Focus Family Therapy

#juneteenth #blacklivesmatter @ Oceanside, California

Took some photos at the #marchforchangeoside today (more in my story). Was truly incredible to witness and be a part of . . . #marchforchange #blacklivesmatter #blacklivesmatter #peacefulprotest #blm #nojusticenopeace #endsystemicracism #oceansidecalifornia #protests @ Oceanside, California

I found this note from 2018 while looking for something else. For some reason I remember where I was when I heard this statement. I was on the treadmill at the gym, listening to the book Healing Developmental Trauma. I remember stopping my workout to sit down and ponder this because it made such an impact on me. ~ Anger is a LIFE SUPPORTIVE response intended to impact an UNSUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT. ... ~ It’s not the first response, it’s a response that builds. It’s a reaction to emotional and physical boundaries being violated. It’s a reaction that occurs when prior attempts to stop the violations have no impact. We nash our teeth. We get big. It’s wired into our biology. I’m sure you’ve heard of it... fight or flight. It’s a mechanism that takes over for the sole purpose of creating safety. It’s for protection when the environment no longer supports safety and well-being. Run or attack. ~ Feels like running is no longer a safe option. ~ #trauma #developmentaltrauma #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #healingtrauma #systemicracism #oppression #justice #safety #fightorflight #justiceforgeorgefloyd #justiceforahmaud See more

Rioting is rarely a form of protest. It is a reaction to systemic oppression and a sense of helplessness that builds up anger. Sure, a riot can start as a vio...lent protest, but large scale rioting is a reaction. A causality. We need to see it for what it is and why it is happening. We need to stop comparing it to peaceful protests. Rioting is happening because we have failed to listen to the peaceful protests. We have failed to acknowledge oppression and racism built into the fabric of our society. We don’t listen to the message of the peaceful protest. We don’t dialogue and work for change from the peaceful protest. Instead we ignore. We change the narrative of the protest to make it anti-American. We take a higher-up position of critiquing or condoning, far removed from the experiences of the oppressed. We forget. We scroll. We look away from all the aggressions, both micro and macro, or even make excuses for the aggressors. And THEN the riot happens after another tragedy. And now we will lump the riot with the protest, critique and condone, point to the damage and look away from the root cause, the cancer underneath we refuse to acknowledge. Don’t look away. See more