What happens when a young brain is traumatized? How does terror, abuse, or a disaster affect a child's mind? Child psychiatrist Bruce Perry has helped many children overcome unimaginable horrors: genocide survivors, murder witnesses, kidnapped teenagers and victims of family violence. By observing these stories of trauma through the lens of science, Perry reveals the brain's astonishing ability for healing. Combining unforgettable case stories with their own rehabilitation strategies, he explains exactly what happens in a child's brain exposed to extreme stress and proposes different measures that can be taken to relieve their pain, helping them grow as a healthy adult.

Through the stories of children who have recovered physically, mentally and emotionally from the most devastating circumstances, the author exposes how the simplest things—environment, affection, language, contact, etc.—can profoundly influence, for better or worse, a developing brain. In this interesting paper, Bruce Perry demonstrates that only when we understand the science of the mind can we hope to heal the spirit of almost any child, even the most affected.