Dear ISSTD community, New York Magazine recently published a cover story by Danielle Carr, Assistant Professor at the Institute for Society and Genetics at UCLA, on the career of trauma luminary Bessel van Der Kolk. The development of Van der Kolk’s theoretical and empirical contributions to trauma studies provides a lens through which Dr Carr […]
Dear ISSTD community, July 30 is the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, a day that has been set aside to raise awareness about the plight of human trafficking victims. Although the term “trafficking” is used with increasing frequency, it is not always clear what it means. Indeed, the legal definition of trafficking has changed […]
Dear ISSTD Community, This month, two pioneers in the field of complex trauma and dissociation retired: Professor Jennifer Freyd and Professor Ross Cheit. They were personal heroes of mine a long time before I had the chance to meet them. While each has made a distinctive contribution, I’ve been struck by their similarities. They are […]
Dear ISSTD friends, Our recent Annual Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, was attended by a couple of journalists who are undertaking deep dives into abuse, violence and trauma. One of them was Janelle Nanos from the Boston Globe, who in July 2022 published a startling longform article called “Kate Price remembers something terrible”. The article chronicles […]
Dear ISSTD community, It was a great pleasure to connect with so many of you at the annual conference in Louisville, Kentucky. While most of us have become accustomed to increasingly technology-mediated lives, with so many professional activities pivoting online during the pandemic, the chance to come together as a professional society and community is […]
Dear ISSTD community, Next month is our ISSTD Annual Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, with pre-conference workshops on April 13 and 14 before the conference runs from April 15 to 17. The conference is very much a labor of love for our hard-working staff, Conference Committee and the many volunteers who make the conference possible. Please […]
Dear ISSTD community, I was speaking this week with Shannon Molloy, an Australian journalist whose new book “You Made Me This Way” describes how he came to grips with his childhood sexual abuse and its long-term impacts on him. Shannon’s book also makes clear the life-changing effect of sensitive, trauma-informed psychotherapy, which he credits with […]
Dear ISSTD community, I hope that you’ve all had a restful and joyful holiday break. Last year was a mixed blessing for many of us, as the covid-19 pandemic waxed and waned and we tried to find our feet in the “new normal”. I’m struck by the commitment and perseverance of the ISSTD staff, volunteers […]
Lisa Danylchuk – 2022 ISSTD PresidentAs 2022 comes to a close I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve as the ISSTD President this year, and am wishing everyone a healthy and peaceful 2023. This year has been full of challenges, right alongside opportunities for connection and growth. I find myself in awe of […]
Dear ISSTD Community, As we enter the holiday season and begin to look back on 2022, I am extremely proud of the progress the ISSTD has made through difficult times. Just a few short weeks ago, our Australia & New Zealand Conference Committee was able to bring to fruition our Melbourne Regional Conference, which was […]
