Knowing about the dynamics of primal trauma and PTSD and its impact on all involved, the question is: How can we bring all this understanding to maternity care environments and how can we act in ways that do no harm according to the Hippocratic oath? Julia Seng, PhD, CNM, FAAN leads the discussion.
Human rights violations and traumatic events are often met in victims’ experiences; however, the human rights framework and trauma theory are rarely deployed together to illuminate such experiences. Individual chapters in the book (see below) address these topics among Native Americans, African Americans, children, women, lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender individuals, those with mental disabilities, refugees and asylees, and older adults, and also in the context of social policy and truth and reconciliation commissions. The trauma and human rights frameworks each contribute invaluable and complementary insights, and their integration can help us fully appreciate and address human suffering at both individual and collective levels.