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What is Developmental Trauma?

Sarika Singodia

A person struggling with developmental trauma works with a therapist

As we get older, we notice changes in ourselves. Maybe in your teens and twenties, you could stay up past midnight making memories with friends. Now, curling up in bed by 10 o’clock with a good book brings that same happy feeling. Some changes feel natural, but others can be confusing and unexpected. Maybe you’ve been diagnosed with a chronic illness, or no matter how hard you try, you just can’t seem to sleep. Perhaps you feel intense anger or sadness over something that “shouldn’t” bother you, and you don’t understand why it affects you so much.


What many people don’t realize is that experiences from childhood, especially difficult or traumatic ones, can continue to impact us as adults. Trauma can affect both the body and mind long after the event itself. When trauma happens early in life, it’s called developmental trauma because it occurs during the critical years when a child’s brain, nervous system, and sense of self are still developing.


What Causes Developmental Trauma?

Developmental trauma happens when a child experiences one or more traumatic events, or loses something critical to their development and well-being. This can even include trauma experienced as a baby or in the womb.


Some common causes include:

  • Abuse – emotional, physical, or sexual

  • Neglect – physical and/or emotional needs not being met

  • Loss of a loved one – losing a parent, being placed in foster care, parents divorcing, or a caregiver being incarcerated

  • Witnessing violence – in the home, community, or towards a loved one

  • Witnessing a loved-one’s struggles – growing up with a caregiver who struggled with mental illness, addiction, or serious health issues

  • Health issues – experiencing severe health issues or undergoing traumatic medical interventions

  • Bullying

  • Living in an unsafe environment – war, community violence, or natural disasters


Since children’s brains are still developing, trauma can have a lasting impact on emotions, relationships, and even physical health. It can lead to challenges with forming secure attachments, difficulty regulating emotions, struggles in school, low self-confidence, and feeling more fearful, angry, or disconnected than their peers. It’s also important to remember that every child is unique, and experiencing the same type of traumas can impact children differently. There are many factors in a child’s life that can influence how trauma affects them.


Some of these include: 

  • Age/stage of development

  • Ethnicity and culture

  • Previous traumas, including generational trauma

  • Access to food and shelter

  • Access to community resources, school, and healthcare  


How Developmental Trauma Impacts us as Adults

Sadly, the effects of developmental trauma don’t always disappear when childhood ends.  Many people don’t even realize that what they went through was traumatic, especially if it was their "normal."


Unresolved childhood trauma can show up in different ways, such as:

  • Difficulty trusting others 

  • Struggling to regulate strong emotions or feeling overwhelmed easily

  • Low self-esteem 

  • Fear of abandonment 

  • Trouble making friends or forming healthy relationships 

  • Struggling with saying “no” and recognizing your own needs

  • Physical symptoms like headaches, digestive issues, and a heightened stress response, or developing new health issues  

  • Perfectionism or people-pleasing 


Healing from Developmental Trauma

Though it may feel impossible, there are ways to heal from childhood wounds and build a greater sense of safety. Learning self-care, practicing self-compassion, and surrounding yourself with people who care about you are some ways to achieve this. Many people find that working with a trauma-informed therapist is a valuable part of this process. 


Here are some of the ways trauma-informed therapy can help: 

  • Help you recognize and acknowledge childhood traumas

  • Support you in grieving past losses

  • Teach skills to regulate and manage thoughts and emotions

  • Guide you in setting boundaries and building healthy relationships

  • Help you reconnect with a sense of self


At Bold Lotus Trauma Therapy, we understand the deep and lasting impacts of developmental trauma. If you recognize yourself in these experiences, know that you’re not alone. Our trauma-informed therapists are here to help you.



 
 

LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We acknowledge that the land on which we gather is the traditional territory of the Attawandaron, Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee, and Lunaapeewak peoples who have longstanding relationships to the land, water and region of southwestern Ontario. The local First Nation communities of this area include Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, Oneida Nation of the Thames, and Munsee-Delaware Nation. Additionally,  there is a growing urban Indigenous population who make the City of London home. We value the significant historical and contemporary contributions of local and regional First Nations of Turtle Island (North America).

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