October Cognitive Kit: Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Trigger Warning: This month’s Cognitive Kit discusses domestic violence.
Welcome to our October Cognitive Kit. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and those who have experienced domestic violence in their lifetime may have experienced repetitive head impacts, which are a primary risk factor for CTE. This month, we are sharing a book recommendation, coloring page, documentary recommendation and reflection questions, and some additional resources and further reading.
If you or a loved one are a victim of domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1 (800) 799-SAFE [7233] or text “START” to 88788.
Click on the files below to download and print any of the exercises and if you’d like to, please tag us on social media when you’re finished. We’d love to see your completed activities.
Book Recommendation:
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, MD (2015)
“Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world’s foremost experts on trauma, has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.” (Summary from Amazon)
You can find The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma at your local library, or on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and more.
Coloring Page:
According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, intimate partner violence alone affects more than 12 million people every year. This month’s coloring page features a ribbon, which, when purple, is the symbol of Domestic Violence Awareness Month and a symbol of support to those who have experienced domestic violence. You can download this month’s coloring page here: October 2024 Cognitive Kit Coloring Page
Documentary Recommendation and Reflection Questions:
If you’re interested in watching a documentary to learn more about domestic violence as well as its connection to CTE, This Hits Home (2023), directed by Sydney Scotia, “reveals the invisible and silent epidemic of permanent traumatic brain injury in women from domestic violence” and features all four co-founders of the Boston University chronic traumatic encephalopathy research program.
You can watch This Hits Home on Tubi or Amazon Prime and you can read a BU CTE Center article on the film here.
Reflection Questions:
- What did you learn from this film? What were you most surprised to learn?
- What is something from the film you think is important for everyone to know?
- What questions, if any, do you still have after watching the film?
You can download the reflection page here: October 2024 Cognitive Kit Reflection Page
Featured Research Study:
There are currently only a few reports of domestic violence and CTE in the scientific literature and those who have experienced domestic violence in their lifetime may have experienced repetitive head impacts, which are a primary risk factor for CTE. The first public case of CTE linked to domestic violence is a 69-year-old female who was a mother of seven and suffered decades of abuse by her husband. In her mid-40s, she experienced memory issues and other symptoms. She was diagnosed with severe CTE and Alzheimer’s disease as well as loss of nerve cells and white matter fibers.
For this month’s featured research study, you can learn more about the neuropathology of intimate partner violence below.
The neuropathology of intimate partner violence
First Author: Kristen Dams-O’Connor, PhD
Senior Author: Rebecca Folkerth, MD
Resources:
Take a look at this month’s highlighted resources:
Local Resources
Jane Doe Inc., The Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence (JDI)
Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts
National Resources
Pánfila Domestic Violence HOPE Foundation
National Domestic Violence Hotline
National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Domestic Violence Resource Network
International Resources
Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury through Research (SOAR)
Thank you for completing October’s Cognitive Kit activities. If you’d like to see kits from other months, please click here.