Childhood Disrupted: How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology, and How You Can Heal

I consider Donna Nakazawa’s book very important for people who have suffered abusive childhoods. Her book focuses mostly on physical health issues (immune disorders, etc.) resulting from stress that has its roots in childhood abuse or traumas that resulted from circumstances that didn’t involve abuse. My personal interest in the book (apart from theoretical interests) is due to my having suffered from severe emotional abuse in childhood. The particular impacts of this abuse (albeit by well-meaning parents) for me were principally psychological in nature. Although experiencing high blood pressure in middle age was, almost certainly, due to intense emotional stresses that had their roots in my childhood. Nakazawa argues persuasively that people with high ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) scores are at much greater risk of certain kinds of physical illnesses – especially autoimmune disorders – than are people whose ACE scores are low. She also points out that many doctors and other medical professionals are oblivious to the fact that many of the physical health issues they encounter in their patients are, in fact, caused by severe stresses as a consequence of childhood traumas. The medical professions seem to be woefully unaware of the powerful psychosomatic (mind-body) impacts that can result from psychological stressors. Therefore, many patients with severe autoimmune disorders are routinely misdiagnosed by doctors who lack sufficient awareness that a patient’s childhood experiences can gravely impact adult health issues. As a nonprofessional, it appears to me that, in general, much of Western medical science is due for a makeover, if not a downright revolution. In Western science, there is a serious deficiency in an understanding of the powers of the human mind. By and large, the mind is regarded as NON-EXISTENT – a merely mysterious by-product of physical brain functions. Since the brain is physical, and given the philosophical supposition that the mind consists of brain processes, the powers of the mind are absurdly underrated, marginalized, and often discounted as, in analytical fact, NON-EXISTENT. Notwithstanding Western sciences’ brilliant successes in “mastering” material entities, its stubborn refusal to acknowledge the viability and powers of the mind simply means that, in certain respects, Western science and philosophy have foundered at the point where Democritus (with his “atoms and the void”) left them in ancient Greece (some 24 centuries ago). My point is not to argue that, regarding matter and the material world, science has not progressed, because it obviously has been brilliantly advanced. However, from the perspective of the mind-body problem, science and philosophy are largely stuck – regardless of how much some neuroscientists might believe that we’re on the verge of a breakthrough, whereby the “consciousness problem” is scientifically solved. The fact is that Western science will have to undergo a revolution (greater than the Copernican revolution) if it will ever make meaningful inroads into the glories of the mind. My digression into philosophy and science is intimately related to this book review. Nakazawa repeatedly decries the grave inadequacies in our medical professions regarding the crying need to grant due importance to how the mind, when it suffers dysfunctions, can DESTROY the body. To underrate that importance is a seriously damaging error of which most Westernized medical science is guilty. Donna Nakazawa’s book shines the spotlight on medical science’s neglect. Although my personal interest in this book was principally a desire to learn how better to tackle my psychological problems from childhood abuse, I found this book to be highly informative, enlightening, and worthy of high marks. After all, the book shines a light where much of Western medical science fears to tread.

If as a child you have ever suffered physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, divorce, hunger, bullying, or lived with family members who were suicidal, imprisoned, mentally ill, from a dysfunctional family, or abused drugs, then this book is a must read. Your health depends on it. Donna Nakazawa unpacks one of the greatest discoveries in modern psychology and medicine today, the groundbreaking study on Adverse Childhood Experiences by medical doctor Vincent Felitti and Robert Anda. If you have experienced any of the 10 ACE's above, then your health is already at risk. I have personally experienced 8 out of 10 ACE's and thus identified with everything in this book. I have suffered from chronic headaches, chronic fatigue, heart disease, BPH, gynecomastia, and bilirubin, resulting from trauma. I was on Amitriptyline, Venlafaxine, Tizanidine, Lipitor, Hydrocodone, and NSAID's for years, and nothing helped until I began EMDR therapy for trauma as described in this book. The headaches and illnesses are largely gone. Through scientific research, Nakazawa demonstrates how our genes are changed based on our childhood trauma, known as epigenetic imprinting and methylation. The result is an inflammation of the organs through cortisol and cytokines, leading to inevitable illnesses in our adulthood. The science is virtually incontrovertible, and the research is extensive. Each chapter illustrates this process with real life stories that grip the heart yet give hope. If you've suffered childhood trauma, then you will certainly identify with the research and stories here. This is a profound and enlightening book. The last three chapters give cutting-edge information on how to begin a pathway towards recovery, from personal to professional approaches. This is one of the best books I have ever read on childhood trauma (see also The Body Keeps the Score by Van Der Kolk). It is very well written and researched. I highly recommend it.

