![]() This reinforces the sense of persistent danger lurking. It is well known that those who suffer trauma live with an activated amygdala, which is experienced as a constant state of arousal. Faith in people and in continuing such a meaningless existence can fade leaving the child seemingly incurably despondent. This despair can lead to losing the sense that life has any meaning. Becoming Hopeless and Despairing About LifeĬhildren who have experienced chronic emotional trauma develop a sense of hopelessness that they will ever be understood. This often results in feeling vulnerable to becoming easily overwhelmed to feeling like “I’m breaking down”. Lacking this “ground” contributes to a feeling of powerlessness and even feeling inappropriate inside their own bodies. A Sense That There is No Ground and PowerlessnessĬhildren suffering from developmental trauma feel that they are lacking a foundation in this world. Indications of such toxic self-hatred may be the precursor to self-harm or even thoughts of suicide. The verbal cues may be any one of the following: “There is something wrong with me”, “Nothing that I ever do is good enough”, “I am bad”. The child may consistently express a sense of being defective in some way- being stupid, ugly, fat, disgusting or permanently flawed in some other way. The Warning Signs of Developmental Trauma 1. It is important for parents and mental health professionals to become familiar with the symptoms of developmental trauma if these children have any hope of leading normal lives. Because of the difficulty in identifying the emotional damage inflicted by alienation or emotional abandonment, children who suffer such wounds are often left bewildered and feeling confused by their pain.ĭespite the hidden nature of this epidemic, there is a growing body of research that has connected many psychological problems to these chronic emotional injuries endured in childhood. While it is fairly easy to recognize physical or sexual abuse, the devastating impact of having deficient or harmful parents can easily elude our awareness. ![]() ![]() Since the young child has no way to control the maltreatment and no hope of escape, these repeated experiences often traumatize the child.Ī child who is raised in the toxic environment of parental inconsistency, emotional abandonment, danger or unpredictability is left to suffer from “invisible trauma” that ensures both psychological and often neurological disruption. These cumulative experiences could involve verbal abuse, neglect or manipulation by a parent. It is known as developmental trauma or Complex PTSD.ĭevelopmental trauma is the result of seeming invisible childhood experiences of being mistreated or abused that have been repeated many times. What has been largely overlooked is the second type of trauma no less insidious, pervasive or real. For many years now, mental health professionals have focused primarily on the shock engendered by the trauma of extreme events such as those encountered in war, accidents or as a result of molestation.
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