My mother was my life blood, the centre of my being. We were two beings in one flesh. No relationship could ever be more intimate, no bond more lasting.
Scientists have learned in the last 10 -15 years that for your continued growth and well being you need your mother’s presence after you are born, just as you needed it when she carried you in her womb.
Babies’ brains continue to grow and mature for some years after birth and an early trauma (such as separation, neglect, or lack of a strong bond with your mother) has a measurable and serious effect on the development of the right side of your brain. This is the side that is influential in learning how to relate well to other people and how to deal with the problems and stresses that will arise during the course of your life. Normal development here helps you to develop a confident sense of self.
It is believed that in spite of a devastating loss or trauma, the brain might continue its delayed development if a person’s subsequent relationships are of the sort that can make up for inadequate mother/baby bonding. This is a matter of chance -
Sue GERHARDT Why love matters: how affection shapes a baby’s brain.
“A wonderful book full of research that connects the nature v. nurture argument, explaining how sensitivity to a baby’s needs – and a caring response – can actually affect how a baby’s nervous system develops scientifically. I would recommend it to all new parents.” Virginia Ironside
Allan N. SCHORE “The Effects of Early Relational Trauma on Right Brain Development, Affect Regulation, and Infant Mental Health”.
Very technical and available in full here
If you want something shorter, that you can get your hands on straight away, (although it is not specifically about adoption) click here for an excellent on-line article
Lauren Lindsey PORTER "The Science of Attachment: The Biological Roots of Love"
Writers on childhood trauma include Bessel VAN DER KOLK and B. D. PERRY. Books describing psychotherapy for post traumatic stress include:
Peter LEVINE, Waking the Tiger: healing trauma – the innate capacity to transform overwhelming experiences
Babette ROTHSCHILD, The Body Remembers: the psychophysiology of trauma and trauma treatment
Pat OGDEN et al, Trauma and the Body: a sensorimotor approach to psychotherapy