If you've lived a life peppered with depression, substance abuse, illness and dis-ease and had a troubled childhood, the information in this book is going to give you some brand new ways to reconsider how you survived. You will discover that your ability to cope is way better than you realized and that patterns established in your brain as a child can be modified even many years later to help you create the equanimity you have been seeking. At least that's what it's doing for me. A high score on the ACE test does not mean you can't create real peace, happiness and joy. Finally knowing how your brain built its response to the stresses you endured as a child frees you from blind impact of the remnants from those times and allows you to mindfully create a whole new library of response. And this helps you avoid future illness and helps you eliminate these patterns with your own children, if you have any. I feel positive I am headed down a much healthier, more hopeful path that earlier therapies just couldn't help me alleviate. I feel like now I have the full picture. So now all I have to do is the work! The mysteries about why I experience depression, developed an autoimmune disorder and am heading towards heart disease are now exposed and I can turn it all around, healfully, happily and without uncomfortable mystery.

This is written with enough clarity for the 'average layman' to get a good understanding of childhood trauma and how it impacts later adulthood. I deducted one star because, from a Christian standpoint, I didn't like the meditation aspect. Obviously counseling may be needed, and it would have to be very specialized which may not be available to many people, especially in rural areas. But for the most part it did give good information on how to proceed once you had answers to your "feeling stuck" and how to move forward and heal.

Great book. It explains how experiences in your childhood can affect your life in later years. Real eye opener.

Thank you SO much to the author for putting this information all together in an understandable way. I use to suffer from IC/PBS a very painful bladder condition. It started when I was 25, and it took me 8 years to finally heal - western docs say it’s incurable. I went on a long journey of diets, natural remedies, antibiotics, NAET, ozone, therapy.. I have a lot of childhood trauma and I always knew there was a link to my illness. I read bits and pieces on why, but no one has put it together to elegantly as this author. People would tell me IC is cause by your mind but it frustrated me because the food intolerances, infections, and other body issues where very real. Although I needed to address the biology issues to get better, I know for a fact my trauma set the stage and this book finally put it all together for me! I wrote a book on my healing and do talk about my trauma but couldn’t put it all together. I never understood why I can’t eat “inflammatory” foods without symptoms but my friends can eat them and be fine. My body is already primed in the inflammatory state.. Many thanks to this author!!! This book will change lives!

For decades I asked myself why do you react in the way you do in certain situations, or why can I not trust, among a couple dozen other questions. This book has the answers, not some gobbly googly crap, but the truth. This book opened my eyes. I do not beat myself up anymore. I can breathe. I am free. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who grew up in a dysfunctional home.

Since 2012, I have been trying to get a diagnosis for my health issues. I have subjected myself to ultra sounds, CT scans, Pet Scans, MRI’s, Colonoscopy, and Endoscopy and a small bowel follow through. My gastroenterologist was befuddled and finally suggested that there maybe a mind-body connection. He asked me to keep a diary of each time one of my health episodes flared up. It turns out I was having flashbacks to emotional neglect and physical punishment at my mother’s hand. These scenes would flood back. It was crippling. Nakazawa’s book is the BEST and most comprehensive view of the importance of the ACE studies and the ability to heal from a negative upbringing. My ACE score is a 4. I now see options to heal and recover. The book shares a multitude of ideas. I have been receiving EMDR with my therapist. I am ever hopeful there is a path to freedom! I highly recommend this book.

A must read for trauma sufferers that brings answers.

Honestly one of the most insightful books I have ever read. I could not put this book down. It explains so much about chronic physical and mental health issues, how childhood adversity amidst (or exclusive of) other factors, such as genetic disposition (YES THERE IS A SENSITIVITY GENE that some of us are born with), environmental factors and emotional support (or lack thereof) that can lead to inflammation in the brain and cause health issues in later life. It’s like the missing piece of the puzzle and even if you’re not affected health wise currently, it doesn’t mean that issues from the past won’t affect you somewhere down the line. However as many years may have passed by since childhood, you’re left wondering why your immune system is suddenly suppressed, you’re getting sick and wonder what you can do about it. Well knowledge is power and understanding how the body responds to early trauma will shed much needed light on those questions. It explains the rewiring of the HPI Axis and the hormonal changes affecting the endocrine system - adrenaline stress response and hyper vigilance, it’s all very well written and in an easy to understand format, including examples from real people and their journey, written in a sort of ‘short story’ format which breaks up the scientific approach and makes it even more of an intriguing read. This book is essential to understand the importance of dealing with such issues and that it’s never too late to do so. It discusses methods you can implement to help reverse the DNA damage and ultimately change the outcome of your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. I cannot recommend this book enough, so much so that since purchasing for myself, I’ve also purchased several copies for friends and family. This one is a game changer.

Libro consigliato da uno psicologo americano specializzato in ADHD; ho apprezzato moltissimo il libro per la sua accessibilità nello stile comunicativo, per i contenuti scientifici tracciabili e perchè permette di ricostruire una comprensione più ampia ed integrata delle conseguenze dei traumi e degli abusi psicologici subiti da bambini, che di fatto trovano espressione in forti e gravi sintomatizzazioni. Vale la pena la lettura.

This is a well written, easy to read book that carefully details the consequences of childhood trauma. A must for anyone working with children, or people who are on a personal healing journey.

Brilliant for those who struggled with a difficult childhood. This book is especially good if you are in the healing professions