Many times, the past does not stay where it belongs. Many people have reported that could never get rid of their repressed childhood trauma in adulthood. Childhood is the time when a person’s personality takes shape. When there is a huge impact on our psyche during childhood like trauma, it defines how we perceive and respond to things later in life. It has been observed that if a person has experienced trauma during childhood, they are more likely to experience post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD later in their adult life.
Why understand the significance of childhood trauma?
In the United States alone, around 2/3rd of the population have suffered from childhood trauma before the age of 16 years. Childhood trauma can range from everyday bullying to abuse. It can either be physical or mental. If it is physical trauma, the visible scars heal over time. However, the mental scars always stay. If it is a mental trauma or emotional trauma, the scars are never visible but they are always there. Eventually, when a person progresses to adulthood, these scars left by the childhood trauma rear up their head and wreak havoc in the person’s day-to-day life.
Thus, it is extremely important to identify if you are facing any lingering effects from your childhood trauma. Before I get into the discussion of the effects that childhood trauma can have on your adulthood, you need to understand what childhood trauma is in the first place.
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Understanding childhood trauma
Childhood trauma is trauma that has been experienced during the childhood stages. It can either be physical, sexual, or emotional. It is also possible that you were not the victim but you were exposed to the traumatic events. Such traumatic events include witnessing violent acts, natural disasters, etc.
How is the reaction of the child to the traumatic event determined?
There are many factors that govern the response of the child toward a traumatic event. Some of these factors include
The development level of the child
This defines the mental and physical age of the child. Here both the emotional, physical, and mental age of the child is determined. Psychologists have several tests that can be used to measure these ages.
Cultural factors and ethnicity
Different cultures view trauma in a different manners. Therefore, the views that the child has been exposed to in their community have a great role in defining how the child will respond to a traumatic event
Prior trauma exposure
If the child has been previously exposed to trauma, they may have developed adaptive responses and may use those to deal with the trauma.
Resources available
Is the family able to afford the needed resources to help the child overcome the trauma? Does the family have access to basic commodities on a regular basis? Such factors can play a huge role in determining how the trauma will be processed by the kid.
Preexisting family issues
If the child grew up in a toxic environment, the child will respond to the trauma in a different manner than a child who grew up in a positive and fulfilling environment. In case there is a lack of support from the parents, the child will respond to a trauma in a different manner compared to if parental support is always there.
Signs of trauma in children
Kids will not openly say to you that they are struggling or recovering from a traumatic event. You have to be vigilant and pay attention to the symptoms. If a child has been exposed to trauma, you will see the signs. These signs can be exhibited in the form of a behavioral change. This is why parents are always advised to keep an eye on their kid’s behavior. If they notice a sudden change in behavior, it may be an indication that the child has been through trauma recently. Sudden behavioral changes in kids may include
Sudden fears
If the child is suddenly showing signs of being afraid of a person, place, or thing, it may be related to the traumatic event that the child experienced.
Separation anxiety
The child may start to feel extremely anxious in the absence of one or both parents. This happens because kids see their parents as their safety net. Therefore, after a traumatic incident, the child wants the parents to be around all the time.
Disturbances in sleep
Sleep disturbances occur even in the case of adults who have experienced a recent traumatic event. If you notice that your child is facing difficulty in falling asleep, facing nightmares, or having night terrors, it can be an indication that your child has recently experienced a traumatic event.
Sadness
If you observe that the child is quieter than usual, refusing to play with friends or toys, preferring to stray in a corner, and trying not to engage in social interactions, these can be indications of the trying to cope with a recent traumatic event
Losing interest in daily activities
Kids enjoy everyday activities from making art to meeting their friends in schools and playgrounds. If you notice that your child has suddenly lost interest in day-to-day activities that they found enjoyable before, it is an indication that your child may be suffering from a traumatic event.
Difficulty in concentration
This can either be a long-term problem or a short-term one. The inability to concentrate can impact various aspects of the child’s life like work, school, or even normal activities.
Anger
If your child seems irritated or tends to get angry about things that didn’t bother him before, it can be a sign that the child is coping with a traumatic event and needs help.
