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childhood trauma

The Electricity of Carried Shame

Note: This article originally appeared in Fall 2005 of MeadowLark, the magazine for alumni of The Meadows. The Electricity of Carried ShameBy Lawrence S. Freundlich Children need and expect love and nurturing from their parents. This expectation is built into the genes of the human infant, who needs affirmation… Read More

Child Abuse, Neglect, and Character Defects

By John Bradshaw Note: This article was originally published in the Spring 2004 edition of Cutting Edge, the online newsletter of The Meadows. One of the most insidious effects of child neglect and abuse is their impact on the “character” foundation. Addiction, obsessive-compulsive behavior, and the codependency that fuels it… Read More

Primacy of the Affect System: A Support for The Meadows’ Model

By John Bradshaw, MA Almost a half-century ago, research psychologist Sylvan Tompkins (referred to by some as ‘the American Einstein’) wrote: “I see affect or feeling as the primary innate biological motivating mechanism, more urgent than drive, deprivation, and pleasure and more urgent than physical pain. Without its amplification, nothing… Read More