Childhood Trauma Its Impact on the People around Us
look to the events in the world that
surround you
school shootings capital invasions
police brutality
relevations of ongoing assault etc
externally we see trauma
look to the events in your life
relationships expectations
conflicts accidents and tragedies
internally we have trauma
dr timothy j legg reviewed an article
written by jane leonard
which defines psychological trauma as
the response to an event a person
finds highly stressful further this
article lists
three types of trauma the first is acute
which is resulting from a single
stressful event
the second is chronic which is repeated
exposure
to multiple stressful events and the
last one is
complex trauma which is repeated and
prolonged exposure to multiple traumatic
events
what this tells me is trauma is
subjective
what is highly traumatic to one person
may be different from what is highly
traumatic to another
this meaning almost all of us have
experienced
some sort of traumatic childhood event
some more extreme than the next but we
can agree it’s something the community
around us
is talking about more for example
people are using social media to share
their own personal experiences
people who have a platform will explain
their concerns more
surrounding childhood trauma further
childhood trauma
affects not only the child but the
people around them
why is the topic of childhood trauma
more commonly discussed
now than in the past it isn’t more
common for children to be abused
now than say a hundred years ago so i
decided to find out more about trauma
specifically childhood trauma let’s
start at the beginning
the causes of trauma trauma can be
caused by psychological
physical or sexual abuse national
disasters
community or school violence
relationships sexual abuse
and serious illnesses
there are more causes than those i’ve
just listed and although all of these
circumstances can happen at any point in
time
it’s especially hard for children going
through them
i decided to start my research by
talking to friends and family
before conducting interviews i asked
whether or not
they had a traumatic childhood
experience
this first response being absolutely
my entire childhood was traumatic
she continued by giving me numerous
stories and examples of what happened
she stated my father’s best friend had
moved in with me and my family
he had rape and molested me my mother
called me a at the age of eight
she said it was my fault and that no one
would ever see us the same
she said we can’t kick him out because
everyone would know
my daughter was a virgin was no longer a
virgin
and a now
this abuse continued between her and the
so-called man
with her mother’s knowledge every day
it lasted for six months until she told
her father
after kicking the man out her father
forbade her from telling anyone
because you would never marry a good man
because you were no longer a virgin
sadly this is not the only abuse she
endured
after hearing her full story i was
emotional
aside from the obvious assault she
endured the reaction
of her parents was so troubling to me
the people that should have been
comforting and supporting her did quite
the opposite
how could a parent do such a thing to
their child
i talked to another person and heard his
stories about how he was homeless
at the age of 14. he said
i was at my lowest point and being that
young it affected me
i never asked anyone for anything ever
he said this man at the age of 14
had to eat out of dumpsters and sleep in
the park
his parents were divorced and his mother
didn’t care for him the way that she
should have
have i had a traumatic childhood
experience
for six years i had a teacher that used
to harass and assault me in class
he commonly pulled on my dresser’s skirt
punched my back or told me i was more
beautiful than the other girls in my
class
at the time i didn’t understand that
what he was doing was wrong
and thought it was completely normal
until in about third or fourth grade
the principal brought me into her office
and asked if he had touched me
i told her no covering up for him
i didn’t understand that him treating me
different than the rest of the kids
was abnormal and thought it’s what i
deserved for misbehaving
or for being the way that i was i was
different than the rest of the kids
and this is how i deserve to be treated
trauma in and of itself is traumatic
but trauma that is neglected or worsened
by loved ones
is what’s truly heartbreaking
yet when we take ourselves out of the
past and look at the stories
of these adults when they were children
we
can find hope the woman who was called a
at the age of eight graduated married
and had
four beautiful babies the gentleman i
interviewed had a daughter and succeeded
in life with a good job
a place to sleep and the ability to
support his loved ones
i found out that 92 percent of people
say
they’ve grown because of their childhood
trauma here’s what they say
i’m a better mom to my children because
of everything that happened to me
i’m a better mother and a person because
my mother wasn’t
and the number one thing i wanted most
was to make sure
my children didn’t see me the same way i
saw my mother the gentleman stated
my parents taught me what i didn’t want
to be in life
my hard work and ethic came from being
homeless
being homeless drove me to work harder
and do better
i personally feel i’m a more generous
and welcoming person because of
everything that’s happened to me
i’ve grown to love what life has offered
me and the people that matter to me
so if you are currently listening to
this talk and are struggling to move
past your own childhood trauma
know that it will get better from the
mouth of a person who overcame their
trauma
see yourself as a survivor because
that’s what you are
times are hard now but it will get
better and things will get easier
if you are currently listening to this
talk and know someone who is going
through their own trauma
support them and be there for them
if you are currently experiencing trauma
find help and talk to someone you trust
whether it’s a trusted adult or a
trained professional
get the help you deserve
we cannot simply avoid trauma
but as we look to the events in the
world that surround us
recognize and appreciate the trauma
find ways to remove yourself from
ongoing trauma and seek help to begin
the journey of overcoming it
help those around you without judgment
and recognize we are made of the best
and worst
experiences of our lives no one moment
is a permanent condition turn your
trauma
into triumph thank you