Child Abuse & Neglect

Childhood Trauma can happen when we, or someone we care about, suffers harm or threat of harm. It could be physical or emotional, such as hearing a parent physically or emotionally harm the other.

Trauma can trigger us in a flash, like responding to a threatening hologram of a tiger that feels so real. It could cause sudden overwhelming anxiety, loss of the ability to think clearly, analyze or sense we are actually safe.

Emotional symptoms of childhood trauma can linger in adulthood as: shame, anxiety, depression, aggression, rage, impulsiveness, fear, poor boundaries, poor self-esteem, a sense of doom, shut down, being excessively controlling, etc.

Physical symptoms of trauma can include: intense anxiety, hyper-vigilance, racing heart, racing thoughts or sweaty palms. It could be an impulse to react as if your life depended on by activating your animal defenses.

Childhood Neglect is as harmful to a child’s emotional health as physical or emotional abuse. It is a failure to provide a child's age appropriate needs. The parent may be depressed, abusing substances, overwhelmed by daily life or indifferent to the child. Failure to provide enough safety, supervision or adequately meet the child’s emotional needs on an ongoing basis is neglect.