The effects of childhood trauma in adults can remain longer until addressed properly with the help of a professional. They are the scary, violent, dangerous, or life-threatening events that occur between the ages of 0-18. These experiences can hamper the person’s confidence and cause them to feel terror, helplessness, or fear.

Besides, traumatic experiences in childhood can have other detrimental effects on adults. However, with the right knowledge, awareness, and help, the signs of chronic trauma can be alleviated. Therefore, this post tries to cover the crucial aspects of childhood Trauma that can present some help to those who have ever endured it. Let’s start!

What Does Childhood Trauma Actually Mean?

Childhood trauma is the adverse childhood experiences that can leave a strong impact at physical, mental, and psychological levels. There can be a vast range of adverse experiences, such as child abuse (physical or sexual), neglect, abandonment, loss of loved ones, and several others.

They can have a lasting effect on the minds of growing children, such as unsocial behavior, lack of confidence, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), sleep disorders, and more. Besides, they can lead to a wide range of mental disorders as well.

What Are The Possible Reasons Behind The Childhood Trauma?

Children under the age of 16 are highly prone to traumatic events, and there are more reasons for the same than you think. Some of the common reasons are:

• Childhood sexual trauma due to sexual abuse.
• Physical or psychological abuse.
• Experiencing a natural disaster.
• Witnessing or being a part of the domestic abuse.
• Sexual exploitation for a long time.
• Loss of loved ones.
• Community or school violence.
• Getting bullied among peers.
• Witnessing a war situation.
• Neglect or abandonment.
• Severe accidents or life-threatening illnesses.
• Being exposed to a life-risking situation.

What Are The Signs That Can Help You Determine The Traumatic Stress?

Sometimes, the signs are not very apparent, and they can vary from one child to another. Besides, young children react differently than older children. The common signs in different children age groups are:

Signs in Preschool Children

• Getting fretful when separated from their parent/caregiver.
• A lot of crying and screaming.
• Having nightmares more often.
• Poor eating and weight loss.

Elementary School Children’s Signs and Symptoms

• Easily become fretful or anxious.
• A constant feeling of guilt or shame.
• Trouble concentrating – attention deficit.
• Poor sleep quality.

Signs in Middle and High School Children

• The feeling of depression or being alone.
• Drug or alcohol abuse.
• Prone to risky sexual behavior.
• Poor sleep and eating habits.
• Self-harming tendencies can be seen.

What Are The Aftermaths of Childhood Trauma?

Children who suffer traumatic experiences are susceptible to developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is a state wherein they experience the trauma in their mind over and over again. Some effects of childhood trauma can be seen commonly as:

• Excessive anger or aggression.
• Dissociation with the reality.
• Fear of dying at an early age.
• Acting younger than the actual age.
• Being problematic in the school.
• Nothing seems to be exciting.
• Difficulty affectionating with the others.
• Signs of depression and anxiety.
• Experience difficulty in focusing.
• Improper eating or sleep habits.
• Become detached or non-responsive.
• Shortened attention span.
• Being sad or feeling low.

Physical And Mental Health Impacts

In addition to the behavioral changes, childhood trauma can also affect one’s physical or mental health. They are at an increased risk of developing several physical health conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, strokes, coronary heart disease, and several others. These are commonly autoimmune, pulmonary, and cardiovascular diseases.

On the other hand, mental health disorders may include anger management issues, depression, anxiety, emotional distress, increased stress levels, psychotic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, and several others. Dissociation from reality and hyper-vigilance are some other mental conditions associated with childhood sexual trauma.

Measures To Take By The Families or Caregivers

Not all the children who have adverse experiences in childhood develop PTSD. If they do, the right support from the families and caregivers can help them prevent or overcome the situation. The following measures can be taken in such a situation:

• Keep an eye on the child’s safety, and more importantly, they must feel safe.
• Take the right measures to ensure their safety at home, school, and in the neighborhood.
• Tell children that they are not responsible for events that are not in their control. It can save them from developing shame or guilt.
• Deal with your children patiently, especially when they are trying to overcome adverse experiences. If you are not sure how to heal from childhood trauma, if it takes time, just be patient.
• If nothing helps, you can seek therapy for childhood trauma for your children so that they can overcome the persisting traumatic condition.
• Trauma pediatric in childhood can also be addressed with the right professional care.

Treatment For Traumatic Childhood Stress

If the traumatic experiences are firmly embedded in your mind, and you are finding it hard to cope with the stress caused, you need to seek professional assistance. They are well-versed in carrying out the childhood trauma test, and based on that, they can help an individual cope with the detrimental effects of the traumatic experiences.

They can put you through effective therapies to ease the signs of post-traumatic stress. Children who have developed autism due to traumatic experiences can also receive autism treatment from a professional psychotherapist.

Different Types Of Therapy For Childhood Trauma

Some common therapies that can help individuals deal with post-traumatic stress disorders are:

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

Cognitive Processing Therapy is one of the most effective ways to treat chronic trauma from childhood, especially when the issue is persistent. The therapy is based on educating the person about PTSD thoughts and emotions. Thereafter, the formal processing starts to determine and address the unhelpful thinking related to the traumatic experiences for their effective removal.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

This form of cognitive behavioral therapy involves trauma-sensitive interventions with cognitive behavioral techniques. It is carried out with the participation of the parents of the trusted family members, who can create a safer environment to support the treatment. It can help children, teens, and adolescents deal with their deeply rooted-traumatic experiences.

Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET)

Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) is considered an alternative to Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It is a short-term individual intervention among individuals with PTSD. The procedure embeds the trauma exposure into the form of an autobiographical context, also known as a timeline.

Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing (EMDR)

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is also one of the effective therapies for childhood stress disorder, which uses repetitive eye movements to re-pattern childhood memories. This treatment mode has eight phases and can help an individual address unprocessed memories related to traumatic childhood experiences.

To Put It All Together!

If you are someone who is dealing with childhood traumatic stress, this post provides insight into the problem and presents effective ways of treatment. It also covers the important therapies that can play a vital role in the treatment of childhood trauma. Some additional therapies may include Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE), Play Therapy, and Art Therapy. You can reach out to Reflect Within to get your problem assessed and receive an effective treatment for childhood trauma.