Whenever we find ourselves in a struggle, it is natural to wonder what is the cause? If you are newly diagnosed with PTSD, or have had it for a long time, you may wonder what the initial cause was, if there was something in your childhood that happened to cause it or intensify it, and if there is something you can do to prevent it from happening again, intensifying, or happening to someone else that you love. The answer, as with most answers, is complicated. As a wise statistics professor often told me, correlation does not imply causation. There are many people who have a lot of childhood trauma and do not seem to have many PTSD symptoms, while there are some people who have one incident and suffer a great deal. Remember that we can look at studies, impact, and try and gain understanding, but there is so much more that goes into the human mind. We also cannot put blame on one simple thing. Most importantly, we cannot prevent traumatic things from happening completely. Everyone has difficult things happen in their lives. That is why good mental health care is so important. We can, however, find ways to deal better with the impact that we do face.
As a reminder for those that already know, and a definition for those that do not, PTSD stands for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Many people understand this to be something that is seen in those who have been harmed in war. However, trauma is not limited to war or the battlefield. So yes, the short answer is that childhood trauma can result in PTSD or PTSD like symptoms. The longer answer is more nuanced and has to do with a concept called ACES.
ACES
ACES stands for Adverse Childhood Experiences, or traumatic events that happen between birth and the age of 17. Such experiences can impact a child mentally, physically, and emotionally. What things qualify as ACES? These can be multifaceted. They can be the experiences of natural disasters, health issues, family emergencies or issues, abuse, assault, neglect, death and loss, divorce, witnessing an accident, having a parent leave for an extended time such as for work, deployment, or separation, homelessness, unrest in a community, bias or prejudice, lack of quality education, lack of food or housing security, or any number of other things that may cause a disparity. There are many reasons that a child may be at risk for ACES. Research shows that girls are more likely to be at risk for ACES than boys. Children from all backgrounds can be at risk for ACES, however there can be increased risks with financial instability, drug use, societal issues and instability, and family instability. When children show issues in school or social life, it is often correlated to ACES.
Childhood Trauma and Adulthood
Can a person’s childhood trauma show up in their adult mental health challenges? Of course. Much of what we struggle with is filtered by our childhood experiences. However, this does not mean that a person who had a difficult childhood cannot learn to manage and progress well. Getting good mental health treatment, which can include many different forms, helps people as they work to make sense of their childhood traumas and how it affects them today.
Therapeutic Approaches for Children
Trauma affects a child’s ability to feel safe. When a child experiences trauma, they have lost their ability to trust. Being able to gain the ability to trust is something that will be learned through time, patience, and different therapeutic approaches.
The therapeutic approach to helping children is very different from helping adults. It is also different depending on the age of the child. Working with a young child is very different than working with a teen. There are very different approaches, such as play therapy, sand tray therapy, art therapy, and other approaches that work well for young children. With teens, some do well with traditional talk therapy, while others are better suited to CBT or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Art-Based Therapies, Group Therapies, and other therapeutic methods to help address the traumatic experiences. As with any therapeutic method, the ability to build trust with the counselor and the client is essential. Additionally, some methods work really well with some children, while others work well with others. There may be some different trials before finding the right method for each person. It is important to assess how the trauma is affecting a child or a teens mood, behavior, or health and act accordingly. If a child is responding by shutting down and having depressive episodes, the method will be different than if a child is responding with anger outbursts.
Therapeutic Approaches for Adults
There are just as many different methods for adults. The most well-known method of therapy is traditional talk therapy. It is well-known for a reason. It can still be a strong and important method. Art therapy, music therapy, and other expressive methods are strong ways to help with trauma processing for adults just as they are for children. EMDR, or Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, has also been found to be a beneficial method of treatment. The most important thing about finding a treatment is figuring out the best treatment for you. Figuring out the coping skills that best help you as you are trying to find coping skills, ways to process the trauma that you went through as a child, and the behaviors that you see as an adult because of the trauma is a process that takes effort and dedication. You may have friends and family that tell you about something that worked for them. It is great to learn about different things that work for them, and those treatments may also work for you. However, it is important to remember that the therapy process is individualized. Just as a doctor may not prescribe a medication for you that they did for your family member, a therapeutic method may not be indicated for you as well. Your therapist may also know of another method or approach that may fit better than ones you have heard of before. You and your therapist are a team, and you can work together to find an approach or mix of approaches that can be the best way to help you move forward.
Conclusion
Childhood trauma is complicated and leaves lasting effects. Those effects can add to the mental health challenges that people face in adulthood, as well as challenges during childhood. Being aware of these challenges is important when looking at potential therapists, treatment methods, coping strategies, and ways of moving forward. If you are wondering about your own childhood experiences, if your trauma is affecting your life, or if the children in your life are dealing with the effects of childhood trauma, The Counseling Center can help. Give us a call, and we can match you with the right clinician for your needs.