Jeannie's Brave Childhood : Behavior and Healing through the Lens of Attachment and Trauma

The author interweaves parts of her own dissociative-personality story and her expertise in child development with beloved literary characters to demonstrate how she worked to re-frame the unhealthy messages she internalized as a child. This healing process cleared a path to behavioral change, forgiveness, growing faith, and the rediscovery of simple joys. The unfolding relationship between the author and her child self, Jeannie, illustrates the dedication, trials, and triumphs inherent in developing an attachment relationship that is necessary for full healing.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
PART I: MY CHILD SELVES GO TO THERAPY
1. Jeannie and God Make a Plan
2. Jumping Down a Rabbit Hole
3. Gathering in the Kitchen
4. Table Conversations
5. After-Dinner Therapy
6. Campfire Reflections
PART II: WHAT MY CHILD SELVES LEARNED
7. Attachment and the 'Mother'
8. Trauma Needs a 'Mother'
9. When Survival Looks Like Resilience
10. The Life Every Child Deserves
11. A Tangle of Feelings and Emotions
12. Of Lies and Forgetting
13. The Pervasiveness of Shame
14. How Secrets Silence Children
15. Becoming My Own 'Mother' /139 PART III: HOW MY CHILD SELVES HEALED
16. Healing and Cookies in the Kitchen
17. Healing through Live Storytelling
18. Healing through Literature
19. Healing through Play
20. Healing by Reframing
21. Healing to Forgive
22. Epilogue: A BRAVE Tribute
Addendum I: Synopsis of BRAVE
Addendum II: Foreword to BRAVE
Addendum III: ACE Study
Addendum IV: Adoption/Foster Care
Addendum V: The Story of the Boxes

EDITORIAL REVIEWS:
'I strongly recommend this book to educators who wish to understand their students who may be dissociating in class.'
~Dr. MELISSA SADIN, Attachment and Trauma Network

'Janyne generously and openly brings the reader into her process of healing from her childhood trauma. If you want a real-time glimpse into the minds and hearts of children who are living their truths of coping with maternal neglect...if you want a deeper understanding of childhood trauma and healing...read this book.' ~LIZ HUNTER, MFT

'With creativity and honesty, Janyne McConnaughey goes deep. Using a narrative approach to explore pain, trauma, and healing, Janyne carries her readers along with insightful prose. This is a great followup to Brave!.' ~THOMAS JAY OORD, author of God Can't: How to Believe in God and Love after Tragedy, Abuse, and Other Evils

'Janyne McConnaughey continues writing her way into our hearts with [this] playful and imaginative labor of love. Insightful and hope-filled. A fantastical weaving of story, instruction and resilience.' ~LON MARSHALL, MFT

'In this clever follow-up to Brave, Janyne interweaves the story of her childhood selves with that of Alice and her trip to Wonderland. This heart-wrenching, harrowing, hopeful story has changed the way I approach ministry. It is a must read for those who hope to minister effectively to the many in their congregations who have experienced childhood trauma.' ~SUSAN ARMSTRONG, DM, pastor of care and discipleship

'A masterful journey into a human psyche deeply affected by the dragon of trauma. A candid and gifted storytelling and fascinating integration of the latest findings in trauma research, attachment theory, self-compassion and forgiveness. Janyne's reflections on God in the aftermath of trauma is paradigm shifting and invaluable. This book is not only for those affected by trauma, but also for therapists desiring to understand their heroic clients more deeply and walk alongside them more effectively.' ~MARK KARRIS, author of Season of Heartbreak: Healing for the Heart, Brain, and Soul

'A masterpiece, cohesive and expertly crafted. As an educator, I believe this book will enable anyone who works with children to see the unseen, to better recognize and touch with grace the heart of a silent sufferer.' ~SUSAN ELAINE JENKINS, author of SCANDALON