Santa Rosa Junior College Students For Recovery Club spread awareness for recreational drug safety and spoke about the interconnectedness between trauma and drug abuse in a social advocacy event showcasing the film “The Wisdom of Trauma” in the Newman Auditorium.
The film dives deep into the lives of people who suffer from trauma and addiction.
It features addiction and trauma expert Dr. Gabor Maté who taught on how the effects of trauma fester deep within a person and can transform their sense of self and life. ”Trauma is not the bad things that happen to you, but as a result it’s the bad things inside of you,” Maté said in the film.
The Students for Recovery Club, along with Micah’s Hugs had booths outside the auditorium and members educated the public about street drugs, such as what was real and what was fake. They said a lethal dose of fentanyl is 2mg, comparable to a few grains of salt. Cutting drugs with fentanyl is a huge issue today – other drugs sold on the streets are being cut with fentanyl, leading to lethal overdoses.
They also distributed Narcan, the over-counter medication that can stop opiate overdoses as they happen, and drug testing strips to the crowd.
Daniel Lionett, president of the Students For Recovery Club said he was fascinated by the film.
“Gabor Mate has a way that he steps into people’s lives in a compassionate way and asks questions that are not judgmental, but that are liberating basically,” Lionett said.
After the film, filmmakers Zaya and Mauricio Benazzo and rehabilitation counselor Tessa Reynolds hosted a Q&A session.
“When we released the film, in the first week we had 5 million people come to our website to watch the movie. It crashed servers and was beyond anything we ever expected. I think over 15 million people around the world have seen it,” Zaya said.
Reynolds is a pertinent character in the movie. They show people’s real life experience with addiction and trauma through the personal relationships they have with some of the people in the film from counseling them and sharing their journeys. “Everytime I watch it, I say it’s my favorite film and it’s not just because I’m in it. Gabor has a way of really touching folks in all capacities,” Reynolds said.
Kenny Hotchkiss, member of the Students For Recovery Club, said the film touched him in multiple ways.
“I personally loved the movie because of the fact that I saw myself in that movie, because of the fact that being addicted to drugs, being homeless and now being in recovery and going for my AODS [alcohol and other drug studies certificate],” Hotchkiss said.
Mauricio Benazzo said one of the most mind blowing aspects of filming was that over 90% of the people they interviewed said simply “I want to be seen.”
“The people on the street, they have the biggest hearts and it’s so easy to connect on a human level,” Zaya said.
Former Student for Recovery Club member Rich Giplin offered insight on seeing the homeless community as people and treating them with openness and compassion.
“One of the things that really stuck out to me was when they did the downtown street scene in the film and were really just taking the time to talk to the unhoused population, and recognize them and see them as human beings,” Giplin said.
Tova Esbit, who has a degree in drug and alcohol studies and human service advocacy, said the film was highly educational and emotional.
“Everything was beautifully explained and I was absolutely in love with the movie. It was very powerful to watch and learn everything they spoke about,” Esbit said.
Attendee Jason Reid said, “One specific part, especially was when Gabor was doing a therapy session with a woman, and he described how her depression was actually a positive thing and a success because she had learned from it and overcame it.”
Reid was explaining that being able to take such negativity and turn it into a positive thing is a very powerful practice that he himself has done and has seen in his peers.
The main takeaway from “The Wisdom of Trauma” is that people are people and treating them as such allows them to grow from their trauma. It illuminates the idea of being people-forward. Life is full of uncontrollable forces, learning to face trauma, and being compassionate with those who struggle with addiction and not seeing them as bad is a huge step to be able to allow a community to continue to build.
The movie is available to stream in 34 languages, online at https://thewisdomoftrauma.com. A donation is asked, but zero dollars can be donated and users can watch for free.
Teodora Doncheva • Apr 22, 2025 at 3:14 pm
Thank you for a great article and a wonderful reflection of the event!
This was a Social Advocacy project for the “Advocating for Social Change” class with Jessica Paisley. It was put on by students Athena Pasalacqua, Paola Diaz, Michelle Krivanek, Trinity Petersen and myself, Teodora Doncheva, in collaboration with Students for Recovery and Micah’s Hugs.
Jason Reid • Apr 17, 2025 at 5:07 pm
Awesome movie and awesome article, thank you Ellie!