Marcella Piper-Terry, M.S.

As parents of children diagnosed with autism, a great many of us meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. We trusted. Our children were harmed. We didn’t see it coming. Our experiences can result in us living in a perpetual state of fight-or-flight. Trauma changes us. One effective way of healing from trauma is to take what has happened to us and use it for the good of humanity. Becoming active in advocacy work, educating and empowering other parents so they don’t have to experience the pain and difficulties our families live with helps us make sense of our own lives and experiences. Advocacy gives us purpose. As we watch young parents beginning to go down the path we once traveled, we can become triggered. We may become stuck in a perpetual state of fight-or-flight. The path of the activist is often stressful, and without balance and attention to our own health and well-being, the work can become the thing that takes us from our families. We often speak about how we have to live forever but being immersed in such painful and stressful advocacy work can lead us in the opposite direction when it comes to our own health. Learning how to find balance is essential. We are physical, emotional, and spiritual beings. Finding balance and caring for ourselves requires attention and care to each part of ourselves, which can be a very difficult goal to achieve. In this panel discussion, Polly, Stephanie, and Marcella will discuss their own journeys and offer insights regarding self-care for the citizen activist as a whole person. Topics of discussion will include the importance of growing and nurturing our spiritual and emotional connections, learning to calm and support our mind-body connection to help shut down the fight-or-flight response, and protecting ourselves on a physical level in a time of self-spreading vaccines; an issue of elevated significance for those with MTHFR genetic SNPs.