Healing from Childhood Loss

Childhood loss creates environmental challenges that disrupt the integrity of body-mind-spirit, having profound lifelong effects on both health outcomes and life satisfaction. The author in this report describes a middle-range theory of healing childhood loss, which can be used to guide practice and research. Theoretical influences are Levine’s conservation model of nursing, the theory of chronic sorrow, and the adverse childhood experiences pyramid. Strategies to support healing of childhood loss are particularly needed and timely during this worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, with prolonged disruption of normal childhood activities and concern about a possible increased incidence of adverse childhood experiences.