Bessel van der Kolk

The gripping story of Eileen Franklin who, while playing with her young daughter, suddenly had a memory of witnessing the rape and murder of her childhood best friend, 8-year-old Susan Nason, which led to a re-opening of a case that had gone unsolved for nearly 20 years.

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In the aftermath of Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake, grappling with PTSD, filmmaker Luke A. Renner set out on a healing journey. In his pursuit, Luke would eventually uncover an older, deeper, childhood trauma he had lost in time, the insidious reality of psychological damage, and a public health crisis that’s been quietly wreaking havoc on humanity.

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In Cracked Up we witness the effects adverse childhood experiences can have across a lifetime through the incredible story of actor, comedian, master impressionist and Saturday Night Live veteran, Darrell Hammond. Behind the scenes Darrell suffered from debilitating flashbacks, self injury, addiction and misdiagnosis, until the right doctor isolated the key to unlocking the memories his brain kept locked away for over 50 years. Cracked Up, director Michelle Esrick, creates an inspiring balance between comedy and tragedy helping us understand the impact of toxic stress and childhood trauma in a new light, breaking down barriers of stigma and replacing shame with compassion and hope.

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"One of the first things you need to ask is, how did you survive this? This is amazing that you're still here. It's amazing that you still have the guts to go on with your life. What is allowing you to function? What are you good at? What gives you comfort?"- Bessel van der KolkResearch undertaken for the DSM-IV revealed that survivors of repeated and severe childhood trauma generally experience a common set of problems as adults. This video series examines the wide range of symptoms for what the researchers have labeled Disorders of Extreme Stress. Four survivors of childhood trauma discuss its impact on their lives, and describe their attempts to cope with those effects, to heal, and to find meaning in life.

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