T******t
发帖数: 420 | 1 【 以下文字转载自 Parenting 讨论区 】
发信人: ThisThat (TicTac), 信区: Parenting
标 题: **推荐一本严重非主流但非常有启发的儿童心理类书**
发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Mon Jun 7 14:03:14 2010, 美东)
“A BOY WHO WAS RAISED AS A DOG"
- What Traumatized Children Can Teach Us About Loss, Love and Healing
这本书是一个儿童心理医生Bruce Perry和一个记者的合著。里面收录的都是这个医生
亲手治疗过的案例。
我自从知道有“为人父母",就想来推荐此书，但是一再犹豫。因为收录的这下案例非常
非常的extreme。有幼童亲见母亲被杀，或是遭遇性侵，还有冷血少年杀手，遭邪教洗
脑的孩子，和如书名所诉，被和狗一起圈养的孤儿。这绝对不是一个“容易”读的书。
我一直认为我的心里承受能力很不错，但是两次读此书，我都经常要take a break，我
觉得很多有孩子的人都会觉得这本书读不下去。
但是，我从这本书里学到很多。这个曾是神经学专家的儿童心理医生通过他这些极为特
殊的病人在这本书中案例分析不仅提供了如婴幼儿大脑发育这样的学术问题的分析，也
解释了如何对这样身心受损的孩子进行治疗。
虽然貌似这些案例对大多数的孩子的日常生活都不applicable，但是我觉得其实很多
underlying principal都是一脉相通的。因此，我对书中那些十分不幸的孩子和两位作
者充满崇敬之情。我从他们那里非常深刻地学到了为人父母的重要一课。
如果这里有做爸爸妈妈的也看了此书，想交流的，请给我留言。
最后贴个Book Review：
The Boy Who Was Raised As a Dog and Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist
’s Notebook: What Traumatized Children Can Teach Us About Loss, Love and
Healing
by Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D., and Maia Szalavitz
Basic Books: New York, NY, 2007. ISBN-10: 0465056520; ISBN-13: 978-
0465056521 (hardcover). $26.00. 288 pages.
Reviewed by Doni Whitsett, Ph.D., LCSW
The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog reflects the culmination of knowledge gained
in Dr. Bruce Perry’s almost 25 years of working with traumatized children.
Each chapter of the book represents another step in the development of a
treatment model he refers to as neurosequential: an integration of
strategies that address both the physiological elements and the
psychological aspects of trauma. In the process of developing this approach,
Dr. Perry had many teachers—a foster mother named Mama P. who,
unsophisticated though she was, probably taught him the most valuable lesson
of all, the value of physical affection and stimulation in the healing of
unspeakable trauma. The children themselves were his greatest teachers—
through their courage to trust him and work with him despite previous failed
attempts by mental health professionals and betrayal by adults. The
subtitle of the book, What Traumatized Children Can Teach Us About Loss,
Love and Healing, acknowledges the children’s collective influence.
Since the 1980s, Perry’s work has taken him from Chicago to Texas to Canada
. He is a founding member and Senior Fellow of the Child Trauma Academy in
Houston, Texas (www.ChildTrauma.org) where he has treated hundreds of
maltreated children over the past 15 years. He is also the Provincial
Medical Director in Children’s Mental Health for the Alberta, Canada Mental
Health Board.
Tina, Perry’s first child patient, aged 7, taught him about the enduring
effects of early experience when neural networks are first forming. As
Donald Hebb so aptly put it, “neurons that fire together wire together”;
and when a child’s earliest experiences with men are sexualized, the
neurons that fire when she is in the presence of a man are sexual ones. She
learns—that is, her memories instruct her, that being seductive and sexual
are the expected ways to relate to men in the world. And so it was that
during the first 5 minutes of her first therapy session with Dr. Perry, this
patient crawled into his lap (“ ‘What a sweet child,’ ” he thought”)
and attempted to unzip his fly (p. 7).
The book is written for both lay and professional audiences, not an easy
balance to achieve. The neurobiological information is especially well-
crafted in that, despite the technical information, it is easy to understand
. Apparently, the collaboration between Perry, a researcher, clinician, and
educator, and Szalavitz, a journalist specializing in health and science,
makes for good literary and academic chemistry.
However, to apply the adjective of “enjoyable” to this book would not
quite be accurate, given the accounts of unspeakable horror described within
its pages. Personally, I could read only a few chapters at a sitting
without feeling overstimulated. Nevertheless, most of the stories are
stories of success—“of hope, survival, and triumph” (p. 3); otherwise,
one could neither get through the book nor continue the work of trauma
recovery.
Perry’s journey on the road to becoming an international expert on child
trauma began in the 1980s when little was known about the immediate effects
of stress on the brain and its subsequent consequences. Children were
considered “resilient” and thought to easily “bounce back” from even
terrible experiences, partly because they adaptively learned to present in
socially acceptable ways that enabled them to fly under the radar of well-
intentioned but clueless adults. However, internally they were suffering.
