Too Scared To Cry: Psychic Trauma in Childhood

by Lenore Terr

In 1976 twentysix California children were kidnapped from their school bus and buried alive for motives never explained. All the children survived. This bizarre event signaled the beginning of Lenore Terrs landmark study on the effect of trauma on children. In this book Terr shows how trauma has affected not only the children shes treated but all of us.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Mental Health, Self Help, Counselling, Crime, Social Work

385 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Lenore Terr, M.D., is the author of Too Scared to Cry. Her prizewinning research on the kidnapped children of Chowchilla and other childhood trauma victims has established her as one of the world's foremost experts on trauma and memory.

Reviews

[Wren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Just be warned that this book was published in 1990 and there’s some outdated language used. Read at your own pace.... it’s heavy and very difficult to read at times. I found myself having to take long breaks in between chapters because of the subject matter.

[Desiree · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a very difficult book to read because it's so heavily doctored to be read as a novel that I don't believe for a moment that what Lenore Terr quotes these children as saying are actually the words that came from their mouths. A great deal of her research, if it can suitably be called that as this book is not at all written as a documented study, is based upon satanic rituals and pseudo-scientific methods of psychological and psychiatric treatments.

Additionally, Lenore Terr abides by a great deal (if not all) of Freud's research and methods. Quite frankly, Freud's work reads like the manifesto of a pedophile group as does a great number of parts in this book. For a book about traumatized infants and children, there is a great deal of gratuitous descriptions of naked children being raped and abused.

From a scientific viewpoint, I can't see how these descriptions are beneficial at all to anyone for any reason aside from shock value and potentially providing fodder for Freudian pedophiles. As the survivor of child molestation, rape, mental abuse, and physical abuse, I stand by this opinion. I have been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and am currently studying child psychology with an emphasis on treating PTSD so I believe I have a great deal more insight into how a subject like this should be broached. With all due respect, Lenore Terr should never have been allowed to treat children, write this book, nor, most certainly, been awarded for her work. I am appalled by the medical field for having ever gratified her.

Oh, and why would you speak "blandly" so frequently to traumatized children you're supposed to be treating? Frankly, I would like to know what the hell she thought she was doing and if she ever received any sort of training on how to talk to children. Someone please tell me that she never had children of her own.

As for my opinion on Freud, any scientist or aspiring scientist in any specialty field worth his or her salt knows that the only reason Freud ever made such a fuss was because everything he said was so appalling and horrific. Honestly! He apparently really wanted children to be sexually excited, didn't he? Don't pedophiles react the same way when they try to explain their feelings for children? Justify it by saying they wanted it? Remember: Just because someone is loud and controversial, doesn't mean they're right or even sane.

And, yes, I do realize how dated this book is, but that does at all excuse the fact that this woman completely disregarded these children as human beings, remarked that four year olds were sexually excited during her sessions, and wrote about children in sexual positions (several times per chapter). There's also the very obvious issue that if this book were to have ever had any scientific merit or relevance, it would have been written in such a way that made it clear that that was her intention and not in such a way that made it sound like a *sensational* partially-true crime book.

[Rabbit {Paint me like one of your 19th century gothic heroines!} · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5 ?

Review to come.

[Jennifer Karami · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book scared the living daylights out of me. terrifying descriptions of childhood trauma and unresolved PTSD = real life horror. children experience trauma constantly all around us, and reenact it into adulthood... while adults compound it by turning a blind eye. I agree that the author could have included citations for credibility- it is anecdotal and reads like a novel. still found it incredibly insightful and could not put it down, even though I had to turn on all the lights in the house. makes you scared NOT for what might happen, but of reliving what HAS happened, and the way our lives become warped by trauma. psychologically chilling.. scary cause its TRUE!

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

The insightful parts of this book are when she's observing the behavior of traumatized children, especially the group kidnapped on the bus. The less good parts deal with repressed memory, and the book's 1980's age really shows there. The bad parts of the book read like the papers of a frustrated english student where she draws conclusions about a particular author's childhood trauma from fictional works.

