For years mental health professionals taught people that they could be psychologically healthy without social support, that “unless you love yourself, no one else will be able to love you.” But neuroscience research suggests just the opposite.Bruce D. Perry
The more healthy relationships a child has, the more likely he will be to recover from trauma and thrive. Relationships are the agents of change and the most powerful therapy is human love.Bruce D. Perry
We've misunderstood how our brains work...we have this belief the brain is purely 'nature,' and that genes determine everything. But the reality is genes determine our potential...our capacity. Our experiences, from in utero to adulthood, shape us.Bruce D. Perry
When a young child is exposed to chronic, unpredictable stress, his brain repetitively fires out emergency signals. This affects the development of neuron systems involved in stress response.Bruce D. Perry
The brain changes with experience and the direct teaching of appropriate skills is necessary for those not fortunate enough to acquire them in the 'right' setting.Bruce D. Perry
Because empathy, the ability to recognize and feel other people’s feelings, matures through an interaction with the limbic system, it too can be shaped by early experience.Bruce D. Perry
Traumatized children are not 'sick,' they are injured. And like anyone with a serious injury, they need the hurt acknowledged, the damage repaired and prevention strategies for the future.Bruce D. Perry
Within the brain, long-term memory is tied to the slow wave sleep cycle, a progression of brain states from deep to light sleep.Bruce D. Perry
Relationships are the single most important factor in a child's healthy development.Bruce D. Perry
The child who is not receiving full nurturing by adults, therefore, is hurt by this, and stress hormones sculpt the developing circuits reducing their optimal development.Bruce D. Perry