The Primal Wound is a seminal work which revolutionizes the way we think about adoption. It describes and clarifies the effects of separating babies from their birth mothers as a primal loss which affects the relationships of the adopted person throughout life.. It is a book about pre-and perinatal psychology, attachment, bonding, and loss. It gives adoptees, whose pain has long been unacknowledged or misunderstood, validation for their feelings, as well as explanations for their behavior. It lists the coping mechanisms which adoptees use to be able to attach and live in a family to whom they are not related and with whom they have no genetic cues. It will contribute to the healing of all members of the adoption triad and will bring understanding and encouragement to anyone who has ever felt abandoned..
This book is a "must-read" for every adoption professional. There is valuable information here, which will only be completely understood by the triad to which it belongs...As both an adoptee and a birth mother, my response was often visceral...sometimes nearly overwhelmed by the truth and clarity in her writing --Katherine Pederson, Washington Adoption Reunion Movement
When you want to know about Nigeria, do you ask Norwegians? If you want to know what it's like to be adopted, ask an expert: ask an adoptee. Better you read The Primal Wound with an adoptee, ask her how she feels about it...and listen --Sarah Alexander