essays on trauma, healing & human development
“Shrewd Wit made learning personal again. It connected education to our lives and helped us see ourselves in the lessons.”
— Joyce Law
Linda Landum
Trauma-informed essays on unmet childhood needs, developmental psychology, African American family healing, and the science of becoming whole. Written by Linda Landum, RN, MSN-Ed, MA — author of What We Didn't Get.
Popular topics:
Linda Landum, RN, MSN-Ed, MA • October 9, 2026 • 9 min read
The best books on childhood emotional neglect and emotionally immature parents, with a note on who each book is for, where to start, and the books that explain emotional neglect in Black families.
A plain-language definition of generational trauma, how it is passed down, real examples in families, the signs to look for, and how the cycle can be broken.
October 9, 2026 • 10 min read
Fifteen signs of childhood emotional neglect in adults, with everyday examples, a short self-check, what emotional neglect looks like in childhood, and first steps to heal.
October 9, 2026 • 9 min read
Signs you grew up with emotionally immature parents, the four types described by Lindsay C. Gibson, a checklist, how it affects you as an adult, and how to deal with emotionally immature parents now.
October 9, 2026 • 9 min read
The best books about generational trauma, racial trauma, childhood emotional neglect and trauma-informed teaching, with a short note on who each book is for, the books that center Black families, and the researchers worth following.
October 6, 2026 • 10 min read
A practical guide to healing generational trauma in your family: a short self-check, seven cycle-breaking steps, journal prompts, what to do as a parent, and how therapy can help.
October 6, 2026 • 11 min read
Generational, intergenerational, transgenerational, historical and collective trauma explained side by side, plus how generational trauma differs from PTSD, whether it is real, and what it looks like in a family.
October 6, 2026 • 9 min read
What racial trauma is, how it affects a child's development, the signs to watch for at home and in class, and what trauma-informed schools and families can do about it, drawing on the work of Robert T. Carter, Kenneth V. Hardy and Monnica T. Williams.
October 6, 2026 • 10 min read
A plain-language guide to generational trauma in Black families: what it means, the history and research behind it, the best books to start with, and practical first steps toward healing, for yourself and for the people you love.
October 5, 2026 • 12 min read
Thinking about publishing your first book? Here is a clear, step-by-step guide to self-publishing — from shaping your idea to editing, cover design, formatting, and getting your book in front of readers.
June 30, 2026 • 10 min read
Self-publishing can cost almost nothing — or several thousand dollars. Here is an honest, line-by-line look at where the money actually goes, so you can budget for a book that looks and reads professionally.
June 23, 2026 • 8 min read
A clear, beginner-friendly walkthrough of the grant proposal — from researching the right funders to writing a persuasive narrative, building a realistic budget, and creating an evaluation plan funders trust.
June 16, 2026 • 10 min read
Hourly, flat-fee, or retainer? Here is an honest look at how grant writers charge, what drives the price, why reputable grant writers never work on commission, and how to decide if hiring one is worth it for your nonprofit.
June 9, 2026 • 8 min read
Why so many adults carry an ache they cannot name. A trauma-informed look at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, developmental trauma, and the wounds that childhood neglect leaves behind — especially within African American families shaped by poverty and systemic racism.
May 12, 2026 • 14 min read
Childhood emotional neglect leaves no visible scars — but it leaves a shape. Here is how emotional neglect quietly reshapes adult relationships, identity, and self-worth, and what trauma-informed healing looks like.
April 28, 2026 • 8 min read
Erik Erikson believed every life moves through eight psychosocial stages, each with a crisis to resolve. What happens when systemic racism, poverty, and intergenerational trauma interrupt those stages? A look at Black child development through Erikson's framework.
April 14, 2026 • 11 min read
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are one of the most important public-health discoveries of the past thirty years. Here is what ACEs are, what toxic stress does to the developing brain, and why trauma-informed care matters — especially in Black communities.
March 30, 2026 • 15 min read
Trauma is not just personal — it is inherited. A trauma-informed look at how intergenerational pain travels through Black families, what epigenetics has taught us, and the practices that begin to break the cycle.
March 16, 2026 • 9 min read
No child develops in a vacuum. Urie Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory shows that everything from a parent's job to a federal policy reaches into the nursery. Here is the framework — and why it matters for understanding trauma, race, and healing.
March 2, 2026 • 8 min read
Bowlby and Ainsworth showed that the first bonds we form shape every later relationship we attempt. Here is what attachment theory teaches — and how anxious, avoidant, and disorganized adults can move toward earned security.
February 16, 2026 • 8 min read
A practical guide to trauma-informed teaching: what a trauma-informed classroom is, the core principles, classroom strategies and classroom management, a staff checklist, and what trauma-informed care in schools looks like at the system level.
February 2, 2026 • 9 min read
Reflections on unmet childhood needs, adverse childhood experiences and healing, from the author of What We Didn't Get.
Linda Landum • September 20, 2026
Before calling someone "difficult," ask a different question: what didn't you get? How missing emotional safety, affection, encouragement and boundaries in childhood shape adult behavior and relationships.
Read on the blog →Linda Landum • September 20, 2026
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and developmental trauma explained: how dismissed emotions, overlooked needs and instability at home influence trust, stress and learning, and why trauma-informed education matters.
Read on the blog →New essays on developmental trauma, attachment, ACEs, and African American family healing — written for educators, parents, healers, and anyone doing the work of becoming whole.