Did you know…
- Childhood trauma changes the amygdala (the part of the brain that governs “fight or flight”). It can make the person more impulsive.
- Many individuals who suffer from traumatic brain injury (TBI) are unable to learn from their mistakes.
- Addiction tricks the brain into thinking that drugs are essential for survival (like food, water and oxygen). Some people with an addiction are willing to do bad things to get drugs, as if their life depended on it.
None of these are excuses for bad behavior, but they are all explanations for bad behavior.
We can seek to understand the root cause of bad behavior without excusing bad behavior.
If you understand why someone is behaving badly, it is MUCH easier to help them behave well than if you just write them off as a jerk.
Have a great week!
Ryan
P.S. We have 2 free trainings this week! Thursday I’ll be interviewing Ben Greene (see below if you want to watch). All week we’re offering our Substance Abuse 101 training for free. Here’s the link to sign up: https://www.homelesstraining.com/free-training/ (if clicking the link doesn’t work, copy and paste it in your browser). Feel free to share the links with anyone who is interested!
