Attachment, Brain Development, and Trauma in Children

by Jane F. Gilgun

Attachment and trauma affect brain development from infancy to old age. This article brings together up-to-date information on attachment, trauma, and brain development in childhood from many different sources and article emphasizes the importance of secure attachment in optimal brain development.

The article not only describes how attachment and trauma affect brain development, but it also provides guidelines for parents and professionals. The article is in two parts. The first in on neurobiology and child development and the second is on trauma and child development. Together this information will be helpful to parents and professionals. A reading list is at the end of Part 2.

16 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 30, 2015

About the author

I'm a retired professor at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, USA, where I did research, taught, and did service for 37 years.
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My research on violence was born out of love, hope, and despair. Love for others, hope for a just and caring society, and despair for the hold that violence has on humanity.

I have many free articles on substack (https: janegilgun.substack.com), on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00458CS2G), and many other internet sites.

I write about many topics: lyric poetry, child development, resilience, trauma, child sexual abuse, rape, and spirituality. I have many academic articles and am in the top 80 social work scholars in the world.

I am writing a book called The Making of a Wife Rapist that I've serialized on substack https: janegilgun.substack.com. This book is based on life history interviews with a man named Mack who experienced profound meaningless.

Mack sought excitement and entertainment through viewing child, rape, and snuff porn. He drugged and raped his wife for these reasons and also to get back at women whom he dreamed of harming.

My poems are written in imagist, lyric, and narrative styles and convey the rhythms of a life fully lived--the sharp, often painful intrusions of beauty, the transcendence of erotic love, the fears and intrigue of bodily changes over time, the horror of violence, and the warmth and comfort of everyday life. My poetry is available on Amazon and Substack.

I have written other books.
--Good Girl: You're going to make it after all (https.janegilgun.substack.com)
--the NEATS: A child and family assessment (www.amazon.com/-/e/B00458CS2G)
--On Being a Shit: Unkind Deeds and Cover-Ups in Everyday Life (www.amazon.com/-/e/B00458CS2G) that foreshadowed politics in the USA today.


Telling the story of violence through the words of perpetrators took guts—especially because listening to their stories often horrified me and forced me to relive personal trauma.

I took on this task because I believe in gender-based fairness to both women and men. Violence hurts everyone, even those who appear to get what they want from violence.

Having spent almost 50 years listening to stories, I can now face the horror the stories evoke in me. I wonder if other people can bear them.

I am writing a book. In the book, I tell the stories first and invite readers to interpret them as they see fit. After telling the stories, I then comment on the stories. I interpret them based on the knowledge I gained over the decades through listening to the stories and also as a professor of social work who specialized in human development.

I want to make sense of the stories. It has taken me years to do so. People used to ask when am I going to write my book. I said, “I don’t know. I’m a slow learner.” After all of this time, I think I am ready.

Reviews

[H.A. Leuschel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise, up to date article on the subject of childhood trauma with some interesting neurological facts thrown in and an extensive bibliography.

[Eleanor Sturdy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Introductory information

This short book is a clear and useful introduction to the area. It doesn't go into detail but does explain that children's behaviour may be misunderstood when they have past trauma , especially if this has happened in their early years. Helpfully, it also points out how strong and adaptable adults need to be when relating to such children.

[Teresa004 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not much information

I was disappointed how short the book was and how little information it contained. I wouldn't recommend this book to be honest.

[Tayler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive and concise.