Have we entered an age of unrelenting chaos? As we grope for a “new normal”, has humanity reached a kind of turning point?

It feels that way — in the wake of the Covid pandemic, intensifying impacts of climate change, the war in Ukraine, mounting threats to our democracy, repeated mass shootings and so much more.

In this timely audio documentary, you’ll hear inspiring stories of survivors. We also listen to health care providers, clergy and others who offer specific guidance to help people navigate these choppy waters. They conclude that new, hope-giving possibilities are emerging.

You’ll learn about a fascinating group of caregivers who travel to trouble spots and train local residents in proven techniques that can help people to heal from trauma. In the lyrics of folksinger Carrie Newcomer: “there’s something holding steady and true, regardless of me and you.”

In this provocative Humankind program, we consider:

• What resources are needed — for emotional and physical health and for the functioning of our communities?
• What are ways out of thinking that, in all this commotion, we’re in a downward spiral, with no other options?
• What simple self-care techniques can relieve the tensions now being felt my so many?

Rev. Susan Beaumont Troy, Michigan	James Gordon, MD Center for Mind-Body Medicine, Washington, DC	Sabrina N’Diaye psychotherapist Baltimore, Maryland
Nichole Warwick Sonoma, CA Community Resilience Collaborative	Michael Fanone retired officer, DC Metropolitan Police	Melissa Barnett yoga instructor Sonoma, California

Studio engineer Antonio Oliart-Ros. Special thanks to Ken Rogers, Cathy Graham, Rohan Edwards, Steve Martin and Tony Buck. And to singer/songwriter Carrie Newcomer for permission to use ‘Learning to Sit with not Knowing’.

Funding provided by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation and the Humankind Program Fund. Produced in association with WGBH/Boston and Documentary Educational Resources.

To learn more:

• Transforming Trauma: The Path to Hope and Healing  by James Gordon, MD 

• How to Lead When You Don’t Know Where You’re Going by Susan Beaumont