendizza shares on our What We've Learned page, "Reaching back to antiquity, but intensifying dramatically the last fifty years, a dark spell has been cast, trapping and enchanting parents, children and their cultures, in a false vision of who we are together. Realizing that adult development is the prerequisite for child development, Kindred breaks that spell, awakening a completely different way to relate to each other, and to all of nature."
How is Kindred integrating 25 years of conscious activism? This summer, the inaugural cohort of the Kindred Fellowship Program is facilitating deep discussions with an international team of presenters around centering childhood in social justice education while becoming mindfulness-based activists, proficient in the skills necessary to embody the sustainable peace we want to see in the world. A tall order, maybe, but many people questioning the need to return to an unhealthy pre-pandemic “norm” while wondering, what else is possible? And, if ancient activists like myself are ever going to retire to our gardens, we will need to train and equip a new generation of changemakers.
What tools are we bringing to break the cycle? As our new short film Breaking the Cycle presents, to reclaim our humanity and wholeness, we must return to our species’ Evolved Nest. Our Evolved Nest has been integral to 95% of human genus history and provides a baseline for optimizing normal development. Kindred World’s longtime contributing editor, board member, and new president, Darcia Narvaez, PhD, presents her award-winning science in this six-minute film. You can explore the Evolved Nest's self-directed learning center to learn more.
This is a breakout year for Kindred World in many ways as we continue to serve our human family's shift toward healing and wholeness. We have faithfully executed our nonprofit work on a shoestring budget with dedicated volunteers for 25 years. We would like to go beyond our grassroots operational strategy, but we will need your help to do so. Please consider supporting our work with your tax-deductible donation in monthly, one-time giving, or legacy gifting. If you’re not sure of our success in bringing together thought leaders, launching initiatives, and working collaboratively with many organizations over the past 25 years, take a look at our 74 five-star reviews on our Great Nonprofit’s page here.
Thank you for your support of Kindred World, and its many initiatives. We hope you will join us in our new Mighty Networks platform and app that will allow you to find each other locally, while sharing your inspiration and strategies for sustainable peace in a safe space.
Watch my oral history of Kindred World here. Please scroll down to find evidence of the unfolding of our New Story.
Happy Solstice,
editor@kindredmedia.org
Kindred Media, Editor
Kindred World, Co-Founder
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Democracy Starts With Babies, With Responsive, Nested Care |
By Darcia Narvaez
...a democratic character structure emerges from a wellness-informed childhood, one that follows our species developmental system for raising the young. In contrast, an authoritarian character structure emerges from a traumatizing childhood, one that goes against our species-typical evolved nest. The German Nazis knew this, promoting harsh treatment of young children so that later they would automatically (without free will) submit to authority without question (Haarer, 1934). Thus, if we want to promote a democracy, we need to start with baby and young child care, providing our species evolved nest to ensure full human capacities are developed.
More posts from the Evolved Nest this month:
This is a three part series. Please also find Kindred’s resources, including a worldview chart at the end of this post. Click to read the titles below.
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Children Who Live In Peace, Learn To Create Peace |
By Pam Leo.
The best and only antidote I know to heal the trauma caused by the climate of stress that has permeated all of our lives for more than a year is to create a climate of peace. Our children need “pockets of peace” in our homes, in our schools and our communities. Children need to know they have places where they feel safe to pause and just breathe before doing the next thing.
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How Do Children Impacted By Wildfires Recover? A Resilient Community’s Trauma-Informed Story Of Healing |
Editor’s Note: Do you have a story of a local community creating programs to help their members recover from climate change disasters? Send us your story of a resilient community to editor@kindredmedia.org.
We’re honored to feature Thrive, a healing initiative of the North Valley Community Foundation (NVCF), a collaboration of people, organizations and agencies in Butte County, California, whose mission is to address the impact of trauma across generations. In the wake of the devastating Camp Fire in 2018, Thrive developed the first of its kind mental health and child well-being focusedcurriculum to support the community’s vulnerable youth.
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Healing Our Bodies, Healing The World |
By Kelly Wendorf
On the day of Derek Chauvin’s verdict, a book arrived at my door that shifted my understanding of violence. My Grandmother’s Hands by psychotherapist Resmaa Menakem bravely exposes the unpinning of racism through trauma. At first I thought the book would further grow my literacy around racism, and develop my allyship. After consuming it over a weekend, I emerged with something even more––insight into our collective ancient human history as victims and perpetrators of systemic brutality, aka our shared historic trauma.
