Early Childhood Trauma

When I was five years old, my mom told me that there were some children who didn’t have moms. I was shocked, and told my mother frankly that I’d be their mom. Caring for children with early trauma has been the driving passion of my life. When I was six and again when I was eight, my parents adopted children from Vietnam. Having siblings who were born and orphaned in another country put a very personal face for me on human rights and child welfare issues around the world. I’ve spent the last four years working for the International Foster Care program at Catholic Charities Fort

Even though research proves that childhood traumas are buried and/or have the ineffectiveness of being buried, memories serve as a trigger for trauma. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Dissociative Disorder (DD) greatly explains why Ned acts the way he does. For instance, Ned struggles with figuring out who he is as person currently. He is the son of a photographer and is an awkward teen that is a runner. The night when Greg and Ned met Brys, the druid, and Cadell in the middle of road, it hinted at the type of disorder Ned faces. Brys was annoyed with Greg’s unfiltered mouth, and snapped him back onto the concrete. Ned’s reaction to this action took place instantly. Ned automatically switched into a different emotional state he had

& Li, 2001). With the brain developing at its fastest rate in childhood, it is especially

“American Psychiatric Association defines trauma as an event that represents a threat to life or personal integrity. Trauma can also be experienced when children are faced with a caregiver who acts erratically, emotional and /or physical neglect, and exploitation” (Maltby, L., & Hall, T. 2012. p. 304). Trauma comes in many different forms including: war, rape, kidnapping, abuse, sudden injury, and

It is clear that Mr. Martinez has experienced a significant number of traumatic events in his lifetime. The repeated abuse as a child coupled with the trauma he experienced as an adult would most certainly make Mr. Martinez susceptible to Complex PTSD. Although this synopsis doesn't detail Martinez's response to the traumas I assume that the events in his early childhood would have instilled feelings of fear and helplessness. I believe he would have had similar feelings from the combat-related trauma, torture by law enforcement, and the experience of being on death row. It is likely that the PTSD lead Martinez to commit acts that lead to his incarceration.

Family violence is always disheartening. Childhood sexual abuse is by far the worse. There are many forms of childhood sexual abuse. The sexual abuse can involve seduction by a beloved relative or it can be a violent act committed by a stranger. Childhood sexual trauma causes psychological, interpersonal, and behavioral. This paper will show a first account of the impact of childhood trauma.

There are many types of trauma that people experience everyday in our world. People can do awful things to each other, including violence, abuse, and neglect. Accidents happen that leave us feeling distressed. Some threaten our sense of safety and connection. These are all experiences that take time to heal and recover from. We must find a way to reconcile the life we had before it happened and the life as we know it after a tragic event. The pain of the memories alone can be devastating. It takes time and support to find a sense of self again, to feel safe in the world again. But what if the trauma happened before life ever really began? Is there any lasting effect on a person that was merely an infant when the trauma was experienced?

A trauma from a childhood experience will definitely affects a child as they mature into adulthood. Prime examples of this argument could be superheroes. Spider-Man was affected as a child because he lost both of his parents at young age. When Peter Parker was in high school, his Uncle Ben, who was the closest father figure he had, was murdered. While conducting further research, I discovered that while Peter Parker was talking to a young boy who had been molested by an older man, Spider-Man revealed that the same thing happened to him.

Traumatic experiences are a reality in this world, a reality most of the world want to turn their eyes away from and act as if it does not exist; unfortunately, victims of childhood trauma aren’t so lucky. Childhood trauma, massively increases health risk while lowering life expectancy, however, many forms of abuse remain undocumented. Neglect along with emotional, physical, and sexual abuse continue to haunt victims throughout life. Exposure to trauma permanently changes the bodies physiology which in return may cause anxiety, distress, dependency, insomnia, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Issues of childhood trauma can and should be prevented in correlation with an increase of awareness.

Implications for Early Childhood Professionals: Research suggests that early childhood educators play important roles in the healing process for young children exposed to violence (Cohen and Knitzer, 2004, p. 52). Educators may be the first person in a child’s life to recognize signs of trauma or they may find out from a parent through disclosure (should we define this?). There are many strategies that educators can implement in early care and education centers that may help children who have experienced trauma. One strategy for teachers is to create a compassionate, nurturing environment through positive guidance, experiences that promote self-esteem and building positive relationships (Cohen and Knitzer, 2004. p. 56). Educators can also provide

Constant re-exposure to a traumatic event is a contributor to drug use; however, research by Giordano, Ohlsson, Kendler, Sundquist & Sundquist (2011) hypothesized that “second-hand experiences of trauma during childhood are also capable of evoking emotional stress and therefore, have the potential to affect later drug use” (p. 1120). Second-hand experiences where defined at a parent or sibling being assaulted, suffering from a severe disability or even dying. After completion of this longitudinal study, it was found that children who were exposed to second-hand trauma used drugs beginning during their young adult years of 15-26. Young adults between the ages of 15-26 were twice the risk of developing a drug use disorder than those who did

(CITE) As many may know, trauma is an experience and it is the brain that mediates all emotional, cognitive, behavioral, social, and physiological functioning. Furthermore, the human brain from which the human mind arises and within that mind resides our humanity. Understanding the organization, function, and development of the human brain, and brain-mediated responses to threat, provides the keys to understanding the traumatized child. (CITE) Deprivation of critical experiences during development may be the most destructive yet least understood area of child maltreatment. Traumatic situations create a different emotional challenge for school-age children. They are learning to differentiate and manage difficult emotions (Nctsn.org,

Despite the negative findings about trauma in children there is some positive findings as well. Findings show that teachers can play an important role and help alter the learning process on childhood trauma victims by understanding the signs being presented, helping and taking action with the broken students within the class, and bring to mind outside professionals as needed.

In TERM, Marcus gradually increased his participation and is now occasionally leading the group. Marcus has shared his traumatic childhood experiences. Marcus explored his relationship with family members and discussed forgiveness. Marcus has been engaged in discussions and provided feedback to group

The genesis to almost all sexual addiction is the trauma most children face at an early age. This traumatic situation includes neglect, sexual or emotional abuse, pressured to engage in sexual activity against one’s will, inappropriate touching, and being abandoned. This often alter how a child perceive themselves, relationships, needs, and sexuality. In retrospect, traumatic experiences impair one’s ability to differentiate from healthy to unhealthy interpersonal relationships, thereby, increasing one’s susceptibility to sexual addiction. Sex becomes confused with comforting and nurturing. Moreover, there is the perceived assumption by the individual that everyone feels and act the same way. Therefore, to feel secure mean to be sexual