WEBVTT

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Can anyone explain to me

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why we spend millions
and millions of dollars

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on educating about 
drug prevention,

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

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And allowing parents
to worry themselves sick

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about will my child 
get into drugs

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because they mix
in a bad company.

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They don't have 
to worry at all.

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People are addicted to drugs,
because of their pain.

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

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It just because they have
suffered some trauma,

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

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Let's take an issue
that the last two speakers 


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have both talked about:

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mental illness.

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Across a research, 
academic search

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over the whole of research 
into this area in 2005:

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69.9% of psychiatric inpatients,

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with serious psychotic disorders,

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you probably guessed,

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yes all of them had suffered 
from childhood trauma.

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Bipolar disorder was mentioned.

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82 to 86 % of people
with bipolar disorder,

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have suffered from some
form of childhood trauma.

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Border personality disorder:

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90% have suffered.

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

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79 million dollars last year spent
on raising awareness of:

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depression.

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How many people 
who suffer from depression

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do you think have suffered
from childhood trauma or abuse?

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80%, research tells us.

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And how many of you here
have heard one word

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about what's happened 
in your childhood,

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

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So what we are doing,

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

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So that people can take
more medication!

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Because after all in Australia,

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

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I work with survivors
of childhood trauma,

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and I know from 
my independent research,

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that four years after 
just a five-day program,

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there is a highly 
statistically significant —

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can never say that word,

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highly statistically 
significant reduction in depression.

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Six months after 
a five-day program,

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a 45% reduction,
in measured serious mental illness.

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So what's the silence?

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Why don't we talk about this?

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Why we not allowed 
to acknowledge childhood trauma?

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Why we not encouraged
to heal from childhood trauma?

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What we know,
because of neuro-plasticity,

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that this is possible.

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Let me discover one other 
area of deep human sadness.

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An area that we all
care passionately about,

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

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And I'm talking about suicide.

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How agonizing it is.

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The young women I work with

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at Heal For Life;

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I have one common complaint
when they go to hospital

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having tried to kill themselves:

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nobody ever asks why?

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And if they did

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

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Because of my internal pain
from my childhood.

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Because I think I am worthless,
I worth nothing.

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

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And if I look at them, Esperance

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which in the Central Coast

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runs a wonderful suicide 
prevention service.

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Tony Humphrey,
wrote to me and said,

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"Around 90% of all the women,

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who have attempted suicide

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who I have worked with,

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have ever suffered 
from sexual abuse

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or child abuse of some type.

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And a slightly lower 
percentage for the men."

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So have any of you,

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ever seen anything 
about suicide prevention,

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which is talked about
what happened in your childhood?

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Has there been a campaign
which has said,

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"Ask a friend 
when they're down.

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What happened
in your childhood?

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Talk to me about 
your childhood.

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Because that is 
very, very likely,

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

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So maybe for a moment 
some of you maybe think

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"What she keeps talking 
about childhood trauma and abuse?

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What actually is it?

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Childhood trauma 
covers a huge spectrum.

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It covers abandonment,
death of the parents,

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alcoholic parents,

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childhood sexual abuse,
physical abuse,

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emotional abuse.

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It covers of course
natural disasters.

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What happens
when a trauma occurs?

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

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Trauma, at the time it is happening,

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the person,
in an age-appropriate way

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thinks that their life is threatened.

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And the brain reacts to this trauma

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and develops differently,

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

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and the whole way the brain 
operates later in life.

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Trauma cannot be remembered.

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Let me give you
an example of this,

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and that's because 
the conscious brain


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shuts down during trauma.

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You may remember
or you may not.

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Princess Diana's bodyguard,

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

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they hypnotized,

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the French police 
hypnotized the man 


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so that he could remember.

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So that part of his brain
could be unlocked.

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

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So I suppose
my great wishes

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that this silence
could be broken.

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And I have hope that
this silence can be broken.

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Because 40 years ago,

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there was the big C,

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there was cancer.

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No one talked 
about cancer,

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we didn't mentioned it,

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

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But now wonderfully


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everyone talks about cancer.

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We know people 
who have suffered from cancer.

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

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and they tell us immediately
when they have cancer.

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Can you imagine how it would be,

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if in my lifetime —
this is my longing,

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that people talk 
about childhood trauma.

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That is Ok to say,

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

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And the other 
person listening says,

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

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Let me help you
work through what is happened

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for the development of your brain,

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because you suffered
from childhood trauma."

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

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Because what is creating 
this silence?

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Is the embarrassment?

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Is it shame?

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Are we shamed by the stigma?

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Because we are not allowed to know

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

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As if in some way 
that rape was their fault!

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

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

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Abuse happens in the home
and it happens to families.

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But every single one of you here,

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can help change that.

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

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If each one of you


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who's actually suffered
from childhood trauma says,

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"I have no reason 
to be ashamed of it.

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It wasn't my fault.

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

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And I deserve
love and support."

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If those of you when you meet,

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

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if you say them,

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"Hey, has anyone 
ever discussed with you

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what happened
in your childhood?

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

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If only with any moment
the mental illness

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you could say them not just —

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

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but, 
"Hey do you want to talk about

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what happened
in your childhood?

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Because I understand an awful
lot of people with mental illness

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have suffered from some form
of childhood trauma.

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Talk to me about it.

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Every single one of you
could do that.

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

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Every single one of you

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can get involved 
with the Heal For Life foundation,

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and help us to make this world 
a happy place.

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I leave you with
one final thought.

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I wonder what it would 
have happened to this world,

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if someone
had healed Adolf Hitler,


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from his much acknowledged 
child abuse.

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Thank you.

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(Applause)