BROKEN HEARTS;WOUNDED MINDS

This book is the only book on Attachment Disorder (AD) and Reactive Attachment Disorder(RAD) that is based upon research on the neurological, physiological, and psychological impacts of severe traumatization on children. Because of this research, Dr. Randolph has developed an entirely new understanding of the causes and symptoms of AD, which is presented in this book in depth. Also presented, is a new way to look at the treatment of traumatized children, regardless of whether they have AD or serious attachment problems. This is the trauma resolution approach to treatment which incorporates some of the techniques of attachment, holding, and rage reduction therapies, but which also proposes a much kinder and gentler approach to treatment that includes the use of techniques designed to stimulate brain development.

It presents the theory that traumatized children have too much sadness (as opposed to too much rage, which is the theory that attachment and holding therapists have about children with AD), but that they substitute anger and rage for their bottomless well of sadness, and act-out so that they don't have to experience their sadness. It also hypothesizes that the problem for traumatized children isn't that they never attached to the birth mother and so can't attach to subsequent parents (which is the theory that attachment and holding therapists use); the problem is that traumatized children formed a highly dysfunctional attachment to the birth mother/parents, and then try to recreate this highly disfunctional attachment with their subsequent parents. In fact, they attach so intensely to the birth mother that they decide that she was right about them; that they are completely unlovable, and don't deserve to be treated well by others. Because they lack the skills of basic reciprocity, they have no way to learn that the birth mother was wrong about them, and that they are lovable. As a result, they sabotage most, or all, of their relationships with others (some of these children function well at school), take abysmal care of themselves, destroy their possessions, and don't care what happens to them.

It presents the brain research that shows that the brains of traumatized children are immature and underdeveloped , how these neurological problems create many of the behavior problems that are seen among traumatized children, and discusses the importance of assessing for immaturity in the brains of these children. It discusses movement techniques that can be used to evaluate and treat these neurological immaturities so that it can be easier for children to learn how to change their incorrect beliefs about themselves, their lives, and the people in it.

Finally, it presents in detail the complete findings of over 10 years of research on the psychological functioning of traumatized children, on the clear and consistent evidence that AD and RAD are two separate and distinct disorders (because the psychological functioning of children with each of these two disorders is so different from each other), and on the effectiveness of intensive attachment and trauma resolution therapies.

This book has been in huge demand since its publication in 2001. Although it is designed primarily for a professional audience, many parents have found it highly useful and informative. You will be more than glad that you have added it to your library of professional books.