Almost one in four children experience child abuse or neglect in their lifetime. The National Center for Child Abuse and Neglect estimation revealed that about 1.5 million children are confirmed to be mistreated each year in the US.
Early life experiences have a profound impact on the developing brain and the behavior of the human being, whether it’s sexual, or physical abuse or the loss of parents.
So, what is exactly childhood trauma, and how does it affect the person in the next parts of life?
Childhood trauma in a simple world, is experiencing emotionally and psychologically distressing during the first years of life. Those experiences often disrupt the child’s sense of safety, security, and emotional functions, leading to different consequences in the future.
For some reason, we realize that childhood trauma and early life experiences form the foundational threads that shape our identities and shapes our futures.
For many people, childhood is not only a time of innocence and joy but it can also be marked by shadows of some events that leave lasting imprints on the psyche.
The impact of childhood trauma is multifaceted, it can be physical, emotional, or psychological. One of the insidious impacts of it is the way the person perceives himself and the world around them. It destroys perceptions of self-worth, leading to shame, unworthiness, and self-blame.
Moreover, it impacts relationships and how individuals perceive others and interact with them, by sabotaging trust and intimacy and fostering patterns of mistrust and isolation.
Untreated trauma can lead to a dysfunction of the conscious part of the human brain and also in his behavior.
Several studies show that early life experiences, especially the bad ones, lead to the development of both mood and anxiety disorders.
There is a relationship between genes and early adverse experiences that leads to biological modifications, changes in behavior, and the development of different mental disorders.
But the question that has to be asked is why in the same environment some people develop those mental disorders and others don’t.
In one study of 2000 women of different socio-professional categories, the ones with a history of childhood physical, or sexual abuse had increased symptoms of anxiety and depression at certain points in their life.
Trauma acts as a threat to the person’s well-being because it influences the stress level in the body. Children who are exposed to traumatic events may develop certain conditions, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, or other mental disorders like Bipolar, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and other mood disorders.
Unfortunately, many children are exposed to childhood trauma, which can have a long-term impact on their lives as adults.
Not all people let the bad side of their childhood ruin their lives, but others do it.
If you asked a specialist the response is usually genes, and how the history of the family with mental disorders affects the generations of today.
Honestly, every person has a choice to choose between standing up and continuing their lives or reminding themselves of the difficulties and hardships that they have been through in their childhood.
Therapy, counseling, and support groups are essentials when you realize that you’re overwhelmed with your past, to unleash your emotions, to build resilience, and to reclaim your sense of safety and well-being.