James EncinasJames Encinas, a former actor and grade school teacher, is a parent education specialist, teacher trainer, public speaker and author. He wrote Wheeling to Healing...Broken Heart on a Bicycle: Understanding and Healing from Adverse Childhood Experiencs to illustrate that healing from Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) is possible when the heart is open and the mind is willing to embrace healthy ways to maintain peace, honor and respect for self and others. Children and adults reflect the reality in which they were raised. To avoid the shame, anxiety and uncertainty created by ACEs, people learn to armor up and shut down which traps them in unhealthy and even dangerous patterns. The workshopss James teaches use a variety of tools and exercises (e.g. breath work, coordinated body movements, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), acupressure, meditation) to open individuals up to their pure, undamaged souls and give teachers new ways to reach into the minds and hearts of students. Clear communication, combined with active listening, is key for healing to begin and healthy relationships to be maintained. Safe environments, especially in healing communities, allow members to recognize who they are, what they can become, and grasp the idea of a spiritual force greater than the self and its interconnection in all things. This type of awakening is key to letting go of the trauma left behind after ACEs, and preventing future emotional abuse and domestic violence. Workshop graduates bring non-judgmental behavior to their home/work/school, and this healthy paradigm is what changes communities for the better. James is one of the founders of the Westminster Avenue Elementary School Endowment, a not-for-profit focused on strengthening ties with parents and the community at large. He is a certified Echo Parenting Trainer. James is a Fellow from the first class of the Aspen Teacher Leaders Fellowship and is a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. He is in the process of becoming an Interfaith Minister. Read More Read Less