Holey Brains

"Children who have had almost non-stop stress — from abandonment, threat, violence, neglect, or abuse — have huge holes in their higher brain structures," observes Pennie Brownlee in Dance with Me in the Heart. "They don't have the hardware to run the software of peace and partnership. Instead, they have highly developed defensive brains for fight and flight. Highly developed defense-department-brains don't grow healthy partnerships; they lead to baby-battlers, violence, and war. Scans of violent adults reveal the holes are still there — they don't repair themselves. It is the first three years that the growth is laid down, or not....

"Babies who have been peacefully nurtured throughout their growing are very different. Their brains have huge prefrontal cortices. Researcher Paul MacLean termed that part of the brain the angel lobes because they are associated with the highest human qualities. These children are perfectly set up for their divine birthright; the happiness that comes from loving and being loved.... If your baby could tell you what she would really like from you, she wouldn't ask you for toys and things. She would tell you that she wanted to feel safe and loved, and now you can see why it is so important for her. Her future rests on it."

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