Experiencing trauma, especially in childhood, can have long-lasting effects that may not show up until much later in life. Trauma disrupts normal development and can impact the brain and body in ways that persist for decades. Even after the traumatic event is over, survivors may struggle with upsetting memories, emotions, and physical symptoms that are reminders of the past trauma.
What is trauma?
Trauma refers to any disturbing or distressing event that overwhelms a person’s ability to cope and leaves them with lasting psychological and physiological effects. Trauma can occur from a single event, like a serious accident, violence, or natural disaster. It can also stem from ongoing or repetitive stressful events like neglect, abuse, war, or community violence.
Not all potentially traumatic events lead to lasting trauma. The impact depends on factors like the age when it occurred, whether it was repeated, the support received afterwards, and an individual’s inherent resilience. The more adverse events endured – especially when young – the greater the risk for long-term problems.
How does trauma rewire the brain?
Trauma, especially in childhood, literally changes the structure and function of the developing brain in ways that can persist into adulthood. Here are some key ways trauma impacts the brain:
- The amygdala, involved in detecting threats and emotional responses, becomes overreactive leading to greater anxiety, fear, and dysregulation.
- The hippocampus, related to learning and memory, is weakened impacting recall and explicit memory.
- The prefrontal cortex, responsible for complex thinking, decision-making and regulating emotions, is underdeveloped leading to poorer cognitive and self-control abilities.
- The brain’s Reward System is disrupted increasing susceptibility to addiction and risky behaviors to compensate.
- Neurotransmitters like cortisol, norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin are dysregulated throwing stress response and mood out of balance.
- Neural connections are lost while pathways for fear and survival strengthen, making it hard to feel safe and trust.
These brain changes undermine healthy development and can manifest in emotional, behavioral, cognitive, social, and physical problems down the road.
How does early trauma impact health?
Ongoing or unresolved trauma, especially when young, acts as a chronic stressor on the body and mind. This puts survivors at higher lifetime risk for:
- Mental health issues: PTSD, depression, anxiety disorders, dissociation, self-harm, suicidal thoughts.
- Addiction: Alcohol, drugs, eating disorders, as attempt to cope with distress.
- Physical health problems: Chronic fatigue, pain, headaches, gastrointestinal issues.
- Worse educational/employment outcomes: Lower achievement, higher dropout rates, underemployment.
- Relationship problems: Attachment issues, low self-worth, isolation, difficulty with intimacy and trust.
- Risky behaviors: Reckless sexual behavior, delinquency, repeat victimization.
When can trauma issues emerge?
The effects of trauma often appear immediately but many issues can stay hidden for years only to resurface later when new triggers or life challenges arise. Here is when trauma symptoms may first become noticeable:
- Childhood: Behavioral problems, difficulties focusing, lowered performance at school, frequent headaches/stomachaches.
- Adolescence: Engaging in high risk behaviors like substance abuse, delinquency, self-harm.
- Young adulthood: Problems with depression/anxiety, relationship struggles, health complaints.
- Midlife: Increased mental health challenges, chronic disease, work problems, parenting difficulties.
- Senior years: Worsened mental and physical health, unresolved feelings resurfacing.
Why do past traumas reemerge later in life?
There are several reasons why the impacts of trauma may resurface well after the events occurred:
- New adult challenges like career, relationships, parenting can trigger old trauma.
- Physical brain changes from early trauma persist making trauma responses chronic.
- Coping mechanisms that once worked like avoidance or suppression fail later in life.
- Midlife brain changes can reduce one’s ability to regulate emotions.
- Aging leads to lowered cognitive function and less natural resilience.
- New losses or life changes in older age like retirement or illness reawaken old trauma.
Examples of how childhood trauma manifests later
Some examples of how untreated childhood trauma can continue affecting adults include:
- A man who grew up with critical, perfectionist parents has chronic workaholism and is overly critical himself.
- A woman who endured emotional neglect as a child struggles to maintain close friendships.
- Someone who was bullied or ostracized becomes hypersensitive to rejection.
- A survivor of physical abuse regularly freezes up when touched unexpectedly.
- A person who lost a parent young avoids meaningful romantic connections.
- Someone raised by alcoholics gravitates toward partners who drink too much.
- An adult who grew up in poverty and scarcity compulsively overspends and hoards money/possessions.
Can trauma be resolved later in life?
The good news is trauma can be healed at any age, even decades after events occurred. With awareness and the right support people can understand their trauma responses, grieve past wounds, release old patterns, and regain a sense of safety in their bodies and lives. Ongoing neuroplasticity of the brain also allows for new neural connections and healthier wiring to develop through the right interventions.
Some ways trauma can be successfully addressed later include:
- Psychotherapy: Talk therapies like CBT, EMDR can reprocess traumas.
- Mind-body practices: Yoga, meditation, somatic therapy release stored tension.
- Expressive arts: Art, music, dance, writing allow emotional release.
- Support groups: Connecting with fellow survivors reduces isolation.
- Relational healing: Establishing healthy intimate relationships creates safety.
- Brain-training: Neurofeedback, biofeedback stimulate neural integration.
- Medication: Anti-depressants, anti-anxiety meds help stabilize mood.
With dedication and courage to face the past, as well as support, adults can overcome childhood trauma and gain greater wellbeing and inner peace.
When to seek help
It’s important to seek professional help for trauma-related issues or symptoms that:
- Are worsening or not improving over time.
- Are causing problems at work, straining relationships.
- Making it difficult to cope with daily responsibilities.
- Involve high risk behaviors like addiction, self-harm.
- Involve ongoing physical/psychological abuse or unsafe situations.
- Feel emotionally or physically out of control.
A trained trauma-informed therapist can provide support, coping strategies, and help determine any treatment needed. Friends and family may mean well but are not equipped to properly treat PTSD or trauma’s effects. Seeking help is sign of courage to acknowledge the past and take steps to heal.
Conclusion
Trauma, especially recurring adverse events in childhood, can have devastating impacts on psychological and physical health that linger for decades if left unaddressed. Even survivors who outwardly seem to be coping well may struggle internally with unseen scars from past trauma. But while early trauma changes the brain and body profoundly, humans retain an extraordinary capacity for post-traumatic growth and healing at any age. With courage, support and proven therapies, adults can overcome childhood trauma and regain wholeness, resilience and inner peace.