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Finally after thirty years, I finally understood . . . this book holds the answers you’ve been searching for.’ Kerry Hudson

The Surgeon General of California reveals pioneering research on how childhood stress leads to lifelong health problems and what we can do to break the cycle.
Perfect for fans of The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, this eye-opening book includes a free Adverse Childhood Experience test and looks at the widespread crisis of trauma and childhood adversity through the objective lens of science and medicine, providing a roadmap for deeper understanding and change. It is vital now more than ever, as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, that we find a way to address, understand and heal trauma.
Two thirds of us have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience, from the likes of bereavement and divorce to abuse and neglect. In Toxic Childhood Stress Dr Burke Harris reveals the science behind childhood adversity and offers a new way of understanding the adverse events that affect us throughout our lifetime. Based on her own groundbreaking clinical work and public leadership, Dr Burke Harris shows us how we can disrupt this cycle through interventions that help retrain the brain and body, foster resilience, and help children, families, and adults live healthier, happier lives.

When a young boy walked into Dr Nadine Burke Harris’s clinic he looked healthy for a preschooler. But he was seven, and hadn’t grown a centimetre since a traumatic event when he was four. At that moment Dr Burke Harris knew that her gut feeling about a connection between childhood stress and future ill health was more than just a hunch – and she began her journey into groundbreaking research with stunning results.

13 reviews for Toxic Childhood Stress: The Legacy of Early Trauma and How to Heal

  1. Lynne G
    March 6, 2023
    Knowledge is power, they say...
    and this book proves that to be perfectly true. Invest YOURSELF in absorbing the powerful truths here. It will change your life. With my new understan...More
    and this book proves that to be perfectly true. Invest YOURSELF in absorbing the powerful truths here. It will change your life. With my new understanding, and an ACE score of 7, I now finally realise and feel that I, little me, is worth the effort and reward of self care. In my closing years, I finally matter, and that feels good. Thanks, Nadine, for striving, pushing and sharing.
    Helpful? 9 0
    Terra Easters
    May 24, 2022
    5.0 out of 5 stars Was recommended I purchase and read
    Haven't started reading yet but I'm a fan of this author so I know I won't be disappointed
    Helpful? 0 0
    Surfer Smurf
    March 11, 2022
    Wonderful
    Highly recommend
    Helpful? 0 0
    Karen Williams
    November 30, 2021
    Made me stop and understand myself
    Thought provoking its a must buy!
    Helpful? 0 0
    Olga OH
    July 21, 2021
    Well worth reading.
    It's an eye opener; interesting, informative, sobering and hopeful - health care approach desperately needed everywhere to deliver quality of life and...More
    It's an eye opener; interesting, informative, sobering and hopeful - health care approach desperately needed everywhere to deliver quality of life and improved outcomes for us all
    Helpful? 0 0
    Swoboda
    July 8, 2021
    5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down
    I tend to read the bad reviews and discourage myself from reading things, and I almost did that with this book. Someone stated that the author appear...More
    I tend to read the bad reviews and discourage myself from reading things, and I almost did that with this book. Someone stated that the author appeared to be hostile towards Caucasians. The way I read it, it was quite the opposite. The author discusses how toxic stress is something that touches several different people in different walks of life. She compares toxic stress to bears because if we were to face a bear in the wild, we activate a fight or flight reaction. Toxic stress activates the same reactions in everyone, however when it happens in childhood ages is when it becomes a problem. Some communities live in parts that are prone to more bears than others is all the author really stated and even advocates needing to create resources to be available to all children. She is wanting to change the way doctors treat patients. This is a great book! As a teacher I wondered what I could do to improve things for my students. While the book did not give a clear path on how teachers can help, the author did promote a program called "Turnaround" which I plan to read up on. Again, Great book!
    Helpful? 15 0
    Valerie McClure
    April 14, 2021
    Really good read!
    Loved this book, couldn’t put it down. This is a must read for anyone who has suffered trauma and stress in childhood it explains a lot.
    Helpful? 4 0
    Jackie Fitzpatrick
    March 30, 2021
    Recommended
    I saw this recommended by a GP on Twitter as a must-read, and it was a great recommendation.ACEs should be mandatory learning for all health professio...More
    I saw this recommended by a GP on Twitter as a must-read, and it was a great recommendation.
    ACEs should be mandatory learning for all health professionals and educators
    Helpful? 4 0
    Rona
    March 21, 2021
    A must read for anyone that wants to know more about ACEs
    A first person account of the journey into understanding averse childhood experiences. Dr Burke has written in such a way that non medical personnel c...More
    A first person account of the journey into understanding averse childhood experiences. Dr Burke has written in such a way that non medical personnel can follow and understand as it is written in layperson’s terms.
    Helpful? 5 0
    Lilirose
    February 27, 2021
    A must read to understand childhood stress
    This book explains why stress in childhood causes many disorders as an adult. I highly recommend this book to anyone trying to understand why we suff...More
    This book explains why stress in childhood causes many disorders as an adult. I highly recommend this book to anyone trying to understand why we suffer as an adult!
    Helpful? 0 0
    Elisabeth
    January 26, 2021
    Written so accessibly but with reference to case studies and alternative reading throughout.
    Written so accessibly but with reference to case studies and alternative reading throughout. A well-paced and enormously uplifting book considering th...More
    Written so accessibly but with reference to case studies and alternative reading throughout. A well-paced and enormously uplifting book considering the darkness of some of its subject matter. Extremely glad I read it.
    Helpful? 6 0
    Desire Dias
    October 19, 2020
    Must have for clinicians
    An excellent buy for clinicians to help understand the nuances of toxic parenting.
    Helpful? 3 0
    Derek K.
    May 20, 2018
    An important book with a message and vision we should all heed.
    Dr. Harris gives a well measured account of her journey and discoveries of the effect that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) can have on a person. W...More
    Dr. Harris gives a well measured account of her journey and discoveries of the effect that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) can have on a person. Written with healthy doses of empathy, humour, introspection and anecdotes, it develops a convincing case for the need to pay more attention to the triggers of toxic stress a child can be exposed to in their formative years and how it can be dealt with at various levels, from the individual up.

    Definitely a book I will be gifting to others.
    Helpful? 0 0
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