Their development was delayed, sometimes permanently, and their futures were
in jeopardy. Findings from neuroscience had not yet filtered down to the
clinical level in what is now termed “translational science.” There is
typically a 20-year gap in that process (although, with the Internet, this
gap is likely to shrink).
Perry began to question the “bouncing back” theory in his early training
as he explored the effects of stress on baby animals. Noting that “even
seemingly minor stress during infancy [appeared to] have a permanent impact
on the architecture and chemistry of the brain and, therefore, on behavior…
” (p. 1), he questioned why the same would not hold true for humans.
Contrary to the rationalization that children would be unaffected by
negative early experiences, Perry’s investigations showed that children are
not less, but more affected by these experiences than baby animals are.
The brain is experience dependent. We are born with 100 billion neurons (
brain cells), but the synaptic connections that join these brain cells
together are not formed until the environment in which the child lives gives
instructions about which neurons should wire together for easy and fast
communication. The more often an event is experienced, the stronger that
neural network becomes. In this way, young children are socialized into the
accepted ways of their culture.
The problem comes in when neural “instructions” are contrary to the values
of the larger society, such as in the case of Tina, whose earliest
patterned, repetitive experiences resulted in body memory of how to be with
men. The brain develops associations—that is, the visual cortex associates
certain images with the other neurons that are activated at the time. So
when one part of the association gets activated, the other parts follow.
With repeated activation, these associations become stronger and less
permeable to change. As an example, Tina was a child who had been raped and
sodomized by a 16-year-old male neighbor over a prolonged period of time,
and who had no loving male figure to counterbalance these experiences.
Consequently, Tina associated the male image with fear, danger, pain, and
sexual arousal. At the time she was referred to Perry, she had been “acting
out” aggressively and sexually in school.
Perry also notes the effects of stress on the normal stress response.
Designed to alert us when danger is present and prepare the body for flight
or fight, the normal stress response obviously has survival value. However,
if chronic stress occurs, the body remains in a constant state of
preparedness. The hormones that flood the body and brain under stress might
be helpful in the short run, but they are damaging in the long run,
resulting in burnt-out synaptic connections, illnesses (e.g., heart disease)
, and psychological problems (e.g., aggression, depression).
The title chapter, The Boy Who Was Raised As a Dog, is not as bad as it
sounds at first, conjuring up as it does images of feral children raised in
the woods by wild dogs. Justin, a 6-year-old, actually had had a fairly
positive early first year with a grandmother who loved him dearly.
Unfortunately, when he was 11 months old, she died. As a result of losing
both his mother (a 15-year-old who left him permanently with her mother when
he was two months of age) and his grandmother during his first year of life
, Justin’s behavior became very difficult. The caregiver, grandmother’s
live-in boyfriend, a well-meaning but ignorant man in his late sixties, had
no idea how to take care of a child, let alone a difficult one. His only
experience taking care of vulnerable creatures was as a dog breeder.
Although the man fed and clothed Justin, he rarely spoke to him, never held
or played with him, and kept him in a dog cage like he did his other charges
. With only the other dogs as companions, Justin’s speech, not to mention
his other social skills, never developed. His brain began to atrophy. All
attempts to help him were naively based upon a medical diagnosis of
encephalopathy, or shrinking of the brain. No one thought to inquire about
his home life or to take a developmental history (p. 128). Only through the
interventions of the neurosequential therapy did he improve and go on to
lead a productive life.
Best known to the regular readers of this journal is Perry’s work with the
Branch Davidian children, which he recounts in chapter 3: Stairway to Heaven
. “The seeds of a new way of working with traumatized children were sown in
the ashes of Waco,” Perry concludes (p. 80). In 1993 he was asked to
consult with the agencies that were taking care of the Waco children. These
dozen or so children had been sent out of the compound before the
conflagration started, leaving behind mothers, fathers, siblings, and
playmates, who died at the hands of the “Babylonians,” as David Koresh had
predicted. These “infidels” arrived in the form of the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, and Firearms. The assumed one-time consultation turned into a six-
week experience, from which Perry learned much about traumatized children.
Based on his follow-up interviews over a period of 14 years, Perry believes
that the experience has left its mark on all of them. However, not
surprisingly, the ones who have done best were those who were subsequently
raised in loving homes; they have gone on to college, careers. and families
of their own. Others were not so lucky and have lived lives of chaos and
disorganization. The “take home” message of this chapter is that “people,
not programs, change people” (p. 80).
