Working at the interface of education and trauma in an Indigenous pre-school – the importance of deep soul listening
Neural and emotional pathways set from earliest times create continuing patterns, both for good and bad. We take not only our bad ghosts but our good angels from the nursery to the rest of our lives. Can not only the brain, but the psyche truly reinvent itself in a way that can manage trauma and be released from it by means of good experiences.
Learning from the most ancient forms of the Dreaming and the Dadirri circle, we overcome and prevent early childhood trauma. We talk together about the meaning of counselling for parents, but we talk too about the use the mediums of play and art, music and dance for our little Aboriginal children who have already suffered so much pain in their short lives.
The material of this Paper is taken from the chapter written by Norma Tracey, “The Importance of ‘Deep Soul Listening’ in “Psychodynamic Perspectives”, edited by Michael O’Loughlin, Psychoanalyst, Professor of Education at Adelphi University in New York. Aronson NY 2012.
Our Project formulated around this paper has won the Healing Foundation Award of $96,000 in 2012. I welcome the opportunity to share it with my colleagues. The material around the small children is both powerful and disturbing.
