Adverse Childhood Experiences & Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Repeated adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can change the body, brain, nervous system and ultimately an entire life. You may be incredibly resilient. The person with an easier life and more harmonious childhood may appear more resilient, but they have not been tested in the same ways. You may be an incredibly resourceful person — likewise, life has probably helped you hone these skills. You may be highly intelligent, empathic, kind or creative. You may feel very connected to your spiritual self. You may be navigating life from your heart and your smarts and yet wonder it’s not coming together for you. Trauma It’s a big word, trauma. We hear it most often when talking about returned service people who develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after experiencing the horrors of war. These people return from war and can’t sleep. They are triggered by flashbacks and memories, may be angry or hostile, and may have difficulty resuming loving relationships with partners and family. When communities are distressed after a natural disaster wipes out their homes and towns, it is easy to see this as unusual and to understand the grief. Often the phenomenon of communities pulling together is a saving grace for survivors and an important emotional resource as well. Complex PTSD Complex PTSD is less well understood. This relates to repeated abusive and traumatic situations, often during childhood. The child is unable to escape from an abusive or damaging family dynami...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Abuse Children and Teens Disorders Domestic Violence Family General Parenting Psychology PTSD Self-Esteem ACES bullying Child Abuse complex post-traumatic stress disorder cortisol Dissociation Fight or Flight Nervous Syst Source Type: news