Stephen Phillips

Healing Early Childhood Trauma Stephen Phillips

Many years ago, Dr. Maria Montessori began to suspect that traumatic experiences in childhood could damage the very structure and physiology of the developing brain, causing serious cognitive, emotional and social dysfunction in children. Although she did not have the medical technology to prove this, as present day neurologists have, her meticulous observations showed her that trauma causes "defects" in the child which "may be permanent". As a result, she devoted her life to the creation of "prepared environments" designed to safeguard children from, and heal children of, the destructive effects of adverse childhood experiences. Her "Children's Houses" were frequently referred to as "Healing Schools" by distinguished members of the medical profession. The message of our book is this: Trauma disorganises the brain, but the Montessori Method can help to re-organise it. This book shows the reader how "authentic" Montessori environments still have the capacity to heal children suffering from the insidious effects of early childhood trauma caused by adverse childhood experiences.