Episodes

Dr. Sandra Bloom and Sarah Yanosy begin with the evolutionary purpose for morality and the inherent connection between moral development and relational influence. They delineate the struggles faced by a society in which moral absolutism thwarts efforts to account for the complexities of modern life, citing moral injury and distress as consequences often experienced by those lower in organizational and societal hierarchies. The hosts conclude season three with a call for moral imagination and the...

Dr. Sandra Bloom and Sarah Yanosy teach the biological basis of learned helplessness and its inherent connection to traumatic experiences, whether in childhood or adulthood. Discussing learned helplessness in organizations, they associate bureaucratic, hierarchical systems with disempowered staff, and even observe the enactment of learned helplessness by the systems themselves – particularly in health and human services. Our hosts conclude with the reassuring fact that learned helplessness can b...

Dr. Sandra Bloom and Sarah Yanosy discuss the often unprocessed grief that accompanies childhood abuse and neglect, and the ways in which that grief translates into pathological responses in adults. They go on to explain that many trauma disorders are actually disorders of disrupted attachment, and how losses in childhood metabolize physically, mentally, and emotionally in our bodies. The hosts conclude with a growing body of research surrounding the power of writing and the arts to break our cu...

Dr. Sandra Bloom and Sarah Yanosy dive deep into Terror Management Theory and the impact that the certainty of death has on how we live our lives. They explain how our “mortality salience” predisposes us to resist change – even positive change – as it reminds humans of our mortality, strengthening our current worldviews and identifications rather than opening us up to uncertainty. This also lends itself as an explanation for society’s rejection of the universal reality of trauma and adversity. T...

Dr. Sandra Bloom and Sarah Yanosy define the health of organizations by the flow of communication within them, emphasizing the significance of diverse perspectives when it comes to complex problem solving. They go on to describe the structure and warning signs of collective disturbances and their root in communication breakdown, typically between the highest levels of an organizational hierarchy and the lower. The hosts conclude with a discussion about creating a culture of candor in order to pr...

Dr. Sandra Bloom and Sarah Yanosy explain the consequences of communities and organizations under stress, noting an incapacity for long-term learning and knowledge integration. They discuss the power of confirmation bias to lead to extremism, often creating group polarization through effectively discouraging or silencing dissent. As a result, decision making and problem analysis deteriorate significantly. The hosts conclude with the distinction between debate and dialogue and their inherent conn...

Dr. Sandra Bloom and Sarah Yanosy connect collective trauma with organizational amnesia and the subsequent inability to learn from the past. Making the distinction between tacit and explicit knowledge, they discuss the dangers of short term organizational memory and the factors that contribute to it, including massive layoffs and our cultural norm of short term tenure. To conclude, the hosts unpack the power of stories to tap the resources of the unconscious mind. Choosing to “re-story” our own ...

Dr. Sandra Bloom and Sarah Yanosy lay out the fundamental characteristics of those who are high in authoritarian traits and how they perpetuate the destructive impact of authoritarian leaders – whether in organizations, systems, or countries. Then the hosts describe types of toxic leaders and their use of bogus empowerment to feign democratic participatory practice. They conclude with partnerism, an economic alternative to capitalism, as a means of respecting that which has intrinsic value and t...

Dr. Sandra Bloom and Sarah Yanosy explain some of the reasons for various antisocial behaviors and what they look like in children and adults. On this topic, they discuss the four “dark traits” and what happens when individuals possessing these traits infiltrate our organizations and systems. Finally, the hosts describe the concept of a social immune system and its role in defending against the impact of antisocial individuals.

Dr. Sandra Bloom and Sarah Yanosy discuss the wounds of othering widely experienced by BIPOC and offer guidelines for having safe and effective discussions about race. Drawing connections between trauma reactive organizations and systems that rely on white supremacy, they conclude with strategies to disrupt those destructive systemic patterns and create organizations that truly value and support people of all cultures and backgrounds.

Dr. Sandra Bloom and Sarah Yanosy explain the various social constructs that act as the driving force behind most human suffering today. Diving into the history of humankind, they offer research and evidence to support the fact that the human way of life was once largely peaceful, and suggest some explanations for the social de-evolution of our societies. The hosts conclude with the encouraging understanding that we have the power to draw upon the wisdom of our ancestors and change life as we kn...

Dr. Sandra Bloom and Sarah Yanosy consider the impact of collective, historical, and cultural trauma in our society and their cumulative effects on multiple populations. This dialogue additionally touches on the consequences of collective denial, which often manifests as splitting, political polarization, and war. Our hosts conclude with reassuring research surrounding the institution of various types of justice within our organizations based on the powerful connections between justice, trust, a...

