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Understanding Childhood Trauma and the Effects on Mental and Physical Well-being
Childhood is a time of growth, learning, and discovery. However, some children will experience trauma or adverse life events which can have lasting effects on their mental and physical health.
What is childhood trauma?
Childhood trauma refers to experiences that are highly stressful, frightening, dangerous, or overwhelming for a child. It can be a single event, like a serious accident, a natural disaster, or the loss of someone important. It can also be something that happens over time, like being treated badly, growing up in a stressful environment, being bullied or feeling unsafe for a long time.
Although trauma can often be a bad experience or set of experiences that happens to us, trauma can also be the good things that don’t happen to us like not being shown love and care from our parents.
Trauma isn’t just about what happens—it’s about how it affects you. Two people can go through the same thing, and one might find it traumatic while the other doesn’t. That’s because trauma is personal—it depends on how your brain and body react to the experience. Traumatic events during childhood can make a child or young person feel unsafe around other people and in the world, leading to long-term effects on their development and well-being.
What are Adverse Childhood Experiences?
Sometimes childhood trauma is referred to as adverse childhood experiences (ACE) which are a group of specific traumatic events that occur during childhood and can have a profound impact on a person's life. This may be a single or repeated event impacting the security, trust and feeling of safety that the child has.
Examples of ACE's include:
However, there are many more types of childhood adversity and traumas that are not included in the ACEs and can be just as detrimental to someone's mental health and well-being. These include bereavement, bullying, and poverty. In addition to these, there are community adversities such as living in a deprived area and neighbourhood violence.
Worryingly, the higher amount of these experiences someone has had, the higher the risk of them struggling with poor mental health and chronic physical health conditions later on in life. However, if you have experienced a high number of ACEs please know you are not 100% going to go on to experience these but it is important for you to get help for these experiences early on and work on healing from the impact these traumas have had on you and your life.
Impact of trauma
If you have faced trauma you may notice you experience:
Childhood trauma and ACEs can have significant effects on both mental and physical health. Individuals who have experienced trauma in childhood may be more likely to struggle with anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, or other mental health distress. Additionally, the stress and adversity associated with childhood trauma can increase the risk of chronic health issues such as heart disease, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders in adulthood. The impact of childhood trauma extends beyond emotional well-being, affecting physical health and overall quality of life.
Impact on the brain and nervous System
When individuals experience trauma, their bodies stress response, known as the fight, flight, freeze, flop response, is triggered . This can cause an increase of stress hormone levels like cortisol and adrenaline. Chronic stress and trauma in excess stress hormones being released which can result in changes to the brain's structure and function, particularly in areas related to emotional regulation, memory, and stress response. 3 of the main areas to be impacted are the prefrontal cortex, amygdala and hippocampus:
Additionally, trauma can affect the nervous system - in particular the autonomic nervous system. When the nervous system becomes dysregulated it can lead to symptoms such as chronic fatigue, poor memory, a weakened immune system, flashbacks, emotional instability, anxiety, depression, insomnia, poor concentration and more. Actively working on regulating your nervous system can be really helpful when experiencing these symptoms. See below on how to do this ...
Healing from childhood trauma
While the effects of childhood trauma can be profound, it's important to remember that healing is possible. Seeking support from trusted individuals, engaging in therapy or counselling, and practicing self-care strategies can help individuals process their experiences, build coping skills, and build resilience. By acknowledging the impact of childhood trauma and taking steps towards healing, individuals can work towards reclaiming their mental and physical well-being.
What types of therapy are best for people who have experienced childhood trauma?
When it comes to counselling and psychotherapy, there are a huge amount of different therapies, some provided on the NHS and some you can only get privately. Everyone is different and everyone's experiences are different so there is no single therapy or approach that works for everyone, including people who have experienced childhood trauma. However, there are specific therapies that have been shown to be more beneficial for people with these experiences rather than others.
