Can anyone explain to me

why we spend millions
and millions of dollars

on educating about 
drug prevention,

don't take drugs 
because they're bad for you.

And allowing parents
to worry themselves sick

about will my child 
get into drugs

because they mix
in a bad company.

They don't have 
to worry at all.

People are addicted to drugs,
because of their pain.

So they are not going to do it 
because they're in bad company.

It just because they have
suffered some trauma,

and it's not an easy thing 
to solve and heal from.

Let's take an issue
that the last two speakers

have both talked about:

mental illness.

Across a research, 
academic search

over the hole of research 
into this area in 2005:

69.9% of psychiatric inpatients,

with serious psychotic disorders,

you probably guessed,

yes all of them had suffered 
from childhood trauma.

Bipolar disorder was mentioned.

82 to 86 % of people
with bipolar disorder,

have suffered from some
form of childhood trauma.

Border personality disorder:

90% have suffered.

Then let's talk about the one 
that we have been million,

79 million dollars last year spent
on raising awareness of:

depression.

How many people 
who suffer from depression

do you think have suffered
from childhood trauma or abuse?

80%, research tells us.

And how many of you here
have heard one word

about what's happened 
in your childhood,

and might help you to heal 
from your depression or anxiety.

So what we are doing,

raising awareness, so that we can
feed the pharmaceutical companies!

So that people can take
more medication!

Because after all in Australia,

we take more anti-depressants
than any other country in the world.

I work with survivors
of childhood trauma,

and I know from 
my independent research,

that four years after 
just a five-day program,

there is a highly 
statistically significant —

can never say that word,

highly statistically 
significant reduction in depression.

Six months after 
a five-day program,

a 45% reduction,
in measured serious mental illness.

So what's the silence?

Why don't we talk about this?

Why we not allowed 
to acknowledge childhood trauma?

Why we not encouraged
to heal from childhood trauma?

What we know,
because of neuro-plasticity,

that this is possible.

Let me discover one other 
area of deep human sadness.

An area that we all
care passionately about,

and when it hits us,
it really, really hurts.

And I'm talking about suicide.

How agonizing it is.

The young women I work with

at Heal For Life;

I have one common complaint
when they go to hospital

having tried to kill themselves:

nobody ever asks why?

And if they did

they will get the same answer
from all those young people.

Because of my internal pain
from my childhood.

Because I think I am worthless,
I worth nothing.

Because no one cares 
about the fact that I've been abused.

And if I look at them, Esperance

which in the Central Coast

runs a wonderful suicide 
prevention service.

Tony Humphrey,
wrote to me and said,

"Around 90% of all the women,

who have attempted suicide

who I have worked with,

have ever suffered 
from sexual abuse

or child abuse of some type.

And a slightly lower 
percentage for the men."

So have any of you,

ever seen anything 
about suicide prevention,

which is talked about
what happened in your childhood?

Has there been a campaign
which has said,

"Ask a friend 
when they're down.

What happened
in your childhood?

Talk to me about 
your childhood.

Because that is 
very, very likely,

to have an impact
on your current mental well-being."

So maybe for a moment 
some of you maybe think

"What she keeps talking 
about childhood trauma and abuse?

What actually is it?

Childhood trauma 
covers a huge spectrum.

It covers abandonment,
death of the parents,

alcoholic parents,

childhood sexual abuse,
physical abuse,

emotional abuse.

It covers of course
natural disasters.

What happens
when a trauma occurs?

A trauma is more emotion 
than the brain can deal with.

Trauma, at the time it is happening,

the person,
in an age-appropriate way

thinks that their life is threatened.

And the brain reacts to this trauma

and develops differently,

which is why childhood trauma
has a much bigger impact on behavior later

and the whole way the brain 
operates later in life.

Trauma cannot be remembered.

Let me give you
an example of this,

and that's because 
the conscious brain

shuts down during trauma.

You may remember
or you may not.

Princess Diana's bodyguard,

after they were try to find out 
what actually happened in the accident,

they hypnotized,

the French police 
hypnotized the man

so that he could remember.

So that part of his brain
could be unlocked.

So that he could say what actually
happened at that moment of impact.

So I suppose
my great wishes

that this silence
could be broken.

And I have hope that
this silence can be broken.

Because 40 years ago,

there was the big C,

there was cancer.

No one talked 
about cancer,

we didn't mentioned it,

it was just,
"They have got the big C!"

But now wonderfully

everyone talks about cancer.

We know people 
who have suffered from cancer.

We talk to them, 
we encourage them, we love them,

and they tell us immediately
when they have cancer.

Can you imagine how it would be,

if in my lifetime —
this is my longing,

that people talk 
about childhood trauma.

That is Ok to say,

"I had a terrible childhood.
All these things happened."

And the other 
person listening says,

"Let me support you. 
Let me help you in your healing.

Let me help you
work through what is happened

for the development of your brain,

because you suffered
from childhood trauma."

Wouldn't that be 
a better world for all of us?

Because what is creating 
this silence?

Is the embarrassment?

Is it shame?

Are we shamed by the stigma?

Because we are not allowed to know

when there is a rape victim,
the name of the rape victim.

As if in some way 
that rape was their fault!

Why is it that all the concentration 
is on stranger danger,

and church abuse?
When that's about 1% of all abuse!

Abuse happens in the home
and it happens to families.

But every single one of you here,

can help change that.

If each one of you 
help me in my big idea.

If each one of you

who's actually suffered
from childhood trauma says,

"I have no reason 
to be ashamed of it.

It wasn't my fault.

It wasn't my fault
for my childhood was not perfect.

And I deserve
love and support."

If those of you when you meet,

someone who's addicted 
from gambling, alcohol, drugs,

if you say them,

"Hey, has anyone 
ever discussed with you

what happened
in your childhood?

Do you think you might like 
to heal from your childhood?"

If only with any moment
the mental illness

you could say them not just —

which is a wonderful campaign,
but, "Are you Ok?"

but, 
"Hey do you want to talk about

what happened
in your childhood?

Because I understand an awful
lot of people with mental illness

have suffered from some form
of childhood trauma.

Talk to me about it.

Every single one of you
could do that.

Every single one of you
can help me achieve my big idea.

Every single one of you

can get involved 
with the Heal For Life foundation,

and help us to make this world 
a happy place.

I leave you with
one final thought.

I wonder what it would 
have happened to this world,

if someone
had healed Adolf Hitler,

from his much acknowledged 
child abuse.

Thank you.

(Applause)