About the Book
"Lucid, clear, visionary"--Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps The Score
An expert's inspiring, deeply personal account of how childhood trauma can be overcome.
From the moment they're born, babies seek a loving parental attachment. When that connection is absent, it derails childhood development in ways that can last a lifetime. The annual health costs of illness related to child trauma for North America and Europe alone are 1.3 trillion dollars. Child trauma is much more widespread than previously thought and passes from one generation to the next. But that's not the end of the story--there is overwhelming evidence that this intergenerational transmission can be disrupted.
So why isn't the eradication of childhood trauma a tier-one public priority, like defense or growth?
In Trauma Proof, Benjamin Perks argues that it must be, and that we can tackle it as a public health problem like COVID-19, by 1) Making sure everyone is aware of the risk; 2) Preventing transmission; and 3) Opening pathways to healing.
Perks shows we have the tools to make these three things happen, and the evidence to show they work. The fields of psychology, neuroscience, and medicine have made huge leaps in the past 25 years. We now know what causes Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), how to reduce them, and how to address them. For the first time in history, we know child mistreatment is not inevitable.
Combining expert interviews and intensive reportage from Jamaica to Scotland, from Brooklyn to Birmingham, Perks shows the steps we can take to stem the epidemic of childhood trauma. He also shares his personal story of growing up in violent group homes, fathering a child at fifteen and finding his way, in his thirties to healing.
Trauma Proof is a rallying call to address child trauma as the public health crisis it is--because we can do better for kids, and we should.
About the Author :
Benjamin Perks works for the United Nations in New York campaigning on human rights and child development globally. For twenty-five years, Perks has worked on eradicating global barriers to child well-being, including poverty, hunger, disease, the mobilization of child soldiers, and population displacement. He has also been on a personal journey of healing from his childhood, spent living in the UK's care system and on the streets. Benjamin is a Senior Fellow at the Jubilee Centre at the University of Birmingham in the UK, which researches education policy on the character, social, and emotional development of children, and is an Associate Faculty Member at Oxford University Department of Social Policy and Innovation.
Review :
"Trauma Proof is a powerfully resonant book that offers straightforward solutions for the global crisis of childhood trauma. Ben Perks' story grabs you and pulls you in. I could not put it down. Through his relatable style, Perks makes meaning of our most difficult childhood experiences and our reactions to them. Trauma Proof offers the reader a way forward that is grounded in science and practical for anyone struggling with a difficult childhood. Everyone who cares about child wellbeing must read this book."--Nadine Burke Harris, former surgeon general of California and author of The Deepest Well "We are a human family with great potential for both growth-promoting connection as well as for traumatic disconnection. In Trauma Proof, Benjamin Perks offers moving stories, personal reflections, and science-based data revealing how overwhelming experiences negatively impact human development, setting the stage for challenges to our mental well-being. In this immersive journey we are offered a new way to bring our capacity for healing connection into both prevention and intervention to create a more compassionate, resilience-building life of supportive relationships across the lifespan."--Daniel J. Siegel, MD, New York Times bestselling author of IntraConnected: Personality and Wholeness in Therapy"Benjamin Perks provides us with a rare multi-dimensional perspective on the complexities of childhood trauma in this important book. His personal and professional experiences with trauma lead to his conclusion that a public health, preventative lens is the ultimate key to addressing the multigenerational impacts of trauma on the health and wellness of individuals, families, communities and cultures. The power of this book is in the stories and voices of so many people impacted by, and struggling with, developmental adversity. The book concludes with some concrete public health practices, programs and policies that would be part of the pathway to a 'trauma-free' society. This is a visionary book, and, as George Washington Carver told us: 'Where there is no vision, there is no hope.'"--Bruce D. Perry, MD, PhD, Principal of The Neurosequential Network, author with Oprah Winfrey of the New York Times #1 Bestseller What Happened to You: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing "Trauma Proof is a book of profound importance - one that will serve as a beacon of hope and guidance for decades to come. In it, Benjamin Perks masterfully blends clear explanations of scientific findings with real-life stories of resilience and recovery. Through its pages, readers will learn why we must do everything in our power to prevent the deep wounds of trauma and foster healing environments for those who are traumatized. This unflinching, edifying, must-read book is a testament to the human capacity for healing and transformation. It provides invaluable tools and insights that will help readers craft a path toward a brighter, healthier future for young people everywhere."--Lisa Damour, PhD, author of Untangled, Under Pressure, and The Emotional Lives of Teenagers
