The Child Who Could Never Do Enough: Understanding the Lasting Effects of Chronic Parental Criticism, Part 1
The invisible wound When people think about childhood trauma, they might imagine bruises from physical abuse, scars on skin that remain red and thick, stories of children left alone to fend for themselves without food or comfort, or various forms of sexual assault....
From Touch-Starved to Touch-Afraid: The lasting impact of touch deprivation
Growing up without affection can shape the way we seek and avoid love. On my thirteenth birthday my mother drove me to a mental hospital in Chicago. She claimed she couldn’t ‘handle’ me anymore. That was confusing to me because I had been ‘handling’ myself and my...
The abuse without bruises: How emotional harm in childhood is overlooked
In August of 1992 I ran from my home on East Goldsborough Street to the local police station. I arrived sweating, panting, my face red with fury and with the oppressive Northwest Indiana heat. I was 17 years old, and didn’t realize what I was doing until I was...