Core Argument - The presentation addresses preverbal trauma, specifically childhood abandonment, and its lasting impact on individuals [2][4][5] - It emphasizes that trauma experienced before language development is stored in the body and manifests in various emotional and physiological responses [5] - Healing preverbal trauma requires listening to the body's signals and addressing the underlying emotional wounds [5] Psychological and Emotional Effects - The presentation highlights fear of rejection, unworthiness, low self-esteem, insecurity, self-doubt, guilt, and shame as common consequences of childhood abandonment [6][7] - Shame, unlike guilt, is described as a deeply damaging emotion that can be overcome through exposure and self-acceptance [7][8] Biological and Neurological Aspects - The presentation discusses the impact of broken mother-baby bonds on the autonomic nervous system, which regulates heart rate, body temperature, digestion, and stress responses [9] - Polyvagal Theory is introduced, explaining how the nervous system responds to perceived safety or threat through three states: ventral vagal (safety), sympathetic (fight/flight), and dorsal vagal (shutdown) [9][10][11] - Co-regulation, the process of finding balance through connection with others' nervous systems, is crucial for self-regulation and is disrupted by early separation from the mother [14][15] Recovery and Healing - The speaker shares their personal experience of using drugs to self-regulate and their subsequent journey to recovery, highlighting the discovery of abandonment as a core issue [16][17] - Witnessing the bond between mothers and infants in a recovery setting provided validation and insight into the speaker's own preverbal trauma [18][19] - Healing involves rewriting the story, creating safe spaces for connection, and acknowledging the body's memory of trauma, even when it cannot be consciously recalled [20][21]