September 13, 2026

Using Love to Heal from Trauma: A Long-Form Chat with Bruce Purnell by BAAM’s James Bell

[youtube id=”Uur9FiWDMmI

Perhaps one of the most important psychological breakthroughs for treating trauma in the 21st century might just turn out to be good old plain love.

That’s what Dr. Bruce Purnell has come to believe after decades of serving both children and adults who have experienced horrific trauma in their lives. As a result, he has reframed his psychology practice accordingly, with the simple and powerful organizational name and mission of LOVE More.

The Love More movement recently caught the eye of Dr. James Bell after reading Dr. Purnell’s recent book, The Caterpillar’s W.E.B. for Transformation. As the director of instruction at Building African-American Minds (BAAM) in Easton, Dr. Bell has also been looking for new approaches to reach and heal young trauma victims.

Dr. James willingly said yes to the Spy’s invitation to interview Dr. Bruce about his book and talk candidly and openly about trauma recovery, particularly within African American communities.

Their discussion highlights the importance of community as a healing mechanism and viewing the community as the medicine rather than the patient. The speakers discuss the challenges of reintegrating into environments filled with trauma and the necessity of creating positive, incremental changes to navigate toward joy and fulfillment.

This video is approximately 13 minutes in length. To learn more about the LOVE MORE movement, please go here. For information about BAAM, please go here.

AI Disclosure: The Spy and its writers may use artificial intelligence tools to support accuracy and clarity in our reporting.

0 Responses

  1. I believe in this idea that loving more has a healing impact on people who have a history of trauma. Thanks for publishing this interview with these two engaging men.

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