Circumcision: The Hidden Trauma

How an American Cultural Practice Affects Infants and Ultimately Us All

Ronald Goldman, PhD

Foreword by Ashley Montagu, PhD

320 pages. 576 references. Illustrated. Vanguard Publications, trade paper ISBN 0-9644895-3-8

$18.95 plus $3 S/H.
Circumcision Resource Center
POB 232
Boston, MA 02133
Master/Visa orders: 888-445-5199.

CIRCUMCISION: THE HIDDEN TRAUMA is the first intensive exploration of the unrecognized psychological and social aspects of this increasingly controversial American cultural practice. The books has been endorsed by professionals in psychology, psychiatry, child development, pediatrics, obstetrics, childbirth education, sociology, and anthropology.

Without much knowledge, the American public generally assumes that our cultural practice of circumcision is a trivial and benign procedure. As discussed in CIRCUMCISION: THE HIDDEN TRAUMA, plain facts and recent research results conflict with these beliefs and raise questions. Dr. Goldman's application of psychological and social research coherently explains both the tenacity of the practice and the contradictory information and beliefs about it.

After a review of the surprising abilities of infants and their responses to circumcision pain, the long-term psychological effects of circumcision are examined from the perspectives of both traditional and more recent, innovative psychological theories. We learn that circumcision has potential effects not only on men and sexuality, but also on mother-child relationships, male-female relationships, and societal traits and problems. The text is supported with clinical reports, interviews, surveys, and thorough documentation.

CIRCUMCISION: THE HIDDEN TRAUMA identified an overlooked source of early pain and simultaneously points us in the direction of both healing and preventing the pain. It is of particular interest to men who seek to explore their sexuality and deepen self-awareness; women who want to understand men better; parents and children's advocates; childbirth educators and allied workers; and mental health, medical, and academic professionals. The book has wide appeal because, more generally, it is about trusting our instincts, questioning some of our cultural values and assumptions, and reflecting on who we are and who we can be as individuals and as a society.

What Professionals in Psychology and Psychiatry Are Saying

"This pioneering work is of riveting interest to all who have ever wondered about circumcision or who are looking for clues to explain certain male feelings, attitudes, and behaviors." Myron Sharaf, PhD, lecturer and author, Dept. of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

"Circumcision: The Hidden Trauma is a significant contribution to the field of psychology and a valuable resource to help prepare clinicians for future disclosures of feelings about circumcision by men." Dr. Richard Schwartzman, psychiatrist, Philadelphia

"A penetrating landmark study that raises disturbing questions and yet offers a real message if hope for a more peaceful future." Lloyd deMause, PhD, author, Director of Institute for Psychohistory

"This books is required reading for all prospective parents." Charles Konia, MD, psychiatrist, Easton, Pa.

"A highly intelligent and dramatic investigation into an area that has been ignored because of taboo: Leslie Feher, PhD, psychotherapist and author, President of the Association of Birth Psychology

"I welcome Ronald Goldman's beautiful and powerful book on circumcision. It is the most enlightening and dependable examination of a most important aspect of human life. I hope it will be widely read." Ashley Montague, PhD, renowned anthropologist and author

"I hope Circumcision: The Hidden Trauma will be read by men and women because it will force us to confront the unrecognized personal and social harm that results from this practice." Sam Keen, PhD, author of Fire in the Belly

"This provocative analysis of circumcision's potential impact on men and gender relations merits serious attention." Patricia Yancey Martin, PhD, Professor of Sociology, Florida State University

"A revealing explanation of the misunderstanding in the medical community about this practice." Leonard Marino, MD, pediatrician, Plainview, NY

"I am very impressed with the depth of Goldman's research and his willingness to deal so thoroughly with the most important questions of the possible effect of circumcision on boys." Warren Farrell, PhD, author of Why Men Are the Way They Are

"Goldman cases a wide, fine mesh net and hauls in all the fishy arguments and speculations that disqualify circumcision as a health care procedure." John Money, PhD, Professor Emeritus or Pediatrics and Medical Psychology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

'I always knew that circumcision was a procedure with roots at a level much deeper than that of a mere "medical" procedure. Finally, Ronald Goldman has written a courageous book that makes the strongest possible case for abandoning circumcision once and for all--for the health of us, men and women alike." Christiane Northrup, MD, obstetrician, author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom

"Goldman's book, though long-overdue, is timely." Penelope Leach, PhD, child development educator, author of Your Baby & Child

"Impressive and moving." Sheila Kitzinger, social anthropologist and childbirth educator, author of The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth