Unpacking the Link Between Childhood Trauma and Mental Health
When we think of unpacking trauma, we often think of things that have happened in our recent past. While there are certainly traumatic incidents that adults need to deal with, a large majority of mental health challenges stem from childhood trauma. The traumatic or adverse experiences we face in childhood are shown to have a negative and lasting impact on our adulthood.
The British Psychological Society (BPS) found that adverse childhood experiences “can disrupt the brain’s stress response system, leading to prolonged stress, which negatively impacts neurobiological development and long-term health outcomes.”
A leading mental health specialist, Dr Andrew Newman, has this to say about the link between childhood trauma and mental health, “It’s widely accepted that experiences in childhood affect our mental health. Both genetic and environmental or experience factors affect our mental health, and trauma is certainly an important factor for lots of people. How a specific factor or experience affects a person’s mental health is very individual.”
For example, for some children, trauma will manifest into hyper-independence that carries through to adulthood, while other children may experience chronic anxiety or dissociation because of their adverse childhood. As the child attempts to adapt to these environmental stressors, both physical and behavioural changes take place. The research indicates that if trauma occurs over prolonged periods of time, a child’s internal stress system is at risk of being ruptured. This rupture makes children more vulnerable—from birth—to difficulties with emotional regulation and attention span/focus and later contributes to a lifetime of both mental and physical health issues.
However, it’s also important to note that while experiencing childhood adversity is correlated with a much higher risk of experiencing problems later in life, this is no guarantee. Not all individuals who suffer from adverse childhood experiences later engage in correlated health-harming behaviours. Indeed, many adults with current health-harming behaviours experienced no adverse childhood experiences whatsoever. Nevertheless, the prevalence of many conditions—depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, addiction and overall low mental wellbeing, does rise significantly with the number of adverse childhood experiences.
Let’s take a closer look and unpack the link between childhood trauma and mental health.
What are Traumatic or Adverse Childhood Experiences?
While the NHS stresses that there is no universally agreed-upon definition of adverse childhood experiences, most studies agree that the experiences fall under the following terms:
Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Verbal abuse
Physical neglect
Emotional neglect
Parental separation or divorce
Household/family domestic violence
Household/family alcohol abuse
Household/family drug abuse
Household/family mental illness
Household/family incarceration
All of these experiences can undermine a child’s sense of safety, stability and attachment as they mature. Beyond home life, they could face more trauma, such as food insecurity due to war or famine, terrorist attacks, political instability, or natural disasters and accidents.
Traumatic or adverse childhood experiences can also alter brain development, particularly in areas of the brain that regulate emotions, stress responses, cognitive function, and social skills. Toxic stress, a consequence of chronic adversity, can negatively impact the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex, affecting learning, memory, and decision-making.
Unfortunately, depending on the severity and duration of the trauma, the effects of these adverse childhood experiences on brain development can be permanent.
How Common are Traumatic or Adverse Childhood Experiences?
Sadly, adverse childhood experiences are far too common. A study by the NIH found that nearly 65% of those polled had experienced a traumatic or adverse experience in their childhood or teenage years, while over 12% had experienced four or more events. This level is considered to be a high level of trauma exposure.
More recently, the CDC conducted a study and discovered that 64% of adults in 25 US states and 47% of adults in the UK had experienced at least one traumatic or adverse childhood experience before their 18th birthday.
Across all studies, women, LGBTQ+ individuals and those from ethnic minority backgrounds were found to be at greater risk of experiencing four or more traumatic experiences during childhood.
The Mental Health Effects of Childhood Trauma
Traumatic or adverse childhood experiences aren’t linked to any specific mental health issues, but rather, many mental health disorders are trauma-related.
You see, when you live through a traumatic and psychologically devastating experience(s), it wreaks havoc in multiple areas of your mental health, even if you aren’t presenting with a known disorder. With all that in mind, some mental health conditions are more closely linked to traumatic/adverse childhood experiences than others.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders includes the following among the most common trauma-related disorders:
substance use disorders
depressive disorders
personality disorders
dissociative disorders
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD)
reactive attachment disorder (RAD)
borderline personality disorder (BPD)
disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED)
acute stress disorder (ASD)
adjustment disorder
and many other unspecified trauma- and stressor-related disorder
Oftentimes, adult survivors of childhood trauma are reluctant to voluntarily disclose their experiences, trauma symptoms or substance abuse coping mechanisms. There are many reasons for this, some being feelings of anxiety, shame, guilt or fear about speaking of the act, the consequence of disclosing the information and the stigma surrounding mental health matters and substance abuse.
A February 2022 study by the European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation found that “childhood trauma survivors present alcohol and drug dependency issues, deny the negative impact their adversities have on their wellbeing (especially if it was inflicted by their parents), and construct a false self-image to cope rather than self-isolate.”
However, when social and mental health workers exhibit a willingness and warmth around discussing childhood trauma and adversity, survivors have a greater willingness to open up and get help.
How The Place Retreats Can Help
Sometimes, you need more than just a break. You need a full mental health retreat with qualified, caring professionals who can guide you through your trauma and back to health. Founded by the world-renowned psychotherapist Jean-Claude Chalmet, the Place Retreats in Bali is an award-winning, luxurious, intensive residential psychotherapeutic retreat that focuses on healing the mind, body, and soul. The world-class healing team at The Place Retreats has transformed the lives of hundreds of clients from around the globe, accompanying them on their individual journeys to becoming the best version of themselves.
If you’re finding it difficult to process your childhood trauma and need a supportive, therapeutic space to heal and release, our specialized retreats offering trauma-informed care in a professional, safe environment are needed to process these heavy feelings and learn how to carry them more lightly.
At The Place Retreats, our team designs unique programs for personal experiences. All of our work is confidential, affirmative, and nonjudgmental, welcoming of all races, genders, sexual orientations, religions, political beliefs, and nationalities. It is truly a unique place to heal and rediscover yourself.
In addition to luxury lodgings and meals prepared by our resident chef, all of our tailor-made retreats include:
Three individual sessions with our specialized therapist per week
A weekly session with our in-house psychiatrist
Two Introspective Development or Individual Personal Growth Tantra Sessions per week
Daily Yoga and Meditation Classes
Two Healing Therapy Sessions per week, such as Japanese Acupuncture or Medical Qigong
Three Balinese/Thai or Esalen Massages per week
And many more experiences while you heal in blissful Bali
We know how isolating and lonely it can be to live with the mental health challenges of childhood trauma. You are not alone. Your journey is uniquely yours, but you don't have to walk it alone. Together, we can help you rediscover the joy in life while honouring your inner child.
If you'd like more information on how a trauma-informed, mental health retreat at The Place Retreats Bali can help you, contact us to schedule a free 15-minute consultation with a member of our team.
