Nancy Newton Verrier

Read “The Primal Wound” Instead

Coming Home to Self: The Adopted Child Grows Up by Nancy Newton Verrier

June 8, 2019 by Halbs Leave a Comment

A few months ago I reviewed The Primal Wound, Nancy Newton Verrier’s book about the unavoidable impact that separation from the biological family (especially mothers) places on adoptees. I mentioned that while the book was a bit dated since it was written in the early 1990s, there was a lot of value in it because it articulated and normalized things that many adoptees feel. One of the primary complaints of Verrier’s first book is that it of lays out a problem without a solution. (This wasn’t […]

A Thought-Provoking Read for Members of the Adoption Triad

The Primal Wound: Understanding the Adopted Child by Nancy Newton Verrier

March 23, 2019 by Halbs 6 Comments

As the title of this book about adoptees indicates, author Nancy Newton Verrier views adoption as a process that wounds adoptees on a fundamental level. Her central theory based on research and personal experience is that severing the connection between a mother and child leaves a wound which profoundly impacts sense of self, including self-worth and self-esteem. She has a strong message for adoptees: What adoptees need to know is that their experience was real. Adoption isn’t a concept to be learned, a theory to […]

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