On Thursday, March 9 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, the Center will host another installment of its monthly discussion series called A Little About A Lot. The series engages the community in discussions around topics of social, religious, and spiritual interest. A Little About A Lot uses short formats like podcasts, web posts, short books, and videos curated from around the digital world.

The March discussion is Trauma in Our Modern World. Trauma is one of the most misunderstood and downplayed phenomena in our modern world. And yet it is an essential reality to comprehend and understand, since we live in an increasingly traumatized world. Fortunately, thanks to a growing body of literature and the work of psychologists and social scientists such as Peter Levine, Gabor Mate, and Judith Herman, our understanding of what trauma is continues to grow. More importantly, our understanding of HOW to address trauma is growing. Far from thinking of people as “traumatized” or “not traumatized,” we need to understand trauma as a spectrum. And we need to develop practical tools for addressing trauma in our lives, in others, and in the world around us. In this edition of A Little About a Lot, we will do just that: we will address and discuss what trauma is and how we can more mindfully participate in the spiritual, physical, emotional, and psychological wholeness of our world.

The discussion will be facilitated by Center Associate Brandon Cook. Brandon is a husband and father, passionate about family and relationships. He’s also a writer, trainer, and business/personal coach. Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, Brandon attended Wheaton College (IL) and studied in Jerusalem, Israel before graduating from Brandeis University near Boston. He also received a Master’s degree in ancient Judaism from Oxford University in the UK. After graduate school, Brandon moved to Long Beach, California and had a transformative experience for over 14 years working a pastor, coach, and trainer. He has worked as a professional storyteller, and you can read some of his writing (poetry, fiction, and non-fiction) at storyflight.com. He is also a talented and avid photographer, and you can view some of his photography on Instagram. And finally, Brandon is the Executive Director of the podcast Naming the Real and co-chair of A Little About a Lot.

The 2-hour discussions are held virtually via Zoom and are led and hosted by Center for Spiritual Wisdom. Participants are asked to consume the following selection of materials prior to the discussion on March 9 (approximately 50 minutes in total):

1. Video: Healing Trauma by Peter Levine: Resolving the Trapped Fight/Flight/Freeze Response: PTSD Recovery #3 (6:19  mins)
2. Video: What is trauma? The author of “The Body Keeps the Score” explains | Bessel van der Kolk | Big Think (7:48 mins)
3. Optional Podcast: Beyond Theory Podcast | S2 E14: Dr. Peter Levine on Waking the Tiger (35:15 mins)
   

There is no fee for this event. However, donations to Center for Spiritual Wisdom, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt organization, will be gratefully accepted. A suggested donation of $5 or more per discussion will help us continue to offer this and similar events.

REGISTER for this event HERE, via Eventbrite

Registrations will be received on a first-come, first-served basis and you can choose to make a donation via Eventbrite. After registration, participants will receive a discussion guide that focuses on key themes, and a dedicated link to join the online discussion.

A Little About A Lot is held the 2nd Thursday of each month. So mark your calendars and look to register in Eventbrite! Stay tuned for other discussions planned for A Little About A Lot.