ACEs, Trauma, and Mind-Body Medicine: Essential Skills for Public Safety Healing

This article is based on the MPSH with Brent Anderson

Brent Anderson is a seasoned consultant and transformation specialist who spoke at length during MPSH about the far-reaching impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), resulting trauma, and how practical mind-body medicine practices can help heal individuals and communities. Brent's vital research and techniques illuminate new paths forward for professionals in public service and beyond who seek to implement effective trauma-informed care.

The Power of Self-Regulation: Mind-Body Skills Starting with Breath

Intentional breathwork is a foundational step in self-regulation, designed to activate the vagus nerve and initiate a shift from the high-stress “fight-or-flight” state to a healing “rest-and-digest” (parasympathetic) mode.

Brent Anderson emphasizes that regular practice of these foundational mind-body skills can dramatically improve communication, compassion, and even measurable physical health, such as blood pressure regulation. During the MPSH, Brent shared his personal story of successfully managing his own blood pressure through consistent breath practice, powerfully demonstrating the real-life benefits of self-regulation.

Understanding Trauma: The Critical ACEs Study and Its Impact

ACEs study, conducted in the late 1990s with over 17,000 participants, established a strong, predictable link between childhood adversity and later physical, mental, and behavioral health challenges.

The data show that 67% of suicides and 61% of days lost to work disruptions are directly attributable to these early-life stressors

The ten core ACEs include various forms of abuse and neglect, as well as household dysfunctions like parental separation, substance abuse, or incarceration. Staggeringly, the data show that 67% of suicides and 61% of days lost to work disruptions are directly attributable to these early-life stressors. This clear “dose-response” effect confirms a critical finding: the more ACEs one has, the greater the risk for serious health issues including smoking, substance abuse, depression, diabetes, obesity, and even early death.

Trauma’s Hidden Legacy: Recognizing Unseen Impacts in Public Safety

What makes the legacy of trauma and ACEs especially challenging is its hidden nature. Trauma is rarely announced; instead, it frequently manifests in difficulties with sleep, hyperarousal, troubled relationships, and a wide range of challenging behaviors that public safety professionals encounter daily in the community.

One technique Brent suggests is to reflect on how these unacknowledged patterns affect not only those they serve but also their own lives. When professionals show up stressed, they may struggle to effectively support already-stressed individuals, underscoring the urgent need for mind-body skills for both personal and professional resilience.

Mind-Body Medicine: Techniques for "Emptying the Cup" and Releasing Stress

Brent stresses the importance of mind-body medicine techniques for stress management, acknowledging stress, and using evidence-based skills to release and recharge.

Beyond fundamental breathwork, he advocated for practices like movement, journaling, imagery, mindful eating, and other essential self-care and mutual care practices. The healing process benefits of group settings, allowing for collective regulation, or “co-regulation,” where individuals learn and heal together by embodying these mind-body skills.

Resources & Forward Steps for Trauma-Informed Care

Brent referenced key resources to deepen your understanding of trauma, including the work of Dr. Bruce Perry and Dr. Gabor Maté, as well as the Center for Mind-Body Medicine's methodology. He highlighted the importance of small group work and professional training programs where participants can deeply practice and embody these skills.

The call ended with an essential invitation: to continue this vital work, to create spaces of safety and compassion, and to help build a more mindful society. Anderson and his contemporaries believe that transformation, fueled by trauma-informed care, is both possible and necessary, individually and collectively.

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To learn more about this work or get involved in training, check out the Center for Mindfulness in Public Safety and Brent Anderson’s initiatives.