The biggest election issue no one's naming

Trauma healing expert Dr. Peter Levine redefines the stakes of the U.S. presidential race.

AI-generated image of ballot box marked with a distortion of the word “trauma.”

The U.S. presidential election is being portrayed as a choice between democracy and fascism, and there is one better option for people who want peaceful transitions of power and control over their bodies. But, let’s be clear: There are no angels on either side of the aisle, and one vote is not going to fix the fear and division that have many Americans reaching for guns, drugs and other numbing agents. To do that, we need to confront an issue that affects all of us, yet that politicians and the mainstream media often overlook.

We need to talk about trauma.

“Probably the most important question in society is how to heal trauma and how not to pass on trauma to the next generation, and the next and next and next,” Dr. Peter Levine, a leading expert in the field of trauma healing, told me when I asked him what journalists and voters should be pressing politicians on this election season.

Trauma is a psychological …