Dr. Sandra Bloom and Sarah Yanosy address the crisis of workplace health and wellbeing, noting the interconnectedness of social, economic, personal, and job stress. Within this conversation, the hosts address the larger underlying factors creating such stressed systems, including the use of business model principles for our healthcare and human services industries. They conclude with a tool to assess and improve organizational functioning with a focus on meaningful and manageable changes to work...

Dr. Bloom and Ms. Yanosy detail how developing democratic skills can function as an antidote to the effects of trauma and adversity on any scale. Then they outline two standard types of leadership and decision making and how they fit - or don’t fit - in the context of a democratic organization. Finally, the hosts discuss the importance of a justice climate in promoting democracy, speaking about the power of restorative justice to foster a deeper sense of trust and empowerment within our organiza...

Dr. Bloom and Ms. Yanosy provide an in-depth look at double loop learning and what makes it an essential part of trauma informed practice. They highlight six common thought habits that keep staff stuck in single loop learning patterns, offering alternatives that aid organizations in fundamentally changing the way they approach decision making and problem solving. Finally, the hosts overview onboarding processes as the gateway for embedding lasting trauma-informed concepts into everyday policy an...

Dr. Bloom and Ms. Yanosy advocate for the integration of our emotional brain with our logical brain in order to unlock more effective ways of thinking and problem solving. With the importance of emotional understanding in mind, they look at mirror neurons and the biological factors that connect us to each other, including the capacity for empathy. Finally, the hosts dive into the history and risk factors of vicarious trauma for both individuals and organizations. They encourage leaders to become...

Dr. Bloom and Ms. Yanosy highlight six components of managing complexity in living systems that all leaders should be aware of. Furthermore, they unpack what leaders need to know in order to effectively manage the process of organizational change, touching on the difficulty of loss as well as some of the reasons why we may resist trauma-informed change in particular. Finally, they offer a thinking technique to open up decision-making processes and foster creativity and understanding among staff ...

Dr. Bloom and Ms. Yanosy explain how the SELF acronym helps people impacted by trauma and adversity make sense of their experiences and pave a path toward healing and recovery. Extending their conversation to the workplace, they also unpack how SELF can help individuals facilitate more productive conversations and interactions, particularly between leaders and staff, through addressing and reframing any topic of discussion using the acronym. Finally, they review parallel processing and the impor...

Dr. Bloom and Ms. Yanosy illustrate the difference between task and interpersonal conflict, noting how to recognize when a simple problem is devolving into something more complex. They explain the role that our biology can play in escalating conflicts in all types of settings, as well as tips on developing regulation skills to keep disputes from growing into deeper issues. Finally, they provide specific skills for effective conflict management while also emphasizing the need for a societal persp...

Dr. Bloom and Ms. Yanosy discuss the nature of traumatic reenactment and our biologically-based preference for familiarity, explaining the connection between behavior and the unconscious mind. Then, they dive into the Drama Triangle as the foundation for understanding traumatic reenactment, as it is at the center of relational conflicts, describing each of the roles one can play when drawn into a reenactment. Finally, they provide tips on how to disrupt the Drama Triangle and transform each of t...

Dr. Bloom and Ms. Yanosy analyze various leadership styles and describe circumstances in which some approaches are more effective than others. With President and CEO of Lakeside, Gerry Vassar, they consider attributes and attitudes of an effective leader, especially in times of such intense polarization. Furthermore, they discuss tools to constructively lead an organization using trauma-informed values, what it looks like to recognize and respond to traumatic stress in the workplace, and the pos...

Dr. Bloom and Ms. Yanosy define systems thinking and the various ways that it challenges our current approach to organizational operation. Identifying enemies of systems thinking, which are commonly found in organizations trying to function as machines, they also provide key signs to recognize systems problems. In these instances, they note the necessity of complexity management skills to deter the oversimplified and “quick fix” solutions that often end up making the problems worse. Finally, the...

Dr. Bloom and Ms. Yanosy unpack the multiple effects of trauma and adversity, contrasted with how true psychological health manifests, in individuals and relationships. On the topic of healing, they explore the idea of post traumatic growth and the integration of past experiences as a key factor in moving forward after trauma, from an individual standpoint to the country as a whole. We are capable of transforming trauma on every level, as long as we are willing to look at it. Finally, they look ...

Dr. Bloom and Ms. Yanosy explain the impact of attachment trauma and how our early life experiences shape our long term health and wellbeing. With this in mind, they provide an overview of the ACEs study and draw connections between trauma, behavior, and how difficulties of one individual can translate into collective problems in the workplace. Ultimately, they use the role of emotions in the human experience and our fundamental need to belong to argue against a machine-based model for organizat...