Did you know The National Children’s Alliance highlights that young “children were the most vulnerable” when discussing being the targets of trauma? In fact, they indicate that more than 25% of 2 year-olds experience maltreatment. Why is this important? This blog post will discuss the attachment challenges after early childhood trauma and how therapy can help heal these wounds.
Disruptions in Attachment
Early childhood can impact how attachment patterns are developed. When a child is exposed to trauma during early childhood, the body and nervous system respond in ways to ensure survival. This means protecting oneself in certain ways by possibly over-attaching, not attaching, or a mixture of attachment patterns to support survival.
There are four primary attachment patterns identified in American culture. John Bowlby studied attachment patterns in the 1930s. These attachment patterns he observed included:
- Secure attachment – a deep level of trust develops with a primary caregiver when they are present or if they leave.
- Anxious attachment – changes in caregiver presence or connection spike anxiety and worry.
- Avoidant attachment – changes in caregiver presence and connection appear to go unnoticed or avoided.
- Disorganized attachment – no specific pattern of attachment is observed when the caregiver is present or leaves.
These attachment styles are typically ingrained in a child’s life by the age of 2 or 3. Most of the time, trauma will disrupt a child’s attachment style to anxious, avoidant, or disorganized styles. Furthermore, these forms of attachment go on to play out later in the child’s life in terms of low trust in yourself, others, future relationships, or not knowing who are.
Effects of Childhood Trauma
Every child will be impacted differently by childhood trauma. When attachment patterns are impacted by trauma, the child can experience a wide variety of challenges later in life.
- Difficulty trusting oneself and their decision-making abilities.
- Challenges authentically connecting with others.
- Pushing others away.
- Invalidating others’ relational experiences with you.
- Challenges with emotion and nervous system regulation.
Childhood trauma often creates what’s called relational or developmental trauma when it occurs in a child’s life. Sometimes relational trauma is used due to the challenges this creates in connecting to one’s identity and with others. Development trauma is sometimes used because trauma during this period in a child’s life can impact brain growth, social skill development, and the ability to self-soothe. The take away point is that childhood trauma negatively impacts many different areas of development and life.
Putting It All Together
First off, healing attachment wounds is possible. One sign that there are attachment issues playing out in your life is if there are negative patterns that reoccur in your adult relationships. Another sign may be if you have a deep sense of distrust or feel that others are unpredictable in how they treat you. Working with an individual therapist trained in attachment trauma therapy can help you begin to heal these painful dynamics in life. All you need to do is reach out for support.
Healing from Childhood Trauma and Attachment Challenges with Trauma Therapy
Making the decision to start trauma therapy can be a significant decision in life. That’s because you are saying, either in your mind or out loud, that you are no longer going to be defined by the past. That you are going to use the adversity you experienced to propel you to another level in life. Two powerful forms of trauma therapy that can help you heal include:
- Somatic Experiencing (SE) therapy – SE therapy is a trauma-informed therapy that helps increase awareness of slight shifts within the body to allow for the integration of past traumatic events.
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy – EMDR therapy helps to integrate past traumatic events so they no longer hold a dysfunctional or supercharged response.
Both SE and EMDR therapies tap into the body’s innate ability to heal itself, however, oftentimes, we get in our own way of healing. These therapies help to resolve that issue so you can start healing.
Childhood Trauma Therapist Near Greenfield, WI
Finding a childhood trauma therapist that can support your healing, can be a challenge. It’s important to find the fit you need. Do you prefer a male or female therapist? Are you open to virtual therapy or only in-person therapy sessions? These are all questions to ask yourself when searching for a childhood trauma therapist.
At Revitalize Mental Health PLLC, I offer both in-person trauma therapy as well as online trauma therapy for those who live near Kenosha, Racine, and Pleasant Prairie, WI. Online therapy may work best for those who live too far to commute to in-person sessions. I offer online trauma therapy services for those who live throughout both Wisconsin and Colorado.
If you would like to start healing and make positive changes in your life, call 720.295.6703 or submit an online form by clicking here. We’ll set up a free consultation call to ensure we’re a good fit to work together. If we both decide to move forward, we’ll schedule our first session during this call. I look forward to hearing from you.