On the NHS you will find the most common therapy provided is
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and although this can be beneficial for people to cope better with some struggles they may experience, it often doesn't do much for deep healing and processing the traumas you have experienced. Some better alternatives are:
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Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR is an approach that helps individuals process traumatic memories and experiences by using bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements or taps. This therapy aims to reduce the emotional distress associated with traumatic memories. This is another therapy that is available on the NHS.
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Internal Family Systems (IFS): IFS is a therapy approach that views the mind as a system of different parts, each with its own unique characteristics and motivations. The goal of IFS therapy is to help individuals understand and harmonise these internal parts to achieve greater self-awareness and healing. It views all our parts as good and helps us understand that the parts we often don't like and see as bad actually stem from a way of trying to protect ourselves. These parts may stem from trying to get our needs met when we have experienced childhood trauma, neglect or other adverse experiences. We then can learn to listen to what these parts are trying to communicate with us and become friends with them.
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Art Therapy: Art therapy involves using creative processes, such as drawing, painting, or sculpting, to help individuals explore their emotions, improve self-esteem, and promote personal growth. It can be particularly beneficial for individuals who may find it challenging to express themselves verbally.
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Somatic Therapy: Somatic therapy focuses on the mind-body connection and how emotional experiences can manifest in physical sensations and symptoms. This approach helps individuals become more aware of their bodily sensations and use them as a tool for healing and self-discovery. When children experience repeated trauma and stress this can lead to our nervous system getting stuck in our fight or flight response and so somatic movements and therapy can help regulate the nervous system. Trauma can also sometimes get trapped within the body and somatic therapy can help release this.
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Person-Centered Therapy: Also known as client-centered therapy, this approach emphasises the importance of the client's subjective experience and their ability to find solutions within themselves. The therapist provides a supportive and non-judgmental environment for the client to explore their feelings and experiences.
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Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT): TF-CBT is an adapted type of CBT for people who have experienced trauma. It combines cognitive-behavioral techniques with trauma-specific interventions to address trauma-related symptoms and improve overall well-being. TF-CBT aims to help individuals process traumatic experiences, manage emotions, and develop coping skills. It is effective in treating conditions like PTSD, anxiety, and depression. This is a common therapy provided on the NHS.
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Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT): CPT is a type of cognitive-behavioural therapy that is commonly used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It focuses on helping individuals challenge and change unhelpful beliefs and thoughts related to their traumatic experiences.
Apart from therapy what else can I do to help myself?
Work on regulating your nervous system using breathing exercises, meditation, regulate your sleep-wake cycle, grounding techniques, somatic movement exercises, spending time in nature, hugging loved ones you feel safe with and pets. Check out our coping techniques page.
Explore our additional resources below to learn more about trauma and how it impacts our health, relationships, beliefs etc. - Knowledge Is Power.
Avoid things that can raise your cortisol levels such as stress, horror/crime/violent TV and films, amusement parks, HITT workouts etc.
Show yourself compassion and kindness you have experienced things that you should have never and had to learn ways to survive. You are not broken and there is hope for healing. Be the person you needed as a child going through those experiences.
Conclusion
Understanding the impact of childhood trauma and adverse childhood experiences on mental and physical health is essential for healing and well-being. By recognising the effects of trauma, seeking support, and prioritising self-care, individuals can navigate their past experiences with compassion and resilience. Remember, you are not defined by your past, and there is hope for healing and growth on your journey towards emotional wellness.
Additional resources we recommend:
Books -
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'The Body Keeps The Score' by Bessel van der Kolk
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'The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and your children will be glad that you did)' by Philippa Perry
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'No Bad Parts' by Richard Scwartz
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'When The Body Says No' by Gabor Maté
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The Myth Of Normal by Gabor Maté
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'It Didn't Start With You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are And How To End The Cycle' by Mark Wolynn
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'Waking The Tiger' by Peter Levine
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The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog by Dr Bruce D. Perry and Maia Szalivitz
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'Boundaries: When To Say Yes, How To Say No To Take Control Of Your Life' by Dr Henry Cloud and John Townsend
Social Media Accounts -
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Dr. Nicole LePera:
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The Workout Witch:
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Dr Gabor Maté
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Dr Mariel Buqué