“For the past three decades, we’ve earnestly tried to address white-body supremacy in America using dialogue, forums, discussions, education and mental training. But the widespread destruction of Black bodies continues,” writes Menakem. That’s because, he asserts, supremacy does not live in the cognitive faculties, it lives, breathes, inflicts, re-inflicts and perpetuates for generations through our bodies, as trauma.
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Soul Wounds: Trauma-Informed Healing For Whites, Blacks, And Police |
By Darcia Narvaez, PhD
Soul wounds come about through family mistreatment, abusive institutions, systems or cultures, or even through our genetic and epigenetic inheritance of traumatized ancestors...
Menakem distinguishes dirty pain from clean pain. “Dirty pain is the pain of avoidance, blame, and denial." It leads to cruelty, violence, or dissociation, creating more pain for self and others. Clean pain “hurts like hell” but “mends and can build your capacity for growth." It is based in courage to feel or to do something with vulnerability. Here are five anchors for experiencing clean pain in a particular situation:
- Soothe yourself—mind, heart and body.
- Notice your body’s reactions.
- Accept discomfort.
- Stay present in your body.
- Safely discharge the energy that remains (exercise, dance, physical labor, whatever safe activity your body desires). Officers will retain trauma from violent encounters unless they have some way to release the energy.
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Breaking The Cycle: The Grassroots History And Award-Winning Science Behind The Short Film |
In this Monday LIVE presentation to the Association of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health, APPPAH, Lisa Reagan, Kindred World’s co-founder and Kindred Media’s editor, shares the organization’s grassroots history as context for understanding and appreciating the award-winning nonprofit’s approach to creating initiatives and projects. She shares the consciousness-raising vision of Kindred World for championing the creation of the Evolved Nest Initiative, and its latest project, the Breaking the Cycle short film. Both ENI and Breaking the Cycle are based on the award-winning research of Darcia Narvaez, PhD, who now serves as Kindred World’s president.
You can download the PDF of Lisa’s presentation, which is fully hyperlinked, here. Each photo, graphic, or source will take you to its virtual home page.
You can visit the Breaking the Cycle film here: www.BreakingtheCycleFilm.org. There is a film discussion guide and multiple resources to help you use the film as an educational and activism tool.
The film is now available in Spanish, and Spanish translated materials, see here and below. This month, 14 languages in closed caption subtitles were uploaded to YouTube versions, see below.
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Join LIVE Discussions on Breaking the Cycle with Darcia Narvaez, PhD |
Join Darcia Narvaez, PhD, in ongoing LIVE discussions about the Breaking the Cycle short film and its Evolved Nest science.
Join the LIVE Discussions by registering for these events below:
July 14, 2021 from 2 to 3 p.m. EST
August 10, 2021 from 7 to 8 p.m. EST
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An Endorsement for Breaking the Cycle... |
"This a a fabulous, brief, incredibly well-made mini-documentary (< 6 minutes) that explains why there so much discord on so many levels.
"We need to share this widely.
"That humanity had gone from living in secure attachment, in community — where we have a village to help rear our children and support each other — and now live in competitive detachment, where we are insecure, not supported by community, feel alone snd as if we must compete for (falsely) scarce resources, is, in the history of mankind, a relatively new crisis. This state leads to horrific stress, loneliness, mental illness. We really are set up for mental illness in this fragmented, kill-or-be-killed “society.”
"I keep thinking of the Crosby, Stills & Nash song about getting back to the garden. As is, in competitive detachment, most are disconnected from the earth and each other, making it easier to dismiss caring for Mother Earth or each other. It’s a destructive cycle making for less and less of that wonderfully fulfilling, brain development supporting, earth respecting, love evoking state of secure attachment, the most of which is laid down in the first couple of months of life. That’s not explicitly said in the film, per se, but it is shown in how indigenous peoples surround and support each other, providing the safe, stable, nurturing environments that afford mother’s the time and peace to evoke secure attachment from their precious babies.
"This is an elegant little film, sharing information we all need to know in ways that touch the heart and engage the brain so we will remember it.
"Slow down a bit, watch this, share it at your community’s next meeting. Write your own review. Fellow PACEs Connection member deserves our support for sharing the why and how of our situation, as well as some solutions.
"Well done, Lisa and team!"
Cary S. Sipp
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NEW: Breaking the Cycle Spanish Version, and 14 Closed Caption Subtitled Languages |
Breaking the Cycle is now available in Spanish (spoken) as well as an additional 14 closed caption subtitles: Arabic, Bengali, German, French, Hindi, Croatian, Hungarian, Japanese, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Haitian, and Chinese (Mandarin).
Find the Spanish version of Breaking the Cycle, along with translated materials, here.
Thank you Levi! Our deepest gratitude to Levy Farias, PhD, for his contribution to translating into Spanish the guide and materials for Breaking the Cycle.
