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The Deepest Well

Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity

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The Deepest Well

By: Dr Nadine Burke Harris
Narrated by: Dr Nadine Burke Harris
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About this listen

A pioneering physician reveals how childhood stress leads to lifelong health problems and what we can do to break the cycle.

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.

Two thirds of us have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience, from the likes of bereavement and divorce to abuse and neglect. In The Deepest Well 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.

Like the classic Silent Spring, this book helps readers see a problem hiding in plain sight that impacts us all. By looking at the widespread crisis of childhood adversity through the objective lens of science and medicine, this book provides a roadmap for deeper understanding and change.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©Dr Nadine Burke Harris 2018 (P)2018 Macmillan Digital Audio Child Abuse Child Psychology Children's Health Divorce & Separation Dysfunctional Families Infants & Toddlers Mental Health Human Brain

Critic Reviews

Offers a powerful - even indispensable - frame to both understand and respond more effectively to our most serious social ills. (David Bornstein, New York Times )
A heart-breaking, world-shaking, revolutionary book. The Deepest Well uncovers 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 New York Times Best Seller How Children Succeed)
Adverse childhood experiences are the single greatest unaddressed public health threat facing our nation today. (Dr Robert Block, former President of the American Academy of Pediatrics)
The Deepest Well is a rousing wake-up call, challenging us to re-imagine pressing questions of racial and social justice as matters of public health. The research and stories shared in this highly engaging, provocative book prove 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 )
The Deepest Well is more than a riveting medical story - it’s a must-read guide for recognizing, understanding and treating a condition that many will find in our own homes. (BookPage )
This important and compassionate book further sounds the alarm over childhood trauma - and what can be done to remedy its effects. (Kirkus, starred review)

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Beautiful

Well written and moving, providing a powerful message and insight on the effects of adversity that is underrated and often over seen.

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Educational and important book

The Deepest Well provides very insightful and important information, knowledge and research about childhood adversity and how it impacts lives. Dr Burke Harris talks about facts trauma therapists have long known - that our bodies hold on to trauma and can trigger serious physical health issues. It is refreshing to see a medical doctor understanding and pushing for this knowledge to become widely known.

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Thank you for writing this book

I'm so glad I've read it, I'll share it with others.
I hope I get lots of fellow policy makers to read it.

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One of the most important books I have ever read

This book is something that everyone person on the planet needs to read. Burke-Harris takes complex scientific studies and presents it in a fascinating yet simple to read format.

This book is a must for all parents, teachers and anyone who works with young people.

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Exceptional. Changed my life

This book has fundamentally evolved my thinking around trauma and the urgent need to reform the way we as practitioners respond and develop better system responses.

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Engaging, informative, critically important

A compelling and highly informative narrative on a critical issue with potential to change the world. It was hard to put down. Highly recommend.

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Paradigm Shifting

Reading this booked gave me a new lense to interpret my experiences and view the world.

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Brilliant!

This encapsulated and reaffirmed so much about how childhood adversity can impact on peoples lives.
Nadine Burke Harris is an impressive and formidable character in her drive to affect change in this field. I hope her 2040 predictions come true with all my heart.

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A must read

I can’t recommend this book enough. Such valuable insight and wisdom written in a way that is extremely engaging.

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Puts it right there in front of us

Well written and delivered, with evidence and story nicely interwoven. This book has made me want to delve deeper into understanding whether and how we are addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) with health, education and social policies. Like trauma, ACES are at the heart of much that ails us as individuals, families and communities.

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