Cover of Phoenix Zones
Phoenix Zones Where Strength Is Born and Resilience Lives
by Hope Ferdowsian, MD
University of Chicago Press, 2018
Cloth: 978-0-226-47593-6 | Electronic: 978-0-226-47609-4
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226476094.001.0001

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University of Chicago Press (cloth, ebook)
ABOUT THIS BOOKAUTHOR BIOGRAPHYREVIEWSTABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Few things get our compassion flowing like the sight of suffering. But our response is often shaped by our ability to empathize with others. Some people respond to the suffering of only humans or to one person’s plight more than another’s. Others react more strongly to the suffering of an animal. These divergent realities can be troubling—but they are also a reminder that trauma and suffering are endured by all beings, and we can learn lessons about their aftermath, even across species.
 
With Phoenix Zones, Dr. Hope Ferdowsian shows us how. Ferdowsian has spent years traveling the world to work with people and animals who have endured trauma—war, abuse, displacement. Here, she combines compelling stories of survivors with the latest science on resilience to help us understand the link between violence against people and animals and the biological foundations of recovery, peace, and hope. Taking us to the sanctuaries that give the book its title, she reveals how the injured can heal and thrive if we attend to key principles: respect for liberty and sovereignty, a commitment to love and tolerance, the promotion of justice, and a fundamental belief that each individual possesses dignity. Courageous tales show us how: stories of combat veterans and wolves recovering together at a California refuge, Congolese women thriving in one of the most dangerous places on earth, abused chimpanzees finding peace in a Washington sanctuary, and refugees seeking care at Ferdowsian’s own medical clinic.
 
These are not easy stories. Suffering is real, and recovery is hard. But resilience is real, too, and Phoenix Zones shows how we can foster it. It reveals how both people and animals deserve a chance to live up to their full potential—and how such a view could inspire solutions to some of the greatest challenges of our time.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Hope Ferdowsian, MD, MPH resolved to become a doctor at the age of nine when she first learned about human rights violations like torture. She is a double-board certified fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Preventive Medicine who works with organizations worldwide providing healthcare and advocacy for vulnerable individuals in urban and rural settings.
 

REVIEWS

"Human and nonhuman animal rights activist Dr. Hope Ferdowsian has witnessed the horrific effects of brutality directed at both. Phoenix Zones are sanctuaries throughout the earth that extraordinary people have created to allow these dignified human and nonhuman victims to reclaim their lives. An acute observer of all animals, human and nonhuman, Hope's fine prose and deftly drawn portraits allow us to understand how we can not only support these Phoenix Zones, but create a world in which they become obsolete."
— Steven Wise, president of the Nonhuman Rights Project

"An extraordinary, vital book that demonstrates how trauma runs deep, not recognizing gender, race, nationality, age or species. An absorbing read that combines hard science with adventure, personal observation, and compassion."
— Ingrid Newkirk, president and cofounder of PETA

"This is a gem of a book. Using real stories about real people, Phoenix Zones delivers a powerful message about how we may confront, understand, and overcome adversity, and make the world a better place for ourselves and the other animals that we share it with.  It radiates light and offers hope in these dark and dangerous times."
— David Livingstone Smith, author of Less Than Human

"It is the power of the individual spirit for resilience after trauma that is illuminated in these two projects, Ferdowsian believes. With clarity and poignancy, she lays out a case that human and animal suffering are closely connected. . . . Ferdowsian has no time for human exceptionalism, and it turns out that she is on solid ground in her position. . . . Ferdowsian is at her best when she brings together concrete steps for change with inspiring rhetoric. She shows us what is possible: working from within a principled framework, we may rethink our connection with others (human and animal) and normalize the type of compassion that is currently exceptional. As Ferdowsian puts it, 'If the initial conditions are principles, we need to start there, apply them with consistency, and build up to rise up.''
 
— Barbara J. King, Times Literary Supplement

TABLE OF CONTENTS


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226476094.003.0001
[Henry Bergh;Mary Ellen;children's rights;animals;social justice movements;holistic solutions]
The introductory chapter provides a brief historical and modern view of the book's purpose, beginning with the story of Henry Bergh, the founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and Mary Ellen, an abused child Henry Bergh represented in court. The successful trial launched a new era acknowledging the rights of children. However, despite historical associations among causes to protect vulnerable children and animals, these and many other social justice movements now work in separate silos. The chapter argues for holistic solutions that address the roots of violence, including the link between human and animal suffering.