Levy Farías, Educator, PhD in Social Sciences, Fulbright Visiting Researcher at the Psychology Department of the University of Notre Dame (2012-2013), is an associated researcher in the Laboratorio de Ciencias Sociales (LACSO), of the Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV).
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Breaking the Cycle Film Discussion & Resource Guide |
In the Discussion and Resource Guide you will find:
- A LETTER FROM DARCIA NARVAEZ
- WHAT TO DO NEXT
- ABOUT BREAKING THE CYCLE
- BREAKING THE CYCLE FILM SCRIPT
- FILM DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- ABOUT THE EVOLVED NEST
- ARTICLES AND RESOURCES TO SHARE
- THE RESEARCHER AND THE BOOK
- FILM RESEARCH REFERENCES
- YOUR NOTES SECTION
You are welcome to join the online discussion about the film at our Mighty Networks group here.
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Divide & Rule: Vandava Shiva On Making People Disposable |
By Vandana Shiva
Vandana Shiva is an Indian scholar, environmental activist, physicist, food sovereignty advocate, and anti-globalization author. Based in Delhi, Shiva has written more than 20 books. Shiva founded the Research Foundation for Science, Technology, and Natural Resource Policy (RFSTN), an organization devoted to developing sustainable methods of agriculture, in 1982. She has traveled the world spreading a powerful message of oneness and interconnectedness.
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An Indigenous Worldview Can Preserve Our Existence |
By Four Arrows
Narrated by Kindred contributor and editorial advisory board member, Four Arrows, this video shows how our dominant ways of life are guided by an underlying worldview that has been the main driver behind climate change, pandemics and extinction rates. Overwhelming evidence reveals that our original Indigenous, nature-based worldview is an antidote. Supporting and Re-embracing this interconnected way of living is the most urgent course of action we must take.
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One quote from Perry: “Your connectedness to other people is so key to buffering any current stressor—and to healing from past trauma. Being with people who are present, supportive and nurturing. Belonging. That’s the key to current stress reduction and healing from trauma.”
And another quote: “Given love, the unloved can become loving.” The book is really about how we can understand those who have experienced trauma or understand ourselves if we’ve experienced trauma. ways that we can then practice love to others to help them experience love and be loving.
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In a way the book is about manipulating your children, to put it in a nutshell, for getting them to do things you want them to do. Well, that is one way to think about what a parent does, but again it’s not the thriving orientation that we would want to see.
So in conclusion, we actually give this book two thumbs down in terms of it not being heart centered and providing the nest.
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Many years ago, Amazon offered nonprofits a great deal for fundraising by selling their books on our website. The juggernaut has not supported nonprofit fundraising to the degree it originally did in years, but our new, virtual bookstore at Bookshop.org allows us to make 10% on sales AND to support local and independent booksellers! The books featured on our websites are also linked to the Bookshop affiliate program. Our curated book lists are growing in this new bookstore, so check back often, and submit your favorite titles for us to include here.
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Help Us Expand Our Language for Creating A New Story!
How powerful are words? They are the building blocks of our reality, at least in our Western, enculturated minds. Scholars are noticing the shift away from nature and toward technology in our language, and many are protesting this shift (read about the Oxford Junior's Dictionary's elimination of nature terms for technology terms and the global outcry here).
Please help us build and expand the language we will need to share the New Story of the Human Family with our glossary. Every glossary term found throughout the website links back to the glossary, with resources and insights for its practical use.
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Discover the Nine Components of the Evolved Nest in this Self-Directed Learning Center |
The Evolved Nest is our neurobiological path to reclaiming our humanity and breaking the cycle, as the new film shows. If you would like a simple way to explore the nine components of our Evolved Nest, check out this overview page on the Evolved Nest website. Each component has its own webpage with a collection of videos, podcasts, articles, and more (like a childcare check list) pertaining to that Evolved Nest component.
The Evolved Nest and Kindred Media are sister initiatives under the parent nonprofit, Kindred World.
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Why do we need citizen-supported media? Because, as the Sustainable Human Film says below, this is how we will tell our own stories, learn about one another, and collaborate to create a compassionate, sustainable world. Enjoy the video and check out our Breaking the Cycle short film created with our partner, the Sustainable Human Film company.
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We Won Great Nonprofit's Top-Rated Award, Again! |
Thank you to everyone who has supported Kindred's work over these many years. Read 74 five-star reviews from parents, professionals, and fans at our Great Nonprofits' website here.
Kindred is an educational initiative and alternative media outlet of Kindred World, who has served our human family for over a quarter century. Read more about our history here.
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Kindred | www.KindredMedia.org |
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