[Lady Makaveli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to give this 4 or 5 stars but the reason I am giving 3 star instead is because the topic is fascinating, and yes, this case study is immensely interesting as well. The execution of the research was well done I felt, the book well written... However, they took this important issue in society; this topic which we need to understand so much more about so we can apply it when working with traumatized individuals. The younger a traumatized soul is helped and not left to suffer in their own traumatic memories or lives. While this book focuses on exactly what it says, I feel it is really disappointing that the author limited this very tragic and all too common but ignored issue in society as he did.
While the case study given does offer something new I'm fairly sure for most people, in one way or another and again, it is a very engrossing case and read. However, the book felt limited and a bit too controlled because it has a narrow approach to this topic as opposed to covering multiple causes and traumas, reactions etc. I felt the book was a bit empty for that reason... He opened up educated and well researched knowledge for others to learn and grow regarding an issue we need to focus on and grow in. That was exciting; but once I realized this book was not going to cover any other angles, even related angles, or case studies, the book almost claustrophobic. It is a good read; I would suggest it... If only he would have covered other just as important aspects of trauma and children...even just one more, this book would have been an absolute 5 star read.

[A. Housewife]

This was a very interesting book. A fascinating look at how to do studies on childhood trauma and its effects. Fascinating to see how many assumptions there were before it was studied and how gathering data and just consistently describing observations gives a lot of information.

It is always problematic to read a nonfiction back that is decades old (this was published in 1990) when we have learned so much in the decades since. This is clearly a fundamental book and one of the vanguards of systematic research and synthesis of childhood trauma. But we must know so much more now. One thing that is a little disturbing is the frequent reference to the Satanic cults sexual abuse, which was later debunked as far as I recall.

The author writes about what she didn't know while she was doing the study and how it helped future children, but unfortunately she didn't know what she didn't know. I'm very curious what the author thinks now about traumatic play. And what Larry Cohen, author of Playful Parenting, would say about traumatic play. At some points it seems that the author thinks that play doesn't resolve anything or help them work it through. "We have already seen that post-traumatic play does little to relieve the kind of anxiety stirred up by trauma (p.255)." But later she does talk at length about play therapy and being creative about it. I think play therapy as a field has expanded a lot since 1990. All in all, a very interesting book

[Mary Perkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though some of the research is old, given our current focus on children in traumatic situations, the book gives some good insights into the behavior, play, dreams, etc. of children who have been traumatized. Here jumping off point is the Chowchilla bus kidnapping and she follows those children for many years which provides insight into how the trauma and it's behaviors don't just stop. She also cites other authors whose writing is indicative of their childhood traumas, Stephen King for example. As a reader of King, her speculation about his possible traumas gave me some new insights into King's plots and characters.

[Serena Mancini · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for child psychiatrists. Fascinating insight into how children experience and cope with trauma. It provides a great introduction into therapeutic play and I would highly recommend for anyone working with children.

“I began to think about very old traumas, the historical ones-the plagues, seiges, and such. Did the classics, myths, and the old childhood games carry along with them the traces of these old traumas?”

[Kristian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books for understanding the child (& adult) brain as it processes trauma and stores memory.

[Shelbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such great perspective on how trauma has lasting effects on people. Even infants can experience and remember trauma, such a great in-depth look at how events matter in our lives.

[Samantha Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative!

[Anna Hildebrand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly articulated with staggering examples, clinic visits, longitudinal studies, and analysis of each child’s case. This book will remain on my shelf forever.

[Jessica Gibbons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really powerful and emotional writings about childhood abusive experiences and after effects. However, very Freud-focused.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very hard book to read. I read this for school. I would recommend reading in small doses.

[Leandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked it a lot. Read it quickly.

[TaraLynn Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book to help me as I work with many traumatized children. I would caution anyone interested in reading this book. It contains disturbing descriptions of physical and sexual abuse and other physical trauma to children. It is not a pleasant read. However, I learned so much about the nature of trauma and how it affects children; and how childhood trauma can affect individuals and entire families throughout their lives.

