This paper explores the parallels between the perceptual world of people who have had a stroke and are “locked-in” their own bodies and the world of love-starved adolescents who have enclosed themselves in an illusion of superiority.

Taransaud argues that it is only through compassion that suffering is released and transformed. He demonstrates that regardless of the protective walls emotionally wounded young people have built around their hurts, the focusing of one's tender thoughts on another can free the love-seeking parts of the self. Most importantly he shows that in order to develop an empathic presence and a compassionate heart we first need to reacquaint ourselves with our own locked-in emotions. For it is only once we have rediscovered all that is deep within us, and provided the unloved parts of ourselves with all that we have been denied but still long for, that we will be able to reach the locked-in child in ourselves and in others.