Toxic Childhood Stress

Uncover the groundbreaking science that reveals how childhood stress leads to lifelong health problems – and learn what you can do to break the cycle.

The Surgeon General of California, Dr Nadine Burke Harris, shares pioneering research on the widespread crisis of childhood adversity and trauma. Through the objective lens of science and medicine, this book offers a roadmap for deeper understanding and healing. Essential reading in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, Toxic Childhood Stress shows how we can address, comprehend, and heal trauma.

Two-thirds of us have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience, from bereavement and divorce to abuse and neglect. Dr Burke Harris reveals the science behind these experiences and presents a new way of understanding their lifelong impact. Based on her groundbreaking clinical work and public leadership, she demonstrates how interventions can help retrain the brain and body, foster resilience, and enable children, families, and adults to lead healthier, happier lives.

When a seven-year-old boy entered Dr Burke Harris's clinic, he looked like a healthy preschooler – but he hadn't grown since a traumatic event at age four. This was the moment she realised her hunch about the connection between childhood stress and future ill health was more than just a feeling, setting her on a journey of trailblazing research with stunning results.