A Ripple of Healing: Remembering Jane Stevens
Photo: Jane Stevens celebrating the milestone of ACESCONNECTION.com reaching 50,000 members
As many of you may have heard, Jane Stevens, founder and publisher of ACEsTooHigh.com and PACEsConnection.com, passed away on November 30. In remembrance of Jane and the legacy of her work, we wanted to share a few reflections on the impact she had on each of us.
From Lori:
It is hard to put into words the impact that Jane Stevens, founder of PACEs Connection and ACEs Too High had on the trauma-informed movement. In many ways, she started the movement. She took what had lived in academic journals and brought it to life in the mainstream. She turned science into storytelling and through those stories, we could see ourselves. She helped us realize that “trauma-informed” was not just about “those people”—it was about all of us and how we show up. She created community around a shared vision that our own healing can ripple outward and through generations.
For me, PACEs Connection (at the time ACEs Connection) was my introduction to the trauma-informed movement. Despite having my masters in public health, I had never even heard of the ACE study until I stumbled upon it during a reckoning with my own struggles about ten years ago. As a teenager and young adult, I struggled with depression and when it returned around some major life transitions as I turned 40, the ACE framework gave me language to understand that perhaps my struggles were not a pathology, but rather a human reaction to life experiences. The framework of a trauma-informed approach has changed me profoundly—it led me to the work I am doing with Andi at Origins, it has changed the way I show up in relationships, and it has changed the way I parent. It has changed the way I view the world.
In a world that is so deeply wounded and in so much pain, I can’t think of a more profound legacy than the gift Jane Stevens left to all of us.
From Andi:
I first learned about the ACE Study in a training when I was a student earning my Master’s in Community Counseling. I was surrounded by tenured therapists, new and perspectives students, and members of the community who were interested in a “trauma-infomred approach.” The survey was handed out to the group and the facilitator asked who had scored 0- a few hands went up, 1 a few more, 2 even more, and then he said how about 4 or more- most of the hands went up. I teared up. For anyone who is familiar with this survey, it asks about adversity one may have experienced in childhood. It had been my experience up to that point that the most helpful guidance and the deepest empathy had come from those with the most colorful pasts but this research changed my life. It challenged us to ask, “what happened? Instead of “what’s wrong?” with someone- including myself. To see one another as humans with an abundance of lessons learned through their stories was a defiant act. It was at that point that I decided to start to shout this from the rooftops. It was also at this point that Jane Steven’s website Pacesconnection had launched and, being the extroverted seeker that I am, I joined the Arizona group and enjoyed meeting like-minded people and learning about how this approach was being applied not only in the mental health realm but also in schools, workplace environments, and social services.
In 2014, I took my mission a step further and attended the Acesconnection conference where I met Jane in person. She stood in a circle of keynotes and workshop leaders and was glowing. She was an innovator. She was tenacious. She didn’t stop fighting. As I write this now, I am tearful and know in my heart that her impact on the world, her legacy of empathy and culture change will live on. She is a reminder to not stop, to follow your intuition, to be brave, and to connect. In a world where pathologizing human behavior is the status quo, she created a new norm and a way to act on making change by coming together. I hold these lessons in gratitude.
In honor of Jane, I will continue to trust my gut, follow my heart, and be tenacious. I challenge us all to do the same.
To learn more about Jane and her legacy, you can read the obituary shared by PACEs Connection here: https://www.pacesconnection.com/blog/jane-stevens-dies-at-home-following-return-of-brain-cancer