Somatic complaints
If suddenly your child seems to be having headaches, stomach aches, and other unexplained medical problems which do not seem to be having any base, it may be because your child is trying to cope with trauma but does not know how.
Go to a mental health professional
If you notice the above-mentioned signs, do not take them lightly. Take your child to the psychologist immediately so that the issues can be addressed. The psychologist will also guide your child gently and teach them easy ways to process the difficult situation. This way the effect of the past would be reduced and it won’t have such a horrendous effect on the future of the child.
Studies have shown that among kids, around 3-15% of girls and 1-6% of boys will develop PTSD later in life. This is especially true if they have unresolved childhood trauma. If any of the above-mentioned symptoms persist for long periods, please take your child to a therapist so that the therapist can start the PTSD treatment as soon as possible.
In some cases, children may also start to exhibit signs of hypervigilance. This is because the brain has gone into defensive mode and is trying to prevent future traumas. Therefore, the child may want to be cautiously aware of their surroundings so that the traumatic incident does not repeat itself.
Now that we have discussed the signs of childhood trauma in the case of kids, it lets move on and discuss the sign of childhood trauma in adults
Signs of childhood trauma in adults
As I have mentioned before, the past does not necessarily remain buried. It has different ways of manifesting itself and affecting our present and our future. If you have suffered childhood trauma, chances are that it will rear its ugly head during adulthood and impact your future relationships. It may also cause other issues like anxiety, PTSD, or depression. Let’s look at the signs of childhood trauma in adulthood
The effect of childhood trauma on adult relationships
If you have faced childhood trauma it can have a huge impact on how you view and respond to romantic relationships. Studies show adults who have experienced childhood trauma in the form of emotional, sexual or physical abuse are more likely to display attachment issues that are dismissive, preoccupied, or extremely fearful. Those who did not experience childhood trauma have a higher chance of having a secure attachment style when they enter a relationship in adulthood. To help you understand this point better, you need to first get a grasp on the four different types of attachment styles that exist
Secure attachment style
Those who have secured attachment styles engage in a healthy relationship with a good level of self-esteem and trust.
Ambivalent attachment style
Those exhibiting the ambivalent attachment style are afraid of getting too close to the person. They are afraid of opening up. This is because they are always worried that their partner or spouse will most likely leave them.
Avoidant attachment style
Those who experience an avoidant attachment style have tremendous problems when it comes to intimacy. They do not allow anyone to get too close to them because they are always afraid of abandonment.
Disorganized
In the disorganized attachment style, the partner tends to take on parental roles in the case of romantic relationships. They are more focused on caring and nurturing rather than being equal partners.
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Another effect that childhood trauma can have on an adult is causing post-traumatic stress disorder. As I mentioned before, those who have suffered from childhood trauma are more likely to develop PTSD in adulthood. Even if you go to a psychologist and undergo EMDR therapy for PTSD, you will have to revisit the memories of trauma and find a way to reprogram your brain so that your brain can process the trauma in a different manner.
Signs you are suffering from PTSD
- Constantly reliving the past trauma in the form of nightmares or flashbacks
- Avoiding people
- High levels of anxiety
- Depression
- Anger issues
- Trust issues
- Engaging in risky or self-destructive behavior
- Withdrawal
- Substance abuse
If you are facing the above-mentioned symptoms, there is a high chance that you have unresolved childhood trauma as the base of the problem.
Emotional responses and regulation
One of the prominent side effects of childhood trauma is difficulty in regulating your emotions. This problem can manifest itself in a variety of ways. Some of the most common ways this problem can become visible are:
- Severe anxiety
- Uncontrolled anger
- Depression
- Irritability issues
- Difficulty in expressing your emotions
- Withdrawal symptoms
- Panic attacks
These are some examples of emotional dysregulation that a person can experience if the person has unresolved childhood trauma. However, this does not mean that there may not be other ways of emotional dysregulation as well. Staying away from people, avoiding people, being too nice to everyone, or trying to please everyone around them can also be a sign of trauma.
