Trauma Through a Child's Eyes: Awakening the Ordinary Miracle of Healing [Paperback]

Peter A. Levine Ph.D. (Author), Maggie Kline (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 26, 2006

An essential guide for recognizing, preventing, and healing childhood trauma, from infancy through adolescence—what parents, educators, and health professionals can do.

Trauma can result not only from catastrophic events such as abuse, violence, or loss of loved ones, but from natural disasters and everyday incidents such as auto accidents, medical procedures, divorce, or even falling off a bicycle. At the core of this book is the understanding of how trauma is imprinted on the body, brain, and spirit, resulting in anxiety, nightmares, depression, physical illnesses, addictions, hyperactivity, and aggression. Rich with case studies and hands-on activities, Trauma Through A Child’s Eyes gives insight into children’s innate ability to rebound with the appropriate support, and provides their caregivers with tools to overcome and prevent trauma.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Trauma Through A Child’s Eyes is an extraordinary body of work. Healing ourselves and our children of the effects of trauma is of the utmost importance. The more aligned we are inside ourselves and with our outer world, the more we will be able to create peace." —Debbie Robins, bestselling author of Where Peace Lives

"Some books are said, in their originality, to 'break the mold.' Trauma Through A Child’s Eyes goes one further: it creates its own mold in a way that everyone concerned with the health and happiness of children will be grateful for." —Gabor Maté, MD, author of Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers

"A truly remarkable book that captures the essence of what it is to be a traumatized child, while simultaneously helping us understand, appreciate, and facilitate their natural capacity to heal. Written with a deep sense of compassion and wisdom, this book offers clear insight to those who care for and about children." —John Stewart, PhD, author of Beyond Time Out; clinical director, Maine Medical Center; consultant to public schools, Child Psychiatry Fellowship Faculty

From the Publisher

"Some books are said, in their originality, to 'break the mold.' Trauma Through A Child's Eyes goes one further: it creates its own mold in a way that everyone concerned with the health and happiness of children will be grateful for."
- Gabor Mata, MD, author of Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers

"A truly remarkable book that captures the essence of what it is to be a traumatized child, while simultaneously helping us understand, appreciate, and facilitate their natural capacity to heal. Written with a deep sense of compassion and wisdom, this book offers clear insight to those who care for and about children."
- John Stewart, PhD, author of Beyond Time Out; clinical director, Maine Medical Center; consultant to public schools, Child Psychiatry Fellowship Faculty

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 536 pages
• Publisher: North Atlantic Books; 1 edition (December 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556436300
• ISBN-13: 978-1556436307
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Terrific Book-Trauma Through a Child's Eyes, January 16, 2007

By 

Margaret Halstead "Kris Halstead, LCSW-C" (Bethesda, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Trauma Through a Child's Eyes: Awakening the Ordinary Miracle of Healing (Paperback)

Trauma Through a Child's Eyes does what it says it will do. It awakens "the ordinary miracle of healing." As a therapist, I have read countless theory and/or practice books. I have found myself either drowning in theory or bored by an author's list of do's and don't's. This book is refreshingly different. It is wisdom writ large.

As I read, I am drawn into a place of understanding:
-the body's natural tendency to protect itself
-a child's extraordinary ability to react to, renegotiate, and heal from traumatic events
-the responsibility we all have to respond intelligently and effectively to the trauma so prevalent in our world.
As I read, I am drawn into a place of hope:
-that we all have access to resilience
-that our children can thrive
-that there is a way to help that does "no harm.'

I highly recommend this book for professionals, parents, anyone interested in the "miracle of healing." It is intelligently and compassionately written by two extraordinary professionals who are clearly more interested in healing trauma than in their own renown. I have recommended Trauma Through a Child's Eyes to clients, colleagues, friends and family and I recommend it unequivocally to you!

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An incredible resource for parents, therapists, and former children..., June 9, 2007

By 

SWood (CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Trauma Through a Child's Eyes: Awakening the Ordinary Miracle of Healing (Paperback)

This book is a remarkable resource of information for anyone who has any experience or contact with children. It is not a heady read. Completely and utterly accessible to those who have no formal training in psychology (yet still riveting for those who do), it has many step-by-step guides (creative, physical, and emotional) for dealing with and assisting children through a myriad of life's trials and traumas, including random falls and accidents, loss of a pet, abuse, death, & bullying to name a few. This book also offers numerous skill-building guides to help a child develop their senses, mindfulness, awareness and boundaries, and several basic cases are presented of children they have come in contact with over the years with various presenting problems. Terribly informative, moving, healing, thought provoking and profoundly educational, this book will be one you'll recommend again and again. Not said tongue in cheek, if you were ever a child, you need to read this book.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for anyone who works with children and their parents, July 2, 2007

By 

Annie M. "Accerdited book worm" (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Trauma Through a Child's Eyes: Awakening the Ordinary Miracle of Healing (Paperback)

This book offers clear explanations to the nature of trauma and how it affects the body--and subsequently, the emotions and perceptions and behavior--and how to prevent an overwhelming event from BECOMING traumatic for the long term. It is filled with doable and clear exercises, and helps demystify the concept of what trauma is, why things are traumatic, how to prevent trauma, the incidious way that traumatic events can impact later sensations and perceptions, and how to help heal those. A book by a leading figure in the field of trauma and the body, Peter Levine is a master.
Wonderfully clarifying for anyone who works with children--be it traumatized children or children who are exposed to 'normal' occasional overwhelming events such as falling of a bike--and to anyone who works with parents of children.
Highly recommended.