Unfortunately, childhood trauma is a common occurrence. Studies show that more than two-thirds of children will experience a significant traumatic event by the time they hit 16 years of age. Because our brains are still developing when we’re children, the damage from traumatic events can have long-lasting and lingering effects on every aspect of a person’s development.
Many people silently suffer through their emotional and psychological trauma. Often people go through their lives unaware that the traumatic stress is affecting their actions because the symptoms of traumatic experience present themselves in a number of different ways.
There is hope, however. Counselling services from a mental health professional can help you process and deal with psychological and emotional trauma. Even if you’ve carried the psychological trauma into your adulthood, working with a mental health professional can equip you with coping strategies and techniques to appropriately manage and deal with the physical and emotional reactions caused by early childhood trauma.
What can lead to unresolved childhood trauma?
Childhood trauma stems from any damaging, violent, or frightening event that threatens a child’s life or physical body. It can also be caused by witnessing a violent or traumatic event happen to a family member or loved one. These can be one time events or prolonged exposure to childhood neglect, abandonment, abuse, domestic violence, or other factors.
Every child’s experience is different. What is a traumatic event for one person that causes them to develop ptsd, might not register on another. But a traumatic experience can cause strong emotional and behavioral changes that persist for years or even decades after the event if left untreated. Some of the risk factors that can lead to mental disorders as an adult are:
- Child abuse
- Physical abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Neglect
- Abandonment
- Psychological abuse
- Witnessing family violence
- Violence at school
- Institutional racism
- Parent’s who struggle with addiction
- The unexpected loss of a loved one
- Refugee experience
- Life threatening events
- National disasters or a terrorist attack
- Major car accident
What are the signs that someone is dealing with childhood trauma?
Because the effects of traumatic events vary from person to person, the signs of traumatic stress reactions also differ. There are, however, some universal signs and symptoms to be on the lookout for either in your children or your own life.
Signs and symptoms that traumatic experiences are affecting us can present in three different categories – emotional, physical, and behavioral. Sometimes we might experience issues in just one area or in many different areas combined.
It’s important to speak with a mental health professional if you feel like you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms to discern if these behaviors are being caused by past childhood traumas or traumatic events.
Emotional symptoms that can present after childhood trauma:
- Persistent anxiety
- Frequent or specific panic attacks
- Undirected anger
- Shame
- Depression
- Finding yourself easily triggered emotionally
- Difficulty with emotional regulation
- Mood swings
- Strong emotions
Physical symptoms that can present after childhood trauma:
- Frequent physical illness
- Eating disorders
- Lack of energy
- Inability to sleep regularly
- Not being able to concentrate
- Persistent shaking
- Chronic pain
Behavioral symptoms that can present after childhood trauma:
- Radical shifts in regular patterns of behavior
- Avoiding specific people, places, or objects
- Poor boundaries with other people
- Hyperactivity
- Isolation from family, friends, and work colleagues
- Co-dependency in relationships
- Impulsiveness
- Changes in work/academic performance
How do adverse childhood experiences play out in our adult lives?
Many of us carry our childhood trauma into our adult years. Left unchecked, it impacts our experiences and relationships with loved ones and family members, limiting the fullness of our lives. This isn’t to say that you can’t still enjoy your life, but we can end up closing off parts of ourselves without even realizing it due to our past trauma.
Often, those who have suffered a traumatic childhood event feel disconnected, struggle to form relationships or have unhealthy relationships with those around them.
Studies show that common reactions in adult trauma survivors are anxiety, depression, and anger. These adults can also experience lasting negative effects on their physical health and well-being. There’s an increased likelihood of depression, cancer, heart disease, and suicide.
How Tom Burton Counselling helps you with childhood trauma?
Depending on the diagnosis, freeing oneself from the effects of childhood trauma can involve different types of therapy. I believe that mental health services are a collaborative process between the patient and therapist, and so I adapt the therapy to your subjective emotional experience. I’m here to help guide you as you explore the lingering effects, thoughts, and behaviors that have emerged in your life due to past child traumatic stress.
I practice Clinical Transactional Analysis therapy as well as other approaches and styles as needed to best help you through your experienced trauma. Sometimes this can require you to remove protective walls you’ve developed as coping strategies. The goal of our therapy is not to change who you are, but to free you from the physical and emotional reactions caused by dealing with complex trauma.
I will help you discover and understand the sources of your emotions, and I will help you develop new coping strategies for processing your feelings. I offer a range of mental health services to help you prioritize caring for your own health. My goal as a therapist and counselor is to enable you to be more open, creative, playful, and trusting in your daily life.
There’s hope!
Overcoming childhood trauma as an adult is completely possible with the help and guidance from psychotherapy and counselling. The first step on your path to healing is locating the right therapist to help you navigate through your trauma.
Please note, Tom Burton Counselling does not provide counselling services for children.
