Dr Calynn Lawrence, founder of the Holistic Healing Source for Marginalized Society, is a multiboard certified trauma specialist, credentialed neurocriminology and neuropsychotherapy professional, registered member of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, and globally accredited researcher and educator through the International Practitioners of Holistic Medicine board. Her free virtual resource center offers a variety of complimentary public learning materials, support tools, and advocacy content aimed at advancing the wellbeing of disenfranchised populations at the individual, community, and systemic levels.
Thank you for taking the time to share your findings with us. What draws you to this topic?
It’s my pleasure to share my studies with your audience. My commitment to legal system reform is personal. As a black woman who grew up in a low-income community on the south side of Chicago and was a product of public schooling from kindergarten through my first degree that I obtained from a city college, I’ve seen myriads of people close to me get caught up in the criminal justice system. Many of them were led to this due to factors largely beyond their control, such as underserved neighborhoods, education inequities, lack of access to proper health care, insufficient spiritual support, the Black and Brown prison pipeline, and more. Thus, I firmly believe that holistic legal system reform is preeminent to true social justice.
What are some explicit tactics that the current US legal system can execute to improve, and what would be some expected outcomes?
My doctoral capstone project, “The Wonders of Using Trauma Informed, Spirit Led Programming in Rehabilitating The Incarcerated and Reducing Recidivism,” dives into this at a much deeper level and is viewable on my Youtube channel (@calynn.m.lawrence) alongside a thorough scientific literature review and supporting slides. However, to give a birds-eye view, it explores how a plethora of vetted research initiatives demonstrate that an integrative approach to psychosocial services for felons could increase successful reentry to society, enriching community wellness and wealth. Providing “whole person” programming to inmates during and post-incarceration that targets ALL major areas of personhood, especially for intersectionally marginalised groups, would change the game for crime reduction and overall civic prosperity.
Can you define the “major areas of personhood” that would comprise “whole person” programming?
That would be covering someone’s physical, mental, and spiritual needs. Physical needs entail equipping them with proper educational and practical means to survive legally – job training and placement programmes, plus shelter and health care options post-release. That mitigates the need to resort to illegal methods of generating income. Mental needs entail stabilizing temperament through appropriate and accessible therapeutic or pharmaceutical interventions, teaching proper coping skills, and developing empathy. This targets many of the psychological factors within criminology, such as un(der)treated mental illness or trauma, dysregulated nervous systems, and lack of support in crisis. Spiritual needs entail diverse, inclusive, welcoming options to worship, be enlightened by, or seek strength and purpose in a higher power that you personally align with (beyond traditional Christianity). This gives people something positive to believe in, work towards, and be empowered by that is perceivably greater than their peers or circumstances on Earth. “Mind, body, soul” in short. Evidence shows that these things can vastly impact someone’s happiness, healthiness, and societal contributions. Thus, we should prioritize this if our goal is to make the world a better place, not just for felons but for all mankind.
To learn more about or get involved in Dr Lawrence’s work, visit Holistic Healing Source.
