Karr-Morse, a family therapist who is joined by lawyer and strategist Meredith Wiley for the volume, explores how childhood emotional trauma can physically alter the body's immune and endocrine systems and cause diseases. They explain the role of emotions in shaping the organization of these systems and the physical mechanisms that make children vulnerable to the effects of fear and trauma, and how early fear triggers disease, as well as how the balance between protective and risk factors influence what happens, especially strong positive emotional connections in early development. They also describe potential ways to heal emotional trauma; research on the biology of stress and trauma; the role of chronic fear in affecting fetal, infant, and toddler lives and diseases in adulthood that connect to early experiences of stress and trauma; and the role of attachment relationships. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)