The rationale behind the neurosequential treatment model can best be
described in Perry’s own words: “These children need patterned, repetitive
experiences [in a safe environment] appropriate to their developmental
needs, needs that reflect the age at which they’d missed important stimuli
or had been traumatized, not their current chronological age” (p. 138). The
brain develops in a predictable sequential order, so damage at a particular
time will result in damage to that part of the brain that is developing at
that time. By observing the child’s behavior and symptoms, the Perry group
attempts to identify “the areas of the brain that have sustained the most
damage, and then target their interventions appropriately” (p. 139).
The earliest sensory pathways are those involving touch, so children with
early neglect often can’t stand to be touched. Thus, the first stage of
treatment often involves development of these pathways of touch through the
use of massage therapy. Next in the sequence, rhythm is addressed. Found to
be important in regulating homeostatic states—heart beats, breathing, and
so on—the normal rhythmic movements of more typical parents, such as
rocking a crying child, were absent in the histories of neglected children.
Without these early experiences, the developing infant brain does not learn
to regulate itself; this lack results in awkward gaits and other
uncoordinated movements. To assist the development of the rhythm of the body
, music and movement classes are prescribed. Next in the sequence is
socialization—that is, teaching skills such as eye contact that enable a
child to live appropriately, and more joyfully, in his/her world. Subsequent
levels of the model include more traditional therapeutic interventions,
such as play and talk therapy. The book is filled with other therapeutic
insights for mental health professionals, especially those who work with
children.
This is a very human book; it brings to life the data that has been
accumulating over the past 15 years regarding the neurobiological effects of
trauma and child maltreatment. It confirms clinical wisdom that “
relationships matter” (p. 80). As important as oxygen, relationships
provide the necessary ingredients for the soul to sustain itself. An infant
brain requires a loving adult brain to nurture it; otherwise it will wither
and die, maybe not always physically but almost assuredly emotionally. This
book is a must read for all mental health professionals, as well as for
parents who are the guardians of little spirits. | T******t
发帖数: 420 | 2 转一两个老贴过来，打打人气。
在parenting版里发过。后来有不少人看了这本书，反应很好。 | s**n
发帖数: 6126 | 3 最近在读，几天才能看完一个故事
到现在看了一半了吧，很有启发，谢谢！
【在 T******t 的大作中提到】
: 【 以下文字转载自 Parenting 讨论区 】
: 发信人: ThisThat (TicTac), 信区: Parenting
: 标 题: **推荐一本严重非主流但非常有启发的儿童心理类书**
: 发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Mon Jun 7 14:03:14 2010, 美东)
: “A BOY WHO WAS RAISED AS A DOG"
: - What Traumatized Children Can Teach Us About Loss, Love and Healing
: 这本书是一个儿童心理医生Bruce Perry和一个记者的合著。里面收录的都是这个医生
: 亲手治疗过的案例。
: 我自从知道有“为人父母",就想来推荐此书，但是一再犹豫。因为收录的这下案例非常
: 非常的extreme。有幼童亲见母亲被杀，或是遭遇性侵，还有冷血少年杀手，遭邪教洗
| Y****n
发帖数: 143 | 4 正在读,但是就像LZ说的,不容易读,尤其是有了孩子的人,会有障碍,心一抽一抽的痛.
是本好书,但承受能力差的人要做好心理准备. | C***y
发帖数: 85 | 5 If so, I have to steer away from it because 心理承受能力差
【在 Y****n 的大作中提到】
: 正在读,但是就像LZ说的,不容易读,尤其是有了孩子的人,会有障碍,心一抽一抽的痛.
: 是本好书,但承受能力差的人要做好心理准备.
| T******t
发帖数: 420 | 6 That will be your loss. You can choose to read chapter then backward or skip thee case but read the analysis parts. I
had a hard time to read it first but I did not put the book down because I think I may not learn samething if I did not
read it. Your choice.
【在 C***y 的大作中提到】
: If so, I have to steer away from it because 心理承受能力差
| C***y
发帖数: 85 | 7 Do you mean I can know which chapter is the analysis and which is the case
from the context? If so, I may try to read it. Is this book available in the
libarary?
skip thee case but read the analysis parts. I
think I may not learn samething if I did not
【在 T******t 的大作中提到】
: That will be your loss. You can choose to read chapter then backward or skip thee case but read the analysis parts. I
: had a hard time to read it first but I did not put the book down because I think I may not learn samething if I did not
: read it. Your choice.
| p******r
发帖数: 189 | 8 估计我读不下去，心理承受能力比较差。盼读过的牛人给弄个读书笔记啥的，把那些悲
惨的故事过滤掉，说说结论？
【在 T******t 的大作中提到】
: That will be your loss. You can choose to read chapter then backward or skip thee case but read the analysis parts. I
: had a hard time to read it first but I did not put the book down because I think I may not learn samething if I did not
: read it. Your choice.
| T******t
发帖数: 420 | 9 It is available in public library.
the
【在 C***y 的大作中提到】
: Do you mean I can know which chapter is the analysis and which is the case
: from the context? If so, I may try to read it. Is this book available in the
: libarary?
