The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Trauma and Adversity—A Transformative Guide to Understanding Childhood Trauma and Health

by Nadine Burke Harris

The research on epigenetic regulation and telomeres reinforced what I already suspected—early detection is critical. Now more than ever, I believed if we could identify those at risk for toxic stress by screening for ACEs, we had a better chance of both catching related illnesses early and treating them more effectively. Not only that, but we could also possibly prevent future illness by treating the underlying problem—a damaged stress-response system. If we put the right protocols into place in pediatric offices across the city, country, and world, we could intervene in time to walk back epigenetic damage and change long-term health outcomes for the roughly 67 percent of the population with ACEs and their children. And, someday, their great-grandchildren.