Wounds That Time Won’t Heal

The Neurobiology of Child Abuse

Comments

Martin Teicher M.D. - Bravo!
Pamela Barnett-Monsignore

3/6/2012 12:25:24 PM

 I came across this article in April/2009 and have passed it along to several clinicians since then, all eager to have been in receipt. Teicher should be commended for clinically researching and confirming what many in the field have only speculated. Early childhood abuse over time, can cause repeated chemical/hormonal insults to the developing brain and result in actual structural damage and other neurlogical abnormalities. Teicher is a true champion for children and a pioneer in Biopsychiatry.

Teicher, 2000 Child Abuse
Marcia Becker

3/26/2011 12:36:10 PM

 I have devoted my PhD dissertation to this topic and the ACE Study findings (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2009). The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/ace/)which confirm everything Dr Teicher mentions. CDC is pushing the federal government to make major changes in this area with parenting programs and more. This is the most important topic that our society needs to change now. Tell your congress members and ask them to more fully support research and programs for the ACE Study at CDC.

Well done
Pamela Bennett

3/1/2010 9:28:25 AM

I am impressed by the level of intelligence and emotional intuition balanced so well in this article. I am struggling to find answers for the severe case of DID I have. I have nearly constant pain and seizures, and have done so for 8 years now. I am definitely exerting a superhuman effort to heal myself. I wish there were some other way. I have so little ability to function, so little time when I can. My life was stolen from me ages 0-6 by a compulsive sadist that had me during those ages. I am 47 and still have never truly lived.

I am exhausted from my efforts to redefine my reality in a way that allows functioning. The constant and agonizing pain that I am in seems to be unusual (most DID simply have personalities) and I can find no alleviating method or cure. It is simply an endurance contest. Can I survive another day, or minute or second, is the question of my existence unfortunately most of the time. I believe I will have a good addition to the world view if I can, and so I try, very hard to go on. I am just exhausted. Pain is tiring. Why did I have to get so much physical pain? I hate it. But my brain remembers it so clearly that it feels like it is all happening again. Of course I am on disability so I can't afford any good EMT or therapy.

There are actually no DID therapists in San Francisco that accept Medical!! Friends are better but easily exhausted. I am brilliant but you can't think your way out of a hole this deep. Still, it was a comfort to read an article from someone that has balanced heart and head. That is the goal for us all. Now if we could just get the rest of the world to follow suit maybe we could begin to create a society that wouldn't be as fertile for abuse.

Everything rings true
Mike Smith

9/1/2008 12:29:39 AM

 The biological explanation rings true to my subjective experience. Severe emotional abuse, which became physical frequently. Parents who would boast of how little emotional attention they gave their children, lest they become "spoiled" or molly-coddled. Today, I see the consequences. I have exceptional spatial thinking (right-hemisphere) and a very bad rote and verbal memory (left hemisphere). By accident, I found a drug that will help--not surprisingly, it's gabapentin, an anti-convulsant. It helps with intrusive memories and panic. But seems to have little effect on depression. I commend the authors here for their work.

Neurobiology of Child Abuse
Pat DeWalt

4/20/2008 12:38:34 PM

 Patti: I've been on a hard journey trying to find help. Rest and reduced stress are essential. Meditation helps. Finding a therapists who understands trauma is important. Also, I had comprehensive saliva testing through ZRT Laboratory, which shows major hormonal problems (flat cortisol, low DHEA, and low on just about everything else). I'm going to try bio-identical hormone therapy to see if I can regain a reasonable hormonal balance.

'Neurobiology of Child Abuse'
Patti Brown

4/27/2007 2:21:27 PM

 I just ran across Dr. Teicher's article from Fall 2000 Cerebrum. I learned after age 40 I suffered from complext PTSD from childhood trauma and a subsequent abusive marriage. Nothing is helping and my symptoms are worsening. This article makes so much sense, in light of my symptoms. Does anyone know if there is any hope or any type of therapy that helps or is a person like me just stuck with these horrible symptoms for the rest of my life? Thank you so much for any feedback. Patti