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In an ideal world, when you look back on your childhood, your formative years are full of fond memories. Yet in reality, this isn’t always the case. Even if you grew up in a loving, supportive home, you still may have encountered experiences that caused childhood trauma in your life. Unless it’s properly addressed, this trauma can linger well into adulthood, negatively impacting your life—even leading to addiction and mental health disorders. 

What is Childhood Trauma?

So exactly what is childhood trauma? Northwestern University defines childhood trauma as a scary, dangerous, violent, or life threatening event that happens when you’re considered a child, from ages zero to 18. In this experience, the traumatic event can happen directly to you, or you could experience childhood trauma as a result of witnessing the event happen to someone else. At the moment of trauma, it’s common for children to feel helpless, overwhelmed, or upset. However, the experience of trauma affects everyone differently; therefore, what is considered childhood trauma for some may not be traumatic for others

Once the traumatic event subsides, its effects can persist long afterwards, shares The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). Some of the signs of childhood trauma that children may continue to feel include:

  • Fear, terror, or helplessness
  • Pounding chest
  • Loss of bowel or bladder control
  • Vomiting
  • Feeling overwhelmed by their responses

The Fallout: Childhood Traumatic Stress

Over time, reactions to childhood trauma that persist in your day-to-day life as a kid can lead you to develop childhood traumatic stress. Ongoing reactions associated with childhood traumatic stress can range from nightmares, anxiety, and depressive symptoms to skills regression, academic challenges, and behavioral changes. 

These reactions can arise especially when you encounter something that reminds you of the initial traumatic event in your past. And if this traumatic stress isn’t addressed, your repeated exposure to trauma can impact your development, leading to problems further down the road. 

Events That Cause Childhood Trauma 

Childhood trauma can happen to anyone, at any age, and at any time. Even if your parents did everything they could to protect you, childhood trauma can still arise from events outside of your parents’ control. Trauma can happen at school, in foster care, at church, or in public, and typically involves a person who’s in power over the child. So what specific events and experiences from your childhood can produce trauma? Examples of events that might cause childhood trauma include: 

  • Physical abuse
  • Sexual abuse
  • Psychological abuse
  • Neglect
  • Witnessing violence in the family or in the community
  • Severe or chronic illness
  • Natural disasters
  • War
  • Crime
  • Bullying
  • Severe accidents
  • Discrimination or racism
  • The sudden loss of a loved one

Childhood Trauma in Adults

Many of the traumatic events listed above are what the mental health community calls adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 64% of adults in the United States report that they experienced at least one ACE while growing up. 

When ACEs happen to you, they can leave their mark well into adulthood, affecting your health and your daily life. In fact, the more ACEs you have in your history (also known as your ACEs score), the more likely you are to have negative physical and mental health outcomes as an adult, shares the University of Rochester. This is especially true when the childhood trauma from these experiences is left untreated. With that said, some of these negative outcomes associated with childhood trauma in adults include:

A Victim Mindset

When you experience trauma as a child, you are very much the victim in the situation. Yet the lingering effects of childhood trauma can cause you to carry that victimhood mentality into adulthood. Consequently, you may believe that you lack self-agency and self-control, struggling with negative self-talk as you navigate life. With this self-defeating mindset, you may have low self-esteem and lack confidence in your work, decisions, and relationships. 

Unhealthy Attachments

Childhood trauma can prevent you from forming the healthy, secure attachments you needed in your formative years. This can cause you to develop harmful, unstable relationships (or struggle to build relationships at all) as an adult. You may distrust others and resist intimacy to protect yourself from rejection, or you can become clingy and insecure, leading to unhealthy codependency. 

Substance Abuse and Addiction

The effects of childhood trauma in adults can cause poor emotional regulation skills throughout life. This means you have a hard time managing negative emotions and stress. When these difficult feelings arise, it’s easy to seek out the things that feel good as a way to cope, such as drugs, alcohol, sex, or food. Over time, however, you can develop a dependency on these feel-good coping mechanisms, leading to a full-blown addiction. 

Find Freedom and Reclaim Your Life at Sana at Stowe

If you’re experiencing the impact of childhood trauma in adulthood, you may be wondering what to do next. Perhaps you’re even struggling with substance abuse as a result. If this is the case, know that you can break free from the grip of both trauma and addiction—with the right professional help.

At Sana at Stowe, we utilize trauma-informed care to treat substance use disorders and trauma simultaneously, equipping you to achieve long-term healing. To learn more about our world-class addiction treatment in New England, contact us today