Book Talk | Widen the Window ft. Dr. Elizabeth Stanley

On September 27, 2019, the Center for Security Studies and Georgetown University's Veterans Office hosted a special event featuring the latest publication by core faculty member Dr. Elizabeth Stanley, moderated by Dr. Elizabeth Grimm Arsenault. Dr. Stanley discussed the science of stress and trauma-and why understanding this is important for people who work in the national security community.
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About the Book
"Widen the Window: Training Your Brain and Body to Thrive During Stress and Recover from Trauma" examines the cultural norms that impede resilience in America, especially our collective tendency to disconnect stress from its consequences and override our need to recover. This groundbreaking book explains why an event that’s stressful for one person can be traumatizing for another. Most importantly, it explores how recovery and resilience can be learned.
The more we can access agency over our own situation, and rewire our mind and body, the more we can widen the window within which our “thinking brain” and our “survival brain” work together cooperatively. By building our resilience in this way, we can train ourselves to make wise decisions and access choice-even during times of incredible stress, uncertainty, and change.
During the course of her pioneering research, Dr. Stanley has worked with neuroscientists and stress researchers to test her game-changing resilience training program among U.S. military troops. She’s taught these tried-and-tested methods to thousands of individuals who work in high-stress environments.
With stories from the men and women she’s trained, as well as her own striking experiences with stress and trauma, Liz gives readers hands-on strategies they can use themselves-whether they want to perform under pressure or heal from traumatic experience-while pointing our understanding in a new direction.
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About the Author
Elizabeth Stanley, PhD, is an associate professor of security studies at Georgetown University. She is the creator of Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training (MMFT)®, taught to thousands in civilian and military high-stress environments. MMFT research has been featured on 60 Minutes, ABC Evening News, NPR, Time Magazine, and many other media outlets. An award-winning author and U.S. Army veteran who served in Asia and Europe, she holds degrees from Yale, Harvard, and MIT. She’s also is a certified practitioner of Somatic Experiencing, a body-based trauma therapy. (www.elizabeth-stanley.com)

[@Russell6906]

I am reading your book right now Elizabeth. It is amazing! I am a voracious reader and your book is tying together so much from so many other books I've read. Like you, I agree that who we become is a function of Nature and Nurture. I have been exploring personality systems, as well as many other integrative and holistic models, maps, frameworks, and theories, for the past 22 years. The insights that I've gained from your book are helping me to develop my own framework to help people. So, thank you! Kindly, Russell 🙏😊

[@KatieAdler]

"Busyness as a badge of honor" sets the USA apart from the rest of the world. We go out into the world and demand it of others.

[@Dave183]

Brene Brown placed herself in the centre of her study process. A woman's dictum- that the personal is, and always will be profoundly political. In the generative and formative sense, with a small 'p'. Elizabeth comes from profound depth and essential felt experience. A modern shaman, a guide and an enlightened survivor.

[@Merzui-kg8ds]

The Protestant work ethic is still killing us.

[@anicekeenan]

You lost me with blaming Trump. 1/2 the country feels less stress since he is in office. Shame on you.

[@sacredwomensbusiness6799]

Thanks for ur comment Anice.
I haven’t watched it yet but yeah, that sounds disappointing
… how many happy campers now?