Having previously had only minimal exposure to recent neurobiological findings, I experienced the same sense of excitement in reading about the convergence of neurobiological and relational processes as I felt when I first heard van der Kolk discuss how childhood trauma actually affects the brain biochemically and developmentally (21st Annual International Conference on the Psychology of the Self, San Diego, Oct. 1998). He explained scientifically how the meaning of traumatic experiences becomes internalized and subsequently influences both affect regulation and the quality of adult relationships. This strongly resonated with my clinical experience in treating children and families, especially the difficulty of disrupting a process in which abuse and neglect are