However, Tom does accept adult patients who need help dealing with the effects of childhood trauma in their lives. If you feel that a past traumatic event is causing you to experience a loss of physical health, significant distress, stress disorder, or any other signs of traumatic stress, please call today. Let’s get started getting free from the scripts these past child experiences have created for your life, please get in touch today.
Is Childhood Trauma Holding you Back in Life?
What is Childhood Trauma, and What Can I do About it?
Can I Still be Dealign with Childhood Trauma as an Adult?
Do Adults Still Deal with the Effects of Childhood Trauma?
How Common is Childhood Trauma, and Can I do Anything About it?
Seeking Therapy to Help Deal with the Effects of Childhood Trauma
Why You Should Seek Professional Counselling if You Suspect You’re Suffering from Childhood Trauma
Unfortunately, childhood trauma is a common occurrence. Studies show that more than two-thirds of children will experience a significant traumatic event by the time they hit 16 years of age. Because our brains are still developing when we’re children, the damage from the experienced trauma can have long-lasting effects on every aspect of a person’s development.
Many people silently suffer through the effects of these childhood traumas. Often people go through their lives unaware that the trauma is affecting their actions because the effects of childhood trauma present themselves in a number of different ways.
There is hope, however. Counselling services from a licensed therapist can help you process and deal with suspected trauma. Even if you’ve carried the trauma into your adulthood, a professional therapist can help you learn coping mechanisms and techniques to appropriately manage and deal with the symptoms and the cause of the trauma.
What can lead to childhood trauma?
Childhood trauma stems from any damaging, violent, or frightening event that threatens a child’s life or physical body. It can also be caused by witnessing a violent or traumatic event happen to a family member or loved one.
Every child’s experience is different. What can leave lasting damage on one person, might not register on another. But these traumatic experiences cause strong emotional and behavioral changes that persist for years or even decades after the event if left untreated.
- Assault
- Neglect
- Physical, sexual, or psychological abuse
- Witnessing family violence
- Violence at school
- Institutional racism
- Parent’s who struggle with addiction
- The unexpected loss of a loved one
- Refugee experience
- Life-threatening illnesses
- National disasters or terrorism
What are the signs that someone is dealing with childhood trauma?
Because the effects of traumatic events vary from person to person, their signs and symptoms also differ. There are, however, some universal signs to be on the lookout for either in your children or your own life.
Signs that trauma is affecting us can present in three different categories – emotional, physical, and behavioral. Sometimes we might experience issues in just one area or in many different areas combined.
It’s important to speak with a qualified professional therapist if you feel like you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms to discern if these behaviors are being caused by past childhood traumas or something else.
Emotional symptoms that can present after trauma:
- Persistent anxiety
- Frequent or specific panic attacks
- Undirected anger
- Shame
- Depression
- Finding yourself easily triggered emotionally
Physical symptoms that can present after trauma:
- Frequent physical illness
- Eating disorders
- Lack of energy
- Inability to sleep regularly
- Not being able to concentrate
- Persistent shaking
Behavioral symptoms that can present after trauma
- Radical shifts in regular patterns of behavior
- Avoiding specific people, places, or objects
- Poor boundaries with other people
- Hyperactivity
- Isolation from family, friends, and work colleagues
- Co-dependency in relationships
- Impulsiveness
- Changes in work/academic performance
How does childhood trauma play out in our adult lives?
Many of us carry our trauma into our adult years. Left unchecked, it impacts our experiences and relationships with those closest to us, limiting the fullness of our lives. This isn’t to say that you can’t still enjoy your life, but we can end up closing off parts of ourselves without even realizing it due to our past trauma.
Often, those who have suffered a traumatic childhood event feel disconnected and unable to connect fully with those around them.
Studies show that adults who experienced trauma as children are more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, and anger. These adults can also experience lasting negative effects on their health and well-being. There’s an increased likelihood of cancer, heart disease, and suicide.
How Tom Burton Counselling helps you with childhood trauma
Depending on the diagnosis, freeing oneself from the effects of childhood trauma can involve different types of therapy. I believe that counselling is a collaborative process between the patient and therapist, and so we adapt our therapy services to your unique needs. I’m here to help guide you as you explore the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors that have emerged in your life due to past trauma.
We practice Clinical Transactional Analysis therapy as well as other approaches and styles as needed to best help you through the trauma you’ve experienced. Sometimes this can require you to remove protective walls you’ve developed to help you cope. The goal of our therapy is not to change who you are, but to allow the best of you out.
I will help you discover and understand the sources of your emotions, and I will help you develop new strategies for processing your feelings. My goal as a therapist and counselor is to enable you to be more open, creative, playful, and trusting in the present.
There’s hope!
Overcoming childhood trauma as an adult is completely possible with the help and guidance of a trained professional therapist or counselor. The first step on your path to healing is locating the right therapist to help you navigate through your trauma.
Please note, at Tom Burton Counselling, we do not provide counselling services for children.
However, we do accept adult patients who need help dealing with the effects of childhood trauma in their lives. If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms above and would like to get started getting free from the scripts these past traumas have created for your life, please get in touch with us today.