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Come to kale is an expression attributed to the Gaels, which describes the act of sharing food, even with a stranger or when food is scarce. Such action is emblematic of the deep connection between companions who are knitted together in a mutually awakening journey, referred to by Watkins ( 2019) and Martín-Baró (1994) as accompaniment. In this presentation, we share our experiences of trauma-informed, nature, and attachment-based accompaniment with men living in a high-security state prison. In addition to offering insight into complex posttraumatic stress disorder experienced by many prisoners, this case example illustrates the effectiveness and essentiality of this approach over current hierarchical, adversarial approaches characteristic of most correctional settings. Accompaniment's nondual, relational approach inspired by nonhuman nature resulted in intergroup cooperation, open communication, collaborative resolution, exchange of information, and relational evolution. Through this experience, prisoners who were labeled violent transformed into colleagues and healers.

The United States spends over $80 billion to hold 2.3 million individuals in prison. Despite these expenditures, 68% of released prisoners are arrested within 3 years of reentry, 79% within 6 years, and 83% within 9 years. Incarcerated citizens leave prison more alienated, more traumatized, and less capable of prosocial skills than when they entered prison. The reasons for prison rehabilitation failure are clear. The prevailing philosophy in prisons is based on punishment, which psychology has demonstrated in countless studies, exacerbates fear, anger, aggression, deception, and often proclivities for depression and suicide. Furthermore, the majority of prisoners have experienced abuse and trauma prior to incarceration. The punishment-based prison culture functions as retraumatization by maintaining a sense of fear and insecurity and promulgating a distrust of authority, all of which lead to hostility and violence which then, exports to the community outside upon release. Observations from over 8 years of working with prisoners deemed to be "violent" in a high security state prison are provided along with supporting research that offers more effective alternative approaches. We provide specific recommendations regarding the implementation of trauma-informed processes to resolve these challenges which will significantly improve public safety. Public Significance StatementDrawing from observations from inside a men's maximum security prison, we document and discuss how current U.S. prison staff culture, based on punishment and prisoner objectification, exacerbates violence and undermines rehabilitation success. Most prisoners have experienced trauma, the majority of whom have sustained a series of severe traumas including early relational trauma, all of which is highly causal to violent behavior. Commensurate with established psychological theory and data, we assert that any possibility for successful rehabilitation, as well as within prison wellness, requires building a prison staff culture shaped by trauma-informed approaches, which focus on models of accompaniment, the cultivation of positive and supportive relationships with prisoners. Such transformational change leads to prison and community violence reductions.

The setting is a high-security state prison inhabited by over 2,300 men labeled as "violent," often having decades before access to the privilege of parole. Over 400 of these men have life without parole. This particular prison is surrounded by a national forest. We begin by describing current problems in corrections to introduce the difficulties facing not only these prisoners themselves, but also the psychologists tasked with rehabilitating them. A serendipitous discovery found that photographs of dogs and nonhuman forest animals opened communication between prisoner and nonprisoner. Then, the story of traumatized adolescent elephants led to prisoners' willingness to discuss their vulnerabilities. Eventually, several of the prisoners began to relate as colleagues, as professional equals, by taking the initiative to engage in healing activities such as composing effective therapeutic materials-featuring animals-to share among themselves in a process that became known in the prison as Elephants in the Forest. Scenarios from the prison, along with the literature supporting how these transformative approaches may work, are presented and discussed. Consistent with what psychological theory and data predict, attachment-based, trauma-informed, nature-grounded accompaniment provided foundational support for mutual transformation in both prisoner and psychologist. Designing and implementing such training and programs are recommended as vital for the success of prisoners and society-at-large rehabilitation.