1001 Days: How Our First Years Shape Our Lifelong Health

We often think of babyhood and old age as opposite ends of life. Yet they are deeply connected. Our earliest experiences shape the foundations for a lifetime of mental and physical health, or for the health challenges we may face later on.

In 1,001 Days, acclaimed psychotherapist and author Sue Gerhardt explores the crucial and often overlooked factors that influence lifelong wellbeing. Drawing on the latest research in medicine, neuroscience and psychobiology, she reveals how many of the most common illnesses affecting society today, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression and dementia, can have roots in pre- and post-natal development.

Gerhardt also challenges the political and cultural assumptions that often frame illness as the result of poor ‘lifestyle’ choices, arguing instead for a deeper understanding of how early life experiences shape health outcomes. The evidence she presents has the potential to transform how we approach prevention, treatment and care within healthcare systems and society at large.

While there is no single explanation for an individual’s health, understanding how childhood continues to influence wellbeing can empower people to seek the support and care they need.

Sue Gerhardt is a British psychoanalytic psychotherapist. She has been awarded an honorary doctorate for her work in educating the public about neuroscience and child development. She is the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed Why Love Matters, which explains how affection shapes a child’s brain in the first few months of life. Poignantly, she has also recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, a disease thought to have some of its roots in infancy.