Childhood is often depicted as a stress-free period in life, full of playfulness, fantasy, and exploration. In-between those times or maybe in the absence of those times, exposure to traumatic events can elicit feelings of fear, danger, or shame. Processing those emotions is difficult enough for an adult; processing these feelings as a child easily overwhelms our ability to cope. This is childhood trauma.
There are long term implications of traumatic childhood experiences, but many struggle with identifying, “What counts as a trauma?”. The following is a closer look at defining childhood trauma to understand how specific events may cause some of the post-traumatic symptoms you are dealing with in your day-to-day life.
Did you know we specialize in trauma recovery? Our providers are trained in providing Online EMDR and are experts in trauma recovery. Sign up is easy!
Learn MoreChildhood trauma is defined as any scary, violent, or dangerous event or experience where the child is the witness or victim. We like to emphasize that witnessing scary or violent events is enough to negatively impact our mental, emotional, or physical development. Traumatic events overwhelm a child’s ability to cope leaving them feeling threatened, unsafe, and helpless. Childhood trauma can be an isolated incident or a prolonged period of distress that piles up over time. When there are multiple traumatic events or prolonged periods of distress during childhood, this is called complex childhood trauma. Complex trauma leaves larger wounds and might be more difficult to treat.
If you do not see an experience you considered to be traumatic listed, it does not mean what you experienced does not count as trauma
When assessing for childhood trauma events, your therapist might use the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) questionnaire. Measuring the amount of ACE’s an individual has been exposed to can help determine the likelihood that someone will develop post-traumatic symptoms or adverse health effects. Below is a table that includes a definition of each Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) and an example of how these ACE’s may present themselves. Some of these experiences may include community violence, domestic violence, bullying, medical trauma, natural disasters, or refugee trauma. It is important to note that even if you do not see an experience you considered to be traumatic listed, it does not mean what you experienced does not count as trauma. The only person who can ultimately determine if an experience was traumatic is you (3). Being honest with ourselves about our experiences and the ways they have negatively impacted us, is the start of the healing journey.
Experiencing trauma in childhood has heightened risks because the brain is still developing. Experiencing a traumatic event during these key developmental milestones can result in longer lasting negative changes to the brain. In fact, brain imaging studies have shown significant changes to areas of the brain such as the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala (1). These areas of the brain are associated with learning, executive functioning (planning, memory, attention), and emotional reactivity. Therefore, children exposed to trauma are frequently behind in school readiness, reading ability, and communication skills.
You can probably see by now how traumatic events can have a snowball effect on mental and physical development. Residual effects of childhood trauma can carry on well into adulthood impacting an individual's mental health, physical health, relationships, and even their career. The extent to which these effects are felt can vary from person to person. So why is it that some seem to lean more towards post-traumatic growth while others lean more towards post-traumatic stress?
Risk and protective factors can have a large impact on how an individual will respond to childhood trauma. Risk and protective factors either increase (risk) or reduce (protective) the negative impact of childhood traumatic experiences. According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, some of these risk and protective factors include, the severity of the event, the proximity to the event, caregivers reactions, the child’s history of trauma, and family and community factors (2). Below are some examples of risk and protective factors.
Example risk factors:
Example protective factors:
Being honest with ourselves about our experiences and the ways they have negatively impacted us, is the start of the healing journey...This journey can feel daunting, but with a trauma recovery therapist walking alongside you at a pace and style that’s comfortable for you, immense healing is possible.
The physical and emotional impacts of childhood trauma last well beyond the event itself. If you’re interested in learning more about how the impacts of childhood trauma can carry into adulthood please visit my last post, Childhood Trauma in Adults. In this post you will also be able to learn more about different modalities used to recover from childhood trauma. It is never too late to start your journey to healing yourself of the negative impacts of childhood trauma. This journey can feel daunting, but with a trauma recovery therapist walking alongside you at a pace and style that’s comfortable for you, immense healing is possible.
If you’d like to speak with someone regarding your experiences with childhood trauma please reach out to make an appointment with one our trained trauma recovery experts.
