{"id":2942,"date":"2022-06-01T07:13:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-31T21:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastfamilies\/?p=2942"},"modified":"2023-09-08T13:07:37","modified_gmt":"2023-09-08T03:07:37","slug":"childhood-trauma-understanding-and-healing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastfamilies\/childhood-trauma-understanding-and-healing\/","title":{"rendered":"Recognizing and Addressing Childhood Trauma: Signs, Impacts, and Healing Strategies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Leisa Pritchard \u2013 Psychologist<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ruby* was 6 when her parents bought her for counselling. Although Ruby was a bright child, they had concerns that she was falling behind her peers socially and emotionally and had some troubling behaviours. After an initial assessment it became clear that Ruby had experienced multiple traumatic events. Ruby had a heart condition that had led to many hospitalisations and medical procedures in her young life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is trauma?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trauma is an event that overwhelms the central nervous system impacting a person\u2019s ability to make sense of what has occurred. For children this may be an event that they have found frightening, difficult, or sad. Experiencing trauma may change the way a child remembers and reacts to reminders of the event. These reminders are often referred to as \u201ctriggers\u201d, as they fire up the \u201cbody\u2019s memory\u201d of the overwhelming stress response that occurred because of the traumatic event\/s. It can be helpful to think of it like our body getting stuck at the time the event occurred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When does trauma occur?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One way to understand the nature of trauma and its impacts on children is with the terms \u2018Big T\u2019 and \u2018Little t\u2019 trauma. \u2018Big T\u2019 trauma refers to life threatening events such as an accident, natural disasters, a single instance of significant sexual or physical abuse, the unexpected death of a parent, or even witnessing any of these things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Little t\u2019 trauma is recurring adverse experiences such as bullying, repeated medical procedures, exposure to substance abuse or domestic violence, or witnessing a significant world event. Repeated exposure to little \u201ct\u201d traumas can have a similar impact on a child to Big \u201cT\u201d traumas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important to understand that not every adverse event will traumatize a child. If the child perceives that they were able to escape the \u201cdanger\u201d they may be able to process the event in a healthy way. The first 1000 days of life and various points during adolescence have been identified as crucial developmental periods where a child is more prone to be adversely impacted by stressful life events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to her developmental stage, Ruby was not able to understand why she had to go through the pain of the medical procedures. Therefore, she couldn\u2019t make sense of her experiences. What is even more difficult is that her loving parents often had to restrain Ruby during the procedures. Although the actions of her parents and health professionals were necessary to keep her safe and healthy, Ruby\u2019s nervous system knew no difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the signs that my child is struggling with trauma?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n