The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Trauma and Adversity

“An extraordinary, eye-opening book.” —People

National Health Information Awards winner

“A rousing wake-up call. . . . This highly engaging, provocative book prove[s] beyond a reasonable doubt that millions of lives depend on us finally coming to terms with the long-term consequences of childhood adversity and toxic stress.” —Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow

Dr. Nadine Burke Harris was already known as a crusading physician delivering targeted care to vulnerable children. But it was Diego—a boy who had stopped growing after a sexual assault—who galvanized her journey to uncover the connections between toxic stress and lifelong illnesses.

The stunning news of Burke Harris’s research is just how deeply our bodies can be imprinted by ACEs—adverse childhood experiences like abuse, neglect, parental addiction, mental illness, and divorce. Childhood adversity changes our biological systems, and lasts a lifetime. For anyone who has faced a difficult childhood, or who cares about the millions of children who do, the fascinating scientific insight and innovative, acclaimed health interventions in The Deepest Well represent vitally important hope for preventing lifelong illness for those we love and for generations to come?.

“Nadine Burke Harris . . . offers a new set of tools, based in science, that can help each of us heal ourselves, our children, and our world.”—Paul Tough, author of How Children Succeed

“A powerful—even indispensable—frame to both understand and respond more effectively to our most serious social ills.”—New York Times

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272 pages

Average rating: 8.46

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RATASHIQ
Apr 02, 2022
10/10 stars
The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Trauma and Adversity Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity Paulette Brown Justice Dr.Nadine Burke Harris Published January 1, 2019 ❤ I learned of this book from a recent training I attended. It was mentioned several times by the facilitator and the the other attendees. This was well researched, informative and filled with "I KNEW IT" moments! There will be some trauma triggers for most. However, I do believe this is an essential tool in addressing generational trauma and childhood adversity. A absolute selfcare and healing #MUSTREAD ❤ A pioneering physician reveals how childhood stress can lead to lifelong health problems, and shows us what we can do to break the cycle. Two-thirds of us have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience, or ACE, such as abuse, neglect, parental substance dependence, or mental illness. Even though these events may have occured long ago, they have the power to haunt us long into adulthood, and now we have found that they may even contribute to lifelong illness. Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, the founder/CEO of the Center for Youth Wellness and recipient of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award, expands on similar topics as in her popular TED talk as she demystifies the connection between adversity and ill health. After surveying more than 17,000 adult patients, she found that the higher a person's ACE score, the worse their health. This led Burke Harris to an astonishing breakthrough—childhood stress changes our neural systems and its impact lasts a lifetime. Through vivid storytelling that combines both scientific insight with deeply moving stories about her patients and their families, Burke Harris illuminates her journey of discovery from the academy to her own pediatric practice in San Francisco's poverty-ridden Bayview Hunters Point. She re-roots the story of childhood trauma and its aftermath in science to help listeners see themselves and others more clearly. For anyone who has faced a difficult childhood, or who cares about the millions of children who do, the innovative and acclaimed health interventions outlined in the The Deepest Well represents vitally important hope for change.

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