Childhood trauma is a deeply distressing series of circumstances that can severely impact an individual’s mental health long after the event(s) occurred. These events could be physical abuse, neglect, sexual or emotional harm inflicted during childhood years.

Also included are challenges like witnessing violence happen or going through significant loss like a parent’s death or serious illness. These kinds of experiences have implications for brain development leading to cognitive deficits that manifest as issues regulating emotions appropriately with increased impulsivity levels; difficulty concentrating with memory retention problems with flashbacks triggered by reminders similarly associated with nightmares due to heightened anxiety levels resulting from constant vigilance feelings generated by unresolved past traumas. Undealt with childhood traumas only increase susceptibility to many mental health conditions such as substance abuse disorders among others in adulthood.

Thankfully though there are treatment options available such as Somatic Experiencing (SE), Trauma focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF CBT) and Eye Movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) which give individuals the chance to recover while leading healthy lives again without the trauma associated impairing their quality of life ever again.