The author was interested in how trauma affected children, but there were no longitudinal studies done. After a mass kidnapping in a small US town, she had the perfect set up for her study. The book continually goes back to this story, but also describes many other children's situations and how they were affected. This book is clear and not too technical. Although some of the stories are disturbing, the author is sensitive and only shares enough details to illustrate her points. And she does this very well. I not only gained increased understanding of my clients, but of myself as well.

[Aspidistra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a comparatively early work on the effects of trauma in childre. I have found that it goes into details of the lives of traumatized children in a way that other books do not, and it's helpful that it considers a wide range of traumas in children of different ages and backgrounds. It's amazing to think just how little was known about childhood trauma when the author wrote it. Things have advanced since then, but not by as much as one would hope.

I was somewhat bothered by the mixing of fictional trauma stories from movies and books with the real case studies. Maybe I'm too much of a purist, but I don't trust fiction. It's one thing to describe stories from movies and books and show how they are reasonable depictions of what real people experience, but the author frequently deviated from this and lapsed into describing fictional characters as if they had been her patients.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very accessible overview of the role of trauma in child mental health services. The book also covers the (not always adequate) treatment and understanding of trauma and its aftereffects. Terr takes as her starting point a group of children (and one adult) who were taken from a schoolbus at gunpoint, buried alive, and were rescued by two members of the group -- children who were barely adolescents. She also includes case information from her practice of children who were accident victims, witnesses to crimes, victims of violent attacks, and survivors of childhood sexual abuse. I found that the references to satanic ritual abuse in day care centers dated the book; given the time at which the book was written, the inclusions of those allegations makes sense.

[Rosamond · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad Terr decided to document her experiences analyzing trauma victims, for others to learn from. She does a wonderful job explaining the details of real cases (names and locations changed) for the public to understand. I liked the explanations about autonomy and how it can be damaged... Of course, it was depressing; I only got half way through the book-- but I can be sensitive to dark, sad things.

If you want to learn about psychological trauma or child psychology, this is a good start. It's easy to follow, gets into the details without being exhaustive.

[Jmlc · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book I read that told me what I wanted to do as a career. Focuses on the reactions of a group of kids and their families after the kids were kidnapped on the school bus and subsequently buried. Pretty accessible for a psychology non-fiction research study based book. Plus, the title is a perfect descriptor for the kiddos with whom I work.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hokey at times, but I really enjoyed the tie ins to the world of literature and art that Terr uses to illustrate her point... Poe's terror at his mother's dramatic TB death, Wharton's ghastly encounter with a sanitarium doctor, Magritte's mother's suicide by drowning. Felt like a good book to recommend to fellow clinicians or teachers, or really anyone interested in the psychology of trauma.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides fabulous insight into the long-term effects of trauma on children. Terr presents her longitudinal study of a group of children hijacked while on a school bus and left to die. This is a great resource for clinicians wanting to understand the experiences of children who have been traumatized. Also, several suggestions for treatment with this population were given.

[nks · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting and well-written book. Was inspired to read after reading a post-apocalyptic novel involving children, to see how accurately childhood trauma had been portrayed. Still, this is also a horrifying read that I would not recommend to the faint of heart, particularly as the violence in it has really happened.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great psychology read that shows the impact of childhood trauma permeating older generations (as the children age). I read it for a graduate level class; however, this is a good read for everyone.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for anyone who wishes to understand childhood trauma. Despite the nature of the topic being academic and by all means a bit uncomfortable to discuss Lenore Terr's writing style manages to make it a very engaging read.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is an expert trauma child psychiatrist who I saw lecture. The book has been fascinating so far, but has given me wierd dreams!!

[Kiera Gardner]

This book is another book on trauma.

[Ilana]

Very interesting...chilling account of the effects of childhood trauma, but really about how trauma affects us all, hmmm.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

very readable