Alice Miller and Children of Trauma

I’m currently reading several books by Alice Miller, an author and researcher whose focus is on child abuse and mistreatment.

When I was growing up, I’ve always felt that my parents were not like other people’s parents. I wish I had known about and had access to books like those written by Miller, who relate the stories of people like myself. I guess they must have always been available at the library, but I had never thought to look for such books until recent years.

It’s a tremendous relief to have someone explain what I have gone through, and to come to an understanding of many of the hidden reasons behind why I was treated in the way that I was by my parents. I have just finished reading The Drama of the Gifted Child^[1]. Miller uses “gifted” here not with the usual meaning of being intellectually precocious, but to denote children who are especially emotionally sensitive.

Before embarking on the next book by Miller, I started Children of Trauma^[2] by Jane Middleton-Moz. This book was actually recommended to me by my counsellor a while back, but I haven’t looked at it until now. Like Miller, Middleton-Moz writes about children who have had traumatic childhoods. Her book follows a similar format in that it alternates between case examples of children who have experienced trauma (or adults who have experienced trauma as children), and analyses and explanations of the examples.

When I have the time, I’ll post some excerpts along with parallels from my own childhood and upbringing.

– davinci 11996

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