Childhood Trauma

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about childhood trauma. Of course those of you who know me know that I’ve had more than my share. In trying to become more functional I’ve been doing some research, and there is quite a lot written about it, more than I expected to find. A lot of it was not news to me exactly, but it was organized enough that I could start to understand that even though I am dysfunctional, I am a normal person who had to react to some very abnormal conditions and situations in order to survive. Those survival mechanisms have lasted into middle age and I still struggle to understand how to deal with the curveballs life throws me and with the whole concept and process of making and keeping friends. The biggest of those survival mechanisms is my sense of humor. It’s one of those things that if you can’t laugh you will cry or do something worse, and that’s actually a very common strategy.

One question that I keep coming around to is this: Why can two people experience the same trauma, and one of them becomes extremely empathetic and loving and generous, and the other becomes a violent criminal who has nothing but hate and fear. I promise you that every serial killer out there has had an extremely traumatic childhood, and that the really successful comedians out there have also had very traumatic childhoods.

There are a LOT of types of trauma out there, and they don’t all include child abuse. 

https://www.mentalhealthcenter.org/how-childhood-trauma-affects-adult-relationships/

· Physical or sexual abuse (edit: with this I include mental and emotional abuse)

· Witnessing a traumatic event

· Having a severe illness requiring surgery and hospitalization

· Witnessing domestic violence

· Experiencing intense bullying

· Even extreme situations like refugee trauma and experiencing a large-scale natural disaster.

The effects of child trauma are many, and they are nuanced depending on the trauma and the child themselves. If a child comes from a home that does not provide a sense of security and protection for that child, they may resort to developing their own forms of coping mechanisms allowing them to function day-to-day just to survive. They may live on eggshells, having become accustomed to a parent or caretaker lashing out. The result is sensitivity to each interaction and the moods of others, fearful that the individual fly into a rage. These children learn to adapt by withholding their own emotions and making waves. Masking their fear, anger and sadness.

According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, strong connections exist between childhood trauma and high-risk behavior such as smoking, having unprotected sex, and experiencing chronic illness such as heart disease and cancer. Individuals who have experienced abuse are likely to experience stress and anxiety later in life. This long-term stress and anxiety can cause physical symptoms as well as emotional issues throughout life.

I would add here that some more of these effects involve actual mental illness and even physiological effects on the brain such as partial atrophy.

I am going to be exploring these topics and any others that I run across here on Snowy’s page over the coming weeks and if you’re interested, you are invited to explore right along with me.

Presented by Kelly