Physical health
Your emotions have a direct effect on your physical health. When a person has experienced childhood trauma, there is a high chance that they are likely to develop certain physical issues more than a person with a stable childhood. People with repressed or unresolved childhood trauma are more likely to develop coronary artery disease, stroke, asthma, diabetes, etc.
Suicide attempts are also higher in the case of those who have unresolved childhood trauma.
Emotional signs that you have experienced childhood trauma
The inability to trust others
Trauma occurs when our trust is betrayed. One scar that childhood trauma leaves behind is the difficulty in trusting others. Whether you have faced physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, your ability to trust others has been abused. Therefore, the trust issue tends to continue even in the person’s adulthood phases. If you find it difficult to trust your colleagues, your partner, or even your parents, there is a chance that you are facing repressed childhood trauma. The inability to trust has a detrimental impact on a person’s ability to befriend others and have romantic bonds.
Overreacting
Do you often hear others tell you that you overreact to situations? If this is something that you have grown used to hearing, there’s a chance that you might be suffering from unresolved childhood trauma. One of the ways in which the brain defends a person after a trauma is to predict what might happen in different scenarios. This is the brain’s way of protecting you from suffering through another trauma. However, those who do not mean to cause you any harm may see this behavior as overreacting. However, all your brain is trying to do is protect you from further harm.
Difficulty in maintaining relationships
Do you suddenly start to distance yourself from others? Do you start feeling from time to time that:
- Self-dependency is the best option
- Depending on others is a sign of weakness
- Do you abruptly end relationships?
- Do you suddenly move away from your friends and strive for a life of isolation?
If you are facing such issues, there is a high likelihood that you have experienced childhood trauma. Your circle of close people may involve only one or two people at most. You find it hard to share everything with even the people closest to you. Your brain tells you that you must protect your secrets. If you tell others about your deepest and darkest fears, they may use them against you.
Furthermore, the inability to form proper bonds with others makes it very difficult for you to have a successful relationship with your partner or spouse because of miscommunication, lack of trust, and constant fear of losing the other person.
Constant feeling of loneliness.
If you are a victim of childhood trauma, loneliness is your constant companion. Such people are afraid that others will not understand what they have been through or how their mind reacts. This is why such people prefer to stay away from others because they are afraid of getting hurt and losing those they get close to. Therefore, their brain tells them that it’s better to stay away from people and to stay in isolation because this way no one can hurt them.
Difficulty focusing and lack of concentration
There are many reasons behind a lack of focus. However, if your lack of focus is occurring along with some of the other above-mentioned symptoms, it might be because of the traumatic incidents that you experienced during your childhood. It could be that some of those memories are swirling around in your head making it difficult for you to focus on your task.
Conclusion
If you notice signs of unresolved childhood trauma, please cancel a psychologist as soon as possible. If you are wondering whether you should go to a psychologist vs psychiatrist, the blog post should help you make the decision. Childhood trauma is something that should not be ignored at all. The sooner you get it resolved, the better for your present and future. The past does not belong in the present. It definitely has no place in your future.
The trauma that occurred in your childhood, you could not have prevented it. However, your mental health is in your hands now. Whether you choose to get therapy or you choose to ignore your problems, depends on you. I suggest that you do not ignore your mental health issues. Get treatment as soon as possible so that your future is more positive and fulfilling.
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People with childhood trauma tend to behave in a manner that is different from what’s deemed normal. they are more withdrawn, do not let others come close to them, have difficulty in relationships etc. These signs and the others mentioned in the blog post can let you understand if someone is suffering from repressed childhood trauma.
Childhood Trauma is very common. It affects people throughout life. Some people may experience it as a result of abuse, neglect, or other traumatic events during childhood. Others may not remember any specific event, but they still suffer from symptoms associated with childhood trauma.
Childhood Trauma is very common. It affects people throughout life. Some people may experience it as a result of abuse, neglect, or other traumatic events during childhood. Others may not remember any specific event, but they still suffer from symptoms associated with childhood trauma.
The effects of childhood abuse and neglect can last a lifetime. It may take years before the full impact of these traumas becomes apparent. But if left untreated, they can lead to depression and anxiety in adulthood.
2 Comments
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