The Harmonic Child — Audiobook & Guided Listening Experience

In listening to Sara Wilfred share her book felt so personal, as if she was sharing her experience with me over a cup of tea in her living room. I felt her experiences. What I especially loved was the breath work at the end of each chapter.

I can't recommend this book more highly to, not just parents, but everybody who comes into contact with non-speaking autistic children.

Reading this book felt like being guided into my own depths and simultaneously into a truer resonance with the living Earth - not what I was expecting!

I am indebted to Sara Wilfred for what I have learned. Though I am not a parent, the writing met me exactly where I stand as someone whose work as a spelling practitioner centres on how to be in the presence of beyond verbal autistic children.

Sara helped me reframe dysregulation from being a problem to a message, and to recognise neurotypical confusion around it for what it is: "learned numbness". That was a real wake-up call.

Being invited into Sara's personal story of torment, discovery and, above all, remembering, was a privilege. Sara's openness and vulnerability shown in the grief stricken moments carry enormous impact.

When she reflects on past regrets about following the system’s orders instead of her own intuition and Jack’s needs, the raw honesty is palpable. That might be emotionally stirring for some people reading - especially parents - but that's why the 'breath anchors' at the end of each chapter are so grounding. You feel gently and securely held reading/listening to this book.

There are so many parts to note down for future reference. For instance, one powerful learning for me was "what we call sensory overwhelm is not a flaw in filtering; it is the fullness of perception without the agreed-upon filters of neurotypical compression" Wow!!

This, for me, captures the narrative shift the entire book champions. These human beings are not broken projects in need of fixing. They ask instead for attunement, which enriches all of us, not just them.

Beyond this, the book underlines the profound importance of trust. Trust in our child and their intelligence and competence, but also trust in ourselves...in that we shouldn't relegate our lived experience and deep knowing below systems and institutions that claim authority over the best interests of the child.

I now feel far better equipped to enter their space with coherence as my single guiding priority. Without this book, I would never have understood why that matters so deeply. At the same time, it has shown me how much remains to be learned and unlearned (a lifetime’s amount!). That will keep me humble and remind me to be patient with myself as I remember how to tune into their frequencies and that of the environment around me.

This audiobook is beautifully read and totally evergreen. I've read it twice now and know I'll still be learning from it when I read or hear it for the 10th time and beyond.

Thank you, Sara, for sharing this much-needed remembering of the limitless possibilities within reach when we BE in coherence.