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226476094.003.0002
[vulnerability;suffering;torture;abuse;resilience;phoenix effect]
Through a mixture of storytelling and historical, political, and scientific accounts, this chapter reveals how people and animals are similarly vulnerable to suffering. However, it also shows how hope and recovery are possible amid violence and aggression. The chapter describes the "Phoenix Effect," a concept recognized in medicine in which individuals can recover after severe trauma. Similarly, the chapter introduces the notion of "Phoenix Zones," literal and figurative sanctuaries where injured people and animals can heal through the recognition of core principles.


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226476094.003.0003
[structural violence;pathogenic vulnerability;pain;psychological disorders;suffering;resilience;Abraham Maslow;Maslow's hierarchy of needs]
This chapter expands upon how violence against people and animals is intricately linked. It addresses the problem of structural violence and factors that contribute to oppression and abuses of power. Through established science, the chapter describes how people and animals are similarly vulnerable to pain, psychological disorders, and suffering. Often, suffering in people and animals can be attributed to pathogenic sources of vulnerability created by domination and political violence. However, a more holistic view—one that focuses on meeting the needs and well-being of individuals—offers a way to reduce vulnerability and promote resilience. Many of these elements are reflected in Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs and the principles found in Phoenix Zones.


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226476094.003.0004
[basic freedoms;bodily liberty;bodily integrity;asylum seekers;chimpanzees;mental disorders;recovery]
This chapter reveals the biological, philosophical, and political basis for the right to basic freedoms including bodily liberty and bodily integrity. It describes the neurobiological and ethologicalexplanations for mental disorders, such as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety, found in people and animals. Stories of torture survivors seeking asylum and chimpanzees previously used in laboratory experimentation reveal the physical and neuropsychological importance of basic freedoms to recovery. The chapter includes a historical perspective on the struggle to expand basic legal freedoms to vulnerable humans and animals, and it concludes by exploring what the future holds in this area.


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226476094.003.0005
[sovereignty;agency;learned helplessness;PTSD;humans;elephants;sanctuary;recovery]
This chapter shows how respect for the sovereignty and choices of each individual is critical to health and well-being. It demonstrates how disrespect for sovereignty can lead to mental disorders including learned helplessness and PTSD in people and animals—from enslaved humans to captive and abused elephants. Elephants were some of the first animals in whom mental disorders were widely publicized, highlighting the importance of trans-species psychology. The resilience of elephants in sanctuaries, where agency is restored, offers a model and foundation for recovery. As studies of people and animals show, a sense of control and empowerment can result in recovery from learned helplessness and related mental disorders. The chapter includes a review of ongoing legal and political efforts to recognize the sovereignty of people and animals across the globe.


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226476094.003.0006
[love;tolerance;combat veterans;wolves;parrots;cross-species bonds;empathy;recovery;violence prevention]
This chapter reveals the importance of love and tolerance to early development,well-being, and resilience in people and animals.One of the most important contributors to the Phoenix Effect is the healing power of within and cross-species bonds, friendship, and connections. The chapter considers the therapeutic importance of these relationships. For example, loving social bonds between combat veterans and wolves, and parrots, accelerate the Phoenix Effect, likely through the rewiring of neuronal pathways. The chaptershows how kindnessand empathy are biologically contagious properties seen across species. In contrast, an absence of love, in the form of indifference, neglect, abuse, or hate, can fuel rage and violence on an individual and global scale, leaving everyone more vulnerable. The chapter includes profound examples of forgiveness and tolerance and cautions against vilifying or alienating certain people and animals, even after severe atrocities. As an alternative, the chapter illustrates how compassionate, altruistic, and forgiving behaviors foster recovery and prevent violence and suffering in society.


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226476094.003.0007
[justice;fairness;childhood trauma;homelessness;companion animals;vulnerability;social justice]
This chapter addresses the philosophical and biological underpinnings for the need for justice.Some populations, like children and animals, are more vulnerable to suffering than others, particularly when they are forced into powerlessness. Justice is built upon correcting these inequalities. Stories and emerging science reveal how the Phoenix Effect is possible when pathological contributors to vulnerability are removed and a sense of fairness and justice is created in their place. In effect, the brain’s “fight or flight” response is reprogrammed, lowering the risk for fear and mental disorders. At a critical time of development, when the brain’s cortex is under construction, young brains are pruned and rebuilt. Children and animals with histories of trauma, neglect, and incompletely addressed mental health challenges can transform physically and mentally in a safer, more just environment. The chapter shows how Phoenix Zones empower the most marginalized individuals, flooding the world with more Phoenixes who can aid in the larger quest for social justice.


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226476094.003.0008
[hope;optimism;opportunity;Congo;women and girls;gorillas;placebo effect;resilience]
Resilience and the Phoenix Effect would be impossible without the promise of a better tomorrow. Through the stories of people working on behalf of women, girls, and animals at risk in Congo, the chapter illustrates the importance of hope and opportunity to individual and societal recovery. Studies indicate hope, similar to the placebo effect, acts through protective chemical mediators, offering a path toward healing.After trauma, hope and optimism can reduce symptoms of mental and physical disorders.Optimistic individuals experience more rapid recovery after medical illnesses and better survival rates, compared with their pessimistic counterparts. There is even evidence that hope can help communities recover after conflict. Nonetheless, to be optimistic about the future, individuals need the right opportunities. But what does opportunity mean for people and animals? Opportunity is the opening of a door to a species-typical life—one that is free, sovereign, and filled with loving social bonds and the chance to live up to one's potential. When given the opportunity to live a full life typical of their species, animals are healthier and more resilient. The same is true for humans. Though the precise needs of individuals of various species differ, the principle is the same.


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226476094.003.0009
[domestication;exploitation;oppression;treatment of animals;human atrocities;dignity;intrinsic value;violence prevention]
This chapter shows how respect for dignity is both the core and pinnacle of the Phoenix Effect—for people and animals. It shows how the historical domestication and exploitation of animals became the model and inspiration for many forms of human oppression that followed. As historian Charles Patterson and other scholars argue,some of the worst atrocities against humans resemble the treatment of animals in society. Therefore, the unjust treatment of animals needs to be unraveled in order to understand and prevent inhumane acts and violence against humans.Though the hierarchy and great divide built on the domestication and exploitation of animals fostered an idea that some humans could be reduced in worth, it’s possible that recognizing the intrinsic value—the dignity—of animals could, in turn, lead to a more just world for humans. The chapter explores the therapeutic relevance of respect for dignity, both for individuals and for society.


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226476094.003.0010
[vulnerable populations;human;animals;universal solutions;principles]
While further progress needs to be made on behalf of vulnerable human populations, the basic needs and rights of people and animals are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, there is common ground occupied by those working on behalf of people and animals—both because of the shared potential for suffering and because many solutions to successfully combat violence are universal. Phoenix Zones reflect principles that are celebrated in many philosophical and religious traditions. However, individuals too seldom consider how these principles apply to their daily lives, choices, and actions. Returning to the Phoenix Zones of previous chapters, this chapter reflects on the importance of core principles—respect for liberty and sovereignty, a commitment to love and tolerance, the promotion of justice, and a belief that each individual possesses dignity. The chapter ends by imagining the implications of applying these tenets to some of the biggest ethical, legal, and political challenges of our time—from escalating violence and terror to systematic cruelty and abuse.


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226476094.003.0011
[social justice movements;compassion fatigue;intersectionality;systematic change;behavioral change;grassroots efforts;nonviolent principles]
As the last chaptersuggests, a path toward greater compassion and empathy will require individual behavioral changes, grassroots efforts, and systematic change. Examples of promising educational, health, legal, and law enforcement initiatives that simultaneously address the suffering of people and animals are provided. The chapter also addresses how vicarious trauma can interfere with social progress and how individuals can prevent compassion fatigue. People working at the intersection of multiple social justice movements demonstrate howto find common ground and discover unimaginable rewards among incredible costs. The chapter ends with a call for leadership and the creation of sanctuary for each individual—in part, through changes in language, choices as citizens and consumers, and judgments about guiding and educating children. Nonviolent principles provide a critical foundation.

Book published by University of Chicago Press, 2018. Page maintained by BiblioVault.