Experiencing trauma as a child can have a significant impact on a person’s life. It can lead to mental health and emotional issues that severely impact people when they are adults. Several long-term effects can make everyday life difficult. Understanding these effects with a trauma therapist near me can help people live successful lives as they learn to cope with and face their traumas. We’re going to explore what constitutes childhood trauma and how the team at Healing Foundations Center can help.
What is Childhood Trauma?
Statistics show that more than 2/3 of children reported at least one traumatic event by age 16.[1] Having these types of experiences at a young age not only has an impact on childhood and adolescence but also individuals as adults.
Traumatic events can include:
Abuse
This can encompass physical, sexual, or emotional abuse.
Medical Trauma
If a child requires frequent hospitalization, it can lead to medical trauma, which can have long-term effects.
Neglect
Any type of emotional or physical neglect during childhood can be traumatic.
Environmental Factors
Being exposed to environmental factors such as poverty, natural disasters, and homelessness can all be traumatic for children.
Social Influences
Bullying, violence, and racism are all social influences that can be considered forms of childhood trauma.
Losing a Loved One
Grieving a loved one at a young age can also be traumatic for a child, especially if it was a parent, close family member, or friend who was lost. Many children never truly get over this type of loss.
Adverse Child Experiences (ACES)
When discussing childhood trauma, it is also essential to look at adverse childhood experiences or ACES.[2] The ACE study is an ongoing research study that looks at the relationship between childhood trauma experiences and long-term health consequences. The ACES study shows that approximately 65% of children have at least one adverse event during their childhood and that nearly 40% of children experience at least two more ACEs.
The original ACEs study includes these adverse experiences:
- Physical abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Emotional abuse
- Physical neglect
- Emotional neglect
- Parental separation or divorce
- Incarcerated household member
- Mother treated violently
- Household substance abuse
- Household mental illness
Anyone having these experiences as a child can have mental health problems as an adult that require treatment.
How Childhood Trauma Impacts Adults and How a Trauma Therapist Near Me Can Help
Childhood trauma can impact adults in many different ways, such as:
Depression
Depression is a common problem that can result from trauma. Statistics show that 1 in 10 Americans experience some depression during any given year.[3] When people are depressed, they lose interest in things that used to provide them with joy, and they may feel sad for long periods of time. They often have trouble coping with painful experiences or losses.
Anxiety
Childhood trauma can trigger many different types of anxiety, such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorders, social anxiety disorders, and agoraphobia.[4] With generalized anxiety disorder, a person experiences profound worry about many things. Panic disorders involve panic attacks that can be overwhelming both physically and emotionally. Others may experience agoraphobia, which results in intense fear when someone is in a public or crowded place. Social anxiety disorders surface when there is an intense fear of being judged or criticized in front of others.
PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs in people who have experienced a traumatic event. They experience ongoing symptoms that impact their everyday lives. When people experience a traumatic event, the fear and emotions they experience don’t resolve themselves following the initial trauma. Rather, they continue to fester, making it difficult to function.
Relationship Difficulties
Childhood trauma can make it difficult to form and maintain relationships as an adult. Due to the trauma they experience as a child, adults can find it hard to trust others. This can lead to isolation and fear as they may believe that someone always wants to hurt them.
Guilt and Shame
When someone experiences childhood trauma, they may feel guilty or ashamed. They may feel that whatever happened to them was their fault, which is not true. Guilt and shame can lead to low self-esteem, which can extend to mental health problems through adolescence and adulthood.
Childhood trauma can also lead to excessive worrying, disorganized thought patterns, and intrusive memories or flashbacks in adults. Adults may also avoid situations and people related to the trauma.
Chronic Illnesses
Childhood trauma can also lead to chronic health problems for adults, such as heart diseases and autoimmune diseases. Those who had adverse childhood experiences may also experience increased inflammation due to sustained stress over long periods of time.
Physical illness can also be caused by inadequate self-care that can come as a result of trauma. If someone experiences trauma as a child, they may have low self-esteem, which can prevent them from taking care of themselves as they should.
How to Heal from Childhood Trauma as An Adult With A “Trauma Therapist Near Me”
Therapeutic approaches can help adults who are looking to heal from childhood trauma as an adult. Cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma-focused therapy techniques, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) are all used to help adults who are dealing with the impact of childhood trauma.
Therapists will assess each patient to determine their effects and decide what techniques would best help them cope. Many times, a combination of therapies offers the best success in recovery.
Connect with a Trauma Therapist Near Me at Healing Foundations Center
Look no further when searching for a “trauma therapist near me.” Healing Foundations Center provides extensive treatment for people dealing with traumas. As a trauma treatment center in Scottsdale, we employ the best therapists and techniques to help adults who are dealing with the effects of childhood trauma. Our treatments include cognitive behavioral therapy, EMDR, somatic experiencing, and more.
Contact Healing Foundations Center today to learn more about how our Scottsdale center and team can help you cope with the trauma impact you are facing.
Sources:
[1] https://www.samhsa.gov/child-trauma/understanding-child-trauma
[2] https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/24875-adverse-childhood-experiences-ace
[3] https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/related/depression_trauma.asp
[4] https://psychcentral.com/anxiety/the-connection-between-childhood-trauma-and-generalized-anxiety-disorder#effects