Hélène Romano is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist. A specialist in trauma, recognized expert on the subject, she is the author of many works on the subject of psychic wounds, notably when they involve children and adolescents. She is the author of the recently published Quand la vie fait mal aux enfants [When Life Harms Children].

For every child, it is fundamental to be able to feel safe with those around him, notably with his parents. This apparent truism is, however, not so simple, in particular as regards mothers, upon whom our society projects so many expectations.

Why, then, do some women struggle or aren’t able to become “mothers,” that is, figures of security and protection for their children? What forms can this maternal “inadequacy” take, an inadequacy that can sometimes lead to the most serious abuse, even infanticide? What are the consequences for the children? How can one reconstruct oneself after having had a psychically absent and sometimes abusive mother? Finally, how, if possible, can these women after years of being unavailable or absent, be helped to develop solid and lasting bonds?

In this work, Hélène Romano, with compassion but clarity, approaches the disturbing issue of maternal abuse, to help us better comprehend it and, also, to repair wounds associated with the mother-child relationship.