When you are stressed, do you ever feel an inner response that’s reminiscent of when you were young? Do you wonder why you feel that way when your mind knows better? We understand so much more now about how our childhood experiences can set the stage for how we react, mentally and emotionally, to many things in later life.
But did you know that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can also affect physical health as an adult? Indeed, adverse childhood events have been correlated with significant increases in heart disease, obesity, diabetes, auto-immune diseases, alcoholism, fractures, and hepatitis, as well as with decreased occupational health and job performance, often half a century after the events occurred!
When we think of people’s health being affected by experiences in their childhoods, we tend to think of the really big stuff such as losing a parent, or suffering significant abuse. And it’s easy to understand how those would frame one’s outlook for life, and could affect later mental health. So the other big surprise that has come out if this work is learning that we are affected by experiences that many of us would not have even realized were adverse childhood experiences!
When we are brought up feeling safe and loved, we can handle a few unpleasant events. Those adverse experiences trigger a stress reaction, flipping us into fight or flight. We get over them with the support of those close to us, and learn that life involves challenges and set-backs, but we can get past them.
However it’s different if adverse events are extreme or repeated, especially if there is no support to help us through. In such circumstances they can change some functions in brain structures that manage our stress responses, effectively rewiring our nervous system. This permanently changes how we perceive things as threats (or not), and how we then react. That is, unless we can find ways to re-re-wire our nervous systems, because unfortunately studies show that time doesn’t heal this stuff.
Young people living in emotionally unstable or abusive environments, may not realize that their norm is not everyone’s norm. Without evidence to the contrary, we tend to assume other’s lives are like our own. And even if they do realize it is unhealthy for them, they usually aren’t able to speak out or get away from that environment. And now in the electronic age bullying can follow kids home: there is no safe place to get away from cyberbullying.
The aspects of childhood that can leave a lasting impact on the nervous system are broader than you might expect. The list below includes the categories generally considered to be ACEs, but of course this list is not necessarily complete: there are other horrid experiences that can leave people emotionally scarred that aren’t on the list. Importantly, it lets people know that things that aren’t necessarily considered very abnormal or abusive, can take a toll on our health.
So what are the ACEs that have been found to affect us, even long after they occur? The 10 ACEs of trauma are forms of physical or emotional abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction. They generally include at least one of the following:
Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Emotional abuse
Physical neglect
Emotional neglect
Mental illness in a family member
Divorce
Substance abuse in the environment
Violence against your mother
Having a relative who has been sent to jail or prison
Obviously this list is not 100% complete, but you get the picture.
Some people have a genetic predisposition to be either more robust or more affected than others. This may explain why some poeple come out of a difficult childhood strong and capable, and others are too scarred emotionally and “rewired” to be able to function well.
Fortunately there are many ways to get help with this, but people are unlikely to seek help if they don’t recognize that their childhood may be part of the cause of their physical problems. In a society that treats so much disease as a mechanical problem, it may be a surprise to learn that treating your high blood pressure or gut issues might also require some emotional untangling.
Naturopathic doctors help people with their mental health concerns. Naturopathic medicine considers this an important part of overall health, and has always respected the importance of treating the whole person: fostering health in the physical, mental and emotional realms, and recognizing that all three are intertwined.
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