Sue Gerhardt is a British psychoanalytic psychotherapist. She has been awarded an honorary doctorate for her work in educating the public about neuroscience and child development. She is the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed Why Love Matters, which explains how affection shapes a child's brain in the first few months of life. Poignantly, she has also recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, a disease thought to have some of its roots in infancy.
Jaw-droppingly important, far-ranging, and yet easy to read. Caring for babies, in and out of the womb - and for their mums and dads - emerges as the engine of lifelong health. Personally, and politically, Sue Gerhardt’s message is of immense importance. Should we ever achieve a society of glowing health, this book will be seen as a turning point that made it possible. -- Steve Biddulph, psychologist and author 1001 Days is an extraordinary tour de force, one every policymaker, doctor, parent, indeed anyone who cares about the future, should read. Gerhardt seamlessly integrates an incredible breadth of research into a riveting account of how the roots of adult health, both good and bad, lie in infancy and childhood. In contrast to the world of biohacks and quick fix quackery, Gerhardt uses the latest science to show how it's the quality of our earliest relationships that etches our future health into our very cells, and how stress and trauma are irrefutably linked to the likelihood of later illnesses. This is a game changing book of the utmost importance, with a message that urgently needs shouting from the rooftops. -- Dr. Graham Music, Consultant Psychotherapist at the Tavistock Clinic and author of NURTURING NATURES