The Deepest Well

Dr. Nadine Burke Harris was already known as a crusading physician delivering targeted care to vulnerable children. But it was Diego—a boy who had stopped growing after a sexual assault—who galvanized her journey to uncover the connections between toxic stress and lifelong illnesses.
The stunning news of Burke Harris’s research is just how deeply our bodies can be imprinted by ACEs—adverse childhood experiences like abuse, neglect, parental addiction, mental illness, and divorce. Childhood adversity changes our biological systems, and lasts a lifetime. For anyone who has faced a difficult childhood, or who cares about the millions of children who do, the fascinating scientific insight and innovative, acclaimed health interventions in The Deepest Well represent vitally important hope for preventing lifelong illness for those we love and for generations to come​.

“Nadine Burke Harris . . . offers a new set of tools, based in science, that can help each of us heal ourselves, our children, and our world.”—Paul Tough, author of How Children Succeed

“A powerful—even indispensable—frame to both understand and respond more effectively to our most serious social ills.”—New York Times

(Description taken from the website: https://www.amazon.com/Deepest-Well-Long-Term-Childhood-Adversity-ebook/dp/B01N7HZ73B)

I LOVED this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about trauma, its impacts, and ACEs. This book was not overly scientific, making it easy to read for the “Regular Joe” who wants to know more, and there were so many lightbulb moments for me personally while reading. I’m looking forward to any research or book that Dr. Harris publishes in the future.
- Amy K., Back2Back Staff, Cancun, MX

The past impacts your future, but it doesn’t define it. Because of what we know, we can focus on giving youth from hard places tools to mitigate the impacts of their toxic stress.
- Julie G., Back2Back Staff, Cincinnati, OH

Dr. Burke-Harris’ book invites us on a journey filled with both joy and disappointment. She helps us see why detecting, understanding, and treating the effects of childhood trauma in a holistic way is key to healing.
Personally, I really appreciated Dr. Burke-Harris’ honesty, transparency, and vulnerability — plus she knows her stuff! Helping kids overcome the long-term effects of childhood adversity is NOT easy and a lot of people don’t “get it.” I was encouraged and challenged to keep pushing forward on my own journey in Mexico as Back2Back opens our own holistic child development center for orphans and vulnerable children!
- Hannah P., Back2Back Staff, Mazatlan, MX

I also really liked the way TDW looks at the issues from a multi-faceted perspective, including race and poverty. “Where the neighborhoods of poverty, race, and violence overlap. And for them, it’s wall to wall bears.” And that’s where the kids I serve live.
- Stephanie P., Back2Back Staff, Cincinnati, OH