The Deepest Well

Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity

By: Dr. Nadine Burke Harris

Narrated by: Dr. Nadine Burke Harris

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.

Great Book!

This book was a great read! It does a wonderful job of explaining the biological role of toxic stress and disrupted stress responses. However, I feel bad knocking such a good book, but the title is somewhat misleading because there is very little actual information on methods of healing Adverse Childhood Events (ACE's) and their biological impact that are strongly discussed. There are a few vague ways to prove them, but if you're looking for a methodology, this book won't provide it.

I needed this book 27 years ago.

My therapist recommended this book because when we are in session I remind her of every single words in this book. And she was right!!
This book is my life. I am so happy she told me about it, because I was able to identify my triggers, and what was causing me to be in the place I’ve been into for the pass 2 years.
Also this book confirms my behaviors in the way I choose to raised my children was right, to keep them away and from around toxic people, and places that would have a negative impact on children.

ACES could not ask for a better advocate

Dr. Nadine Burke Harris has dedicated her life to the wellness of others. Adverse childhood experiences is the public health crisis that until recently, has gone unspoken and unrecognized. It is so important for everyone to understand their ACE score and to share that information with their healthcare team. This book is written in an engaging style and Dr. Harris’ delivery is heartfelt and genuine. I could not recommend this book more highly.

Listening to her Ted talk gave me the energy and courage to change my career path to serve the psychiatric needs of others, many of whom have experienced too much adversity. Yet people are incredibly resilient and have the power to heal. Dr. Harris provides a roadmap for that journey.

Superb!

Dr. Burke Harris delivers a thorough history of ACES. Her experience firsthand with high ACE scores brings credibility to the information rather than just giving numbers and percents. She knew these “numbers” and their stories. She also narrates the book which gives it something that a second-hand telling could never give. Excellent job!

Enlightening

Okay, by now we know stress is bad, especially for kids, but this not only goes deeper, but makes it personal, with compelling stories. The author does a great job reading her work. As an adult survivor of multiple toxic stressors, I wished for more specifics on what to do NOW, but perhaps that's another book waiting to be written