Watch an outtake of Stephanie Mines’ presentation to the Kindred Fellowship Program.
In this outtake from her presentation to the Kindred Fellowship Program in July 2021, Stephanie Mines, PhD, shares how her personal and professional background shaped her insights into a “fusion of trauma recovery and climate activism”.
She shares at the 20 minute mark: “The extremity of climate change has the potential to wake people up, and there’s still that sliver of time, and then there is the mystery, that data may not be everything. That mystery piece needs to be factored in and needs to be lived in, which is, and this is how I live, that regardless of the data, I’m going to keep doing what I am doing to make a difference. Despair and pessimism, even on a neuro endocrine level, on the level of biochemistry, is illness-inducing. So, being able to stay in a forward moving, inspired direction is one of the places where the inner and outer climates meet. In that mystery place, which is connected to that sliver of opportunity, is our connection with the natural world… those living systems want to communicate with us to give us what data cannot record. To give us the capacity to make the changes that need to be made and to inspire others to make those changes… since I fused my work as a trauma specialist with climate activism, my communication with the natural world has accelerated.”
Read more of Stephanie’s work on trauma and climate change on Kindred.
The Kindred Fellowship Program’s mission is to guide college students on an innovative, educational journey that explores the systemic roots of social (in)justice in childhood through kindred activism: a theory of activism centering childhood in activism that is authentic, reflexive and relational. Learn more about the program here: www.KindredFellows.org
Read more about the Kindred Fellowship Program and its exploration of centering childhood in social justice through Kindred Activism here.
Dr. Stephanie Mines is a neuropsychologist whose unique understanding comes from her academic research as well as her extensive work in the field. Her stories of personal transformation have led many listeners to become deeply committed to the healing journey. Dr. Mines understands shock from every conceivable perspective. She has investigated it as a survivor, a professional, a healthcare provider, and as a trainer of staffs of institutions and agencies.
Her blend of Western and Eastern modalities offers the best of both paradigms. She is devoted to ending the lineage of shock and trauma for individuals and the world. To this end she has developed the TARA Approach for the Resolution of Shock and Trauma which is taught internationally and is a clinically tested comprehensive treatment design.
The TARA Approach is also a non-profit organization dedicated to providing alternative health options for a broad spectrum of populations. Dr. Mines, as Director, is responsible for disseminating information to communities in need, especially people suffering from illness that results from shock and trauma, survivors of domestic violence, families and children, and people living with neurodiversity including autism and other sensory integration challenges.
Dr. Mines also developed Climate Change & Consciousness (www.cccearth.org). She convened a global gathering in Northern Scotland in April 2019 with keynote leaders like Bill McKibben, Charles Eisenstein, Vandana Shiva and others who inspired the intergenerational community there to take direct action that is now sustained by a movement serving throughout the world. Climate Change & Consciousness cultivates grounded climate action and serves a vibrant assembly of visionary activists.
Dr. Mines’ books represent a compilation of the diverse aspects of her mission to build grassroots empowerment based sustainable healthcare. These include: We Are All in Shock: Energy Healing for Traumatic Times; New Frontiers in Sensory Integration and They Were Families: How War Comes Home. Her newest book will be released from Inner Traditions in 2022.
Dr. Mines is a Fellow of the Planetary Health Lab at the University of Edinburgh