:
: skip thee case but read the analysis parts. I
: think I may not learn samething if I did not
| s**n
发帖数: 6126 | 10 其实还可以了
描写都挺客观的，不是特别煽情的那种
而且往往点到为止，把背景交代清楚了就开始说理论了，所以虽然看得很难过
但是不会特别特别抑郁
【在 p******r 的大作中提到】
: 估计我读不下去，心理承受能力比较差。盼读过的牛人给弄个读书笔记啥的，把那些悲
: 惨的故事过滤掉，说说结论？
| | | a*****9
发帖数: 790 | 11 good idea!
【在 p******r 的大作中提到】
: 估计我读不下去，心理承受能力比较差。盼读过的牛人给弄个读书笔记啥的，把那些悲
: 惨的故事过滤掉，说说结论？
| T******t
发帖数: 420 | 12 你说的对。我在反思是不是我第一次看的时候因为是孕期所以心理承受能力比较差，就
有了“这本书读起来太揪心的感觉”。
不过真的可以负责的说所有的案例都是很具有代表性的，也是导入理论的非常有力的实
力依据。所以即使一时看不上去，稍微把书摆一摆，回过头来再看就没有问题了。看完
了之后，总的感觉是“幸亏我看了并且看完了，因为我学到很多东西”，而不是感觉惨
惨切切的。
我想大家看这本书都不是为了满足听“耸人听闻”的故事的猎奇心态的。
我一直不觉得读书笔记能触到这本书的很多精髓。如果我只看了读书笔记，然后才看得
这本书，我觉得会是很大的loss。
和大家再次分享～
【在 s**n 的大作中提到】
: 其实还可以了
: 描写都挺客观的，不是特别煽情的那种
: 而且往往点到为止，把背景交代清楚了就开始说理论了，所以虽然看得很难过
: 但是不会特别特别抑郁
| s**n
发帖数: 6126 | 13 我觉得人怀孕的时候容易情绪化
我一个故事要看几天，就是每天睡前看一点，一气看不完，挺难受的
毕竟有了孩子，很容易代入地替那些孩子觉得惋惜，心疼
是的是的，看完的感觉就是真的很有收益，谢谢这个作者跟大家分享这些
他写作的目的，也就是希望大家能从这些孩子的遭遇里面学到一些东西吧
【在 T******t 的大作中提到】
: 你说的对。我在反思是不是我第一次看的时候因为是孕期所以心理承受能力比较差，就
: 有了“这本书读起来太揪心的感觉”。
: 不过真的可以负责的说所有的案例都是很具有代表性的，也是导入理论的非常有力的实
: 力依据。所以即使一时看不上去，稍微把书摆一摆，回过头来再看就没有问题了。看完
: 了之后，总的感觉是“幸亏我看了并且看完了，因为我学到很多东西”，而不是感觉惨
: 惨切切的。
: 我想大家看这本书都不是为了满足听“耸人听闻”的故事的猎奇心态的。
: 我一直不觉得读书笔记能触到这本书的很多精髓。如果我只看了读书笔记，然后才看得
: 这本书，我觉得会是很大的loss。
: 和大家再次分享～
| T******t
发帖数: 420 | 14 是啊，就是因为当父母看这本书要是没有你说的“带入感”，这本书才真正如此深刻的
触动我们。
【在 s**n 的大作中提到】
: 我觉得人怀孕的时候容易情绪化
: 我一个故事要看几天，就是每天睡前看一点，一气看不完，挺难受的
: 毕竟有了孩子，很容易代入地替那些孩子觉得惋惜，心疼
: 是的是的，看完的感觉就是真的很有收益，谢谢这个作者跟大家分享这些
: 他写作的目的，也就是希望大家能从这些孩子的遭遇里面学到一些东西吧
| a*****9
发帖数: 790 | 15 checked santa clara county library, san jose library, mountain view library
and sunnyvale library.
No copies currently available. // -_- don't be so popular -_- | s**n
发帖数: 6126 | 16 网上应该能查到有没有的吧
预约一下就好了，到了人家通知你去取，我挺喜欢这样的，很方便
也不用自己进去找半天，呵呵
library
【在 a*****9 的大作中提到】
: checked santa clara county library, san jose library, mountain view library
: and sunnyvale library.
: No copies currently available. // -_- don't be so popular -_-
| a*****9
发帖数: 790 | 17 just hold it. Thanks.
【在 s**n 的大作中提到】
: 网上应该能查到有没有的吧
: 预约一下就好了，到了人家通知你去取，我挺喜欢这样的，很方便
: 也不用自己进去找半天，呵呵
:
: library
|
|
