Many people experience a variety of traumatic events and experiences throughout their lives and experiencing trauma at any point can have a profound impact on an individual’s mental and physical well-being. Developmental trauma is trauma that occurs when you’re a child, specifically before full language capabilities have developed (1).
Recalling and processing these memories can be dangerous, so it’s common for people to disassociate from them to make sure the memories aren’t pieced together. Doing this can result in issues with controlling emotions, concentrating, managing anger, and socializing. It can also cause somatic problems and issues with affect and exploration (1).
This means that when the trauma occurs, the child cannot properly communicate their feelings or experiences related to it, which leads to developmental issues throughout childhood and often in adulthood. These issues may not be able to be properly evaluated due to the inability of the person to properly recall what happened after failing to communicate it or properly cope with it when younger (1). Dealing with this later in life requires therapy and persistence.
Due to the developmental and emotional impact trauma has on children who experience it, the related issues often follow them into adulthood. This is particularly true for children who were never exposed to proper social relationships and caregiving following their traumatic experiences. It can be quite challenging to understand how to deal with childhood trauma as an adult and it can take a lot of time and dedication to work through.
The long-term effects these experiences may have on adults can depend on the frequency of trauma experienced and the age at which it was experienced. Studies have shown that the earlier in life the trauma was experienced, the greater the impact it is likely to have on psychological functioning and health in adulthood (2, 3).
Many adults who have experienced childhood trauma end up with PTSD symptoms such as dissociation and dysregulation. Attachment security issues are also a common struggle for adults who experienced trauma as children (2). These adults may also struggle with mental health issues later in life, have poor physical health, and feel as if their lives lack meaning (3).
Disclaimer: If you are experiencing any mental health conditions, including PTSD, please consult a mental health specialist.
Developmental trauma affects every area of the way a child develops and functions. The 7 domains of impairment related to developmental trauma are attachment, biology, emotional regulation, dissociation, behavioral control, cognitive processes, and self-concept (4, 5).
This domain focuses on the way bonds are formed with caregivers and the development of a sense of security. When attachment formation is disrupted or difficult, there will likely be issues with trust and fear of abandonment in current and future relationships.
When high levels of stress and abuse occur early in life, this can lead to dysfunction in the brain, or a change in neurobiology, which may have long-term effects on health and quality of life later on. This happens due to the triggering of the fight-or-flight response on a regular basis, which causes excessive release of corticosteroids that cannot be seen or controlled (6).
Due to trauma causing intense feelings that often can’t be dealt with, this can lead to issues with being able to identify, manage, and express emotions in the appropriate ways. Regulating emotions also becomes challenging.
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When trauma is experienced, a person often mentally disconnects from the moment they’re in as a way of coping with it. When this happens, they tend to feel detached from their surroundings and often even from themselves (5). This can make a person unable to recall old memories and form new ones, and challenge their ability to learn and assimilate new information (4)
Behaving in appropriate ways can be challenging for people with childhood trauma. It may be difficult to control impulses and they may be aggressive at times or harm themselves. This is most likely due to neurobiological changes that have occurred as a result of the trauma.
This includes multiple aspects of brain functioning such as memory, attention, concentration, and problem-solving. Issues occur in these areas due to the cognition-related brain areas being impacted by the early-life stress of trauma. Most commonly, the hippocampus (which is responsible for making and storing memories) is impacted (1).
Read more: Trauma Release Therapy: What It Is, Types, and Getting Started
Developmental trauma and complex trauma are both traumas of an interpersonal nature, but they have different origins, and the way that they manifest and the contexts in which they occur are different. Complex trauma occurs when there is prolonged or repeated exposure to trauma that occurs during crucial developmental windows. This can be during early childhood or adolescence (8).
Complex trauma can have long-lasting and detrimental effects on a person’s mental and physical health, but it doesn’t impact the actual development of the person as much. Complex trauma tends to result in issues with biopsychosocial self-regulation due to having people intentionally cause them physical and/or emotional harm from which they cannot escape. This is likely to cause constant worry and insecurity throughout their life (8).
Essentially, complex trauma causes a lot of emotional scarring and makes it difficult for people who have experienced it to trust that other people can have good intentions, as the common ‘social contract’ most humans have has been broken in their experience.
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Developmental trauma is a type of complex trauma that occurs during childhood and impacts the developmental trajectories of individuals due to the fact that it tends to remain unresolved trauma. While they may have social issues and not trust people, they also tend to struggle with biological, cognitive, emotional, and spiritual development. Their self-esteem and feelings of being wanted and cared for by others can struggle significantly too (9)
Developmental trauma is the result of being exposed to life-threatening events that take place when they’re infants or children. Unlike complex trauma, developmental trauma symptoms are unlikely to occur if this exposure is only present during adolescence. This is because at that point, attachments have already been formed and early developmental stages have already passed (9).
Read more: 8 Childhood Traumas: Recognizing the Signs and Finding Healing
Developmental trauma is held onto by the nervous system as this is a natural stress response. Intense and prolonged stress can impact the way a person’s nervous system functions because the body tries to protect itself. The way a person with developmental trauma responds to future stress may seem odd and excessive to others. As the trauma is so heavily rooted within the nervous system, one of the best ways to release it is by engaging in treatments that calm and heal the nervous system (10).
Somatic symptoms are common in people with developmental trauma and because of this, engaging in activities such as somatic massage, stretching, and exercise (such as somatic yoga and somatic dance) can be quite helpful. All of these treatments are meant to soothe the nervous system and encourage the release of trauma and potentially built-up emotions that are being held within the body. This can be just one of the ways to work toward overcoming childhood trauma.
Developmental trauma is trauma that occurs as a result of being exposed to adverse experiences during crucial developmental windows as an infant or child. These two types of trauma are related as they both have some of the same side effects or symptoms, but they’re not the same. Developmental trauma is the result of prolonged or repeated exposure to trauma and shock trauma is a type of acute trauma that is a result of exposure to a single traumatic and shocking event or experience. The three types of trauma are complex trauma, acute trauma, and chronic trauma. People with developmental trauma typically have PTSD, but it is not specific to developmental trauma. Disclaimer: If you are experiencing any mental health conditions, including PTSD, please consult a mental health specialist.Frequently Asked Questions
What is developmental trauma?
Is developmental trauma the same as shock trauma?
What are the three types of trauma?
Is developmental trauma disorder another name for PTSD?
Many adults who have faced adversity in childhood show remarkable resilience, yet experiences such as abuse or other challenges during early years can have long-term effects. These past experiences may contribute to difficulties with emotional regulation, behavior, problem-solving, self-esteem, and other aspects of life.
As this type of trauma has such a profound impact on the nervous system and general development, working through it as a child is almost impossible, and trying to work through it as an adult is challenging in many ways. By utilizing different somatic treatments and other therapies, adults may be able to slowly cope with the long-term effects of developmental trauma.
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