The Big Idea: Adoptees are an invisible community living in plain sight, but whose adopted status is unseen by others. They share a fundamental core experience of separation from their mother or primary caregiver that leaves a deep psychic wound, no matter how well they fare later in life. The powerful effects of this developmental trauma can last a lifetime. The So-What: Imaginally, there’s an orphan who lives within them. The orphan is homeless, restless, disconnected, and searching for something or someone it can’t find, including its very soul. For some, the orphan’s persistent presence may arise intermittently through feelings and behavior at any stage of life or circumstance. No orphan, however, is beyond redemption. The lost orphan can be found in the shadows and brought to the safety and security of light. Disconnection can be healed by loving reconnection. The Source: Stephen Rowley, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist practicing in Bainbridge Island, Washington. His professional past includes serving as an elementary school teacher and principal, and a school district superintendent in Washington and California. He has been a college professor at three universities, teaching courses in educational administration and organizational theory. He holds a Ph.D. in Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University. His new book is: The Lost Coin: A Memoir of Adoption and Destiny (Chiron Publications, Sept. 2023). Learn more at stephenrowley108.com/memoir/. Key Messages: With his background as a psychotherapist and educator, his interest in Jungian psychology and Zen Buddhism, Stephen Rowley can address: - What fundamental core experiences adoptees share - How the adopted child reckons with the paradox of a comfortable upbringing and a powerful emotional loss - How early childhood wounds result in “primitive agonies” that cause disproportionate emotional reactions - What relational complexities are especially inherent to most, if not all, adoptees - Where adopted children may find hidden blessings