Unforgotten Trauma: Effects of Complex Trauma on Self-Esteem - Essay Sample

Introduction

Psychiatrists have discovered that human brains respond differently, coping with having experiences trauma. In some cases, the brain responds by burring the memories of the traumatic event. Therefore, some people having complex trauma do not even remember experiencing traumatic experiences, yet they experience the effects of trauma. In such cases, the individuals feel detached from their emotions.

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Effects of Complex Trauma

People diagnosed with complex trauma have very low self-esteem and self-confidence. They have a negative attitude towards themselves. They may blame themselves for the traumatic experiences that they had. (Spinazzola, Habib, Blaustein, Knoverek, Kisiel, Stolbach Abramovitz, Kagan, Lanktree, & Maze, 2017). At the same time, others may feel ashamed, like in the case of sexual abuse. They always blame themselves for most of the things that aren't right in their lives. A negative self-view may lead to suicidal thoughts. Persons with complex trauma usually struggle to keep their emotions under control. They tend to have a problem controlling their anger. Perhaps the main reason why they are unable to regulate their passion is that their bodies have adapted to using violence as a way of responding to trauma. They are more likely to be involved in fights at school. They are unhappy most of the time. They are more exposed to depression because they cannot control their emotions. Difficulties in regulating emotions can also lead to suicidal thoughts in the patients.

Relationship Problems

Individuals with complex trauma may have difficulties relating to other people in their lives. One of the reasons why they have relationship problems is because they have trusting issues. For example, a child who experienced sexual assault at the hands of someone they trusted like a guardian could have a hard time ever trusting anyone. Of course, relationships are usually based on trust, and without faith, the connection is easily broken. The relationship problem may be because the other party does not realize that the affected individual has been changed by trauma, and they address them the same way they did before they experienced trauma. People diagnosed with the complex disorder also view the world with a lot of negativity. Such a kind of negative attitude leads to an unhealthy relationship with others. The contrary opinion could be because they blame the world for the experiences that they had when they were children. The feeling of the world betraying them is very common to people with this mental disorder. The affected person usually hide their passion because they learned this as a way of adapting to cope with traumatic events. Complex trauma affects all types of relationships; their romantic relationship, work-related relationship, and even healthy relationships with friends.

Effects on the Brain

The brain of children who are exposed to traumatic experiences at an early age has to cope with such situations. The impact that this has on the body is that it inhibits healthy brain development due to exposure to extreme stress (National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 2020). The brain has different ways of dealing with traumatic events. One way for the brain to deal with a traumatic experience is by forgetting the experience in general. Therefore, the individual with complex trauma may be affected by injury, but they will not have any memories of why they are the way that they are. The suppressed memories can reveal themselves in the form of visions or nightmares which wear down the individuals. The feeling of emotional detachment affects their social lives negatively. In most cases, they have a hard time paying attention.

Effects to the Body's Immunity

Prolonged exposure to undue stress changes how the body's immune system develops. The immune system of the body adapts to responding to traumatic experiences most of the time. Over the years, when the child grows up and he/she is no longer exposed to traumatic experiences, the immune system does not realize this, and it reacts as if the individual is still under intense environments. When they finally grow up, they are more likely to get chronic diseases, which leads to premature deaths. The brain's sensory system is also affected in such a way that they do not respond to sensory stimuli as they should. For example, one may lose the sense of touch and may not feel pain.

Childhood trauma could happen to anyone, and it is in our capacity as humans to help those affected by it by giving them the necessary emotional support. The problem is that in most cases, we do know that the affected person is diagnosed with complex trauma, and we assume that they are just misbehaving. The government should make sure that there is awareness of such cases and also provide enough facilities for dealing with such situations. Parents who neglect their children should be punished so that such incidents will be reduced. The parents should also be educated on how to treat their children to avoid causing trauma to their children.

In my opinion, anyone who has experienced childhood trauma needs help coping with such stress. Trauma eats the person involved from inside, and until it is dealt with, it will always be there. The suppressed experience exists and destroys us as a result of us not accepting the reality. Learning to accept the past and focus on the future is very important because, unlike the past, the future can be changed to deal with stress is by owning up our deeds and not blaming others for it but instead, work on improving ourselves. For people who experienced trauma at a tender age and the mercies of someone else, learning not to blame others may be a hard task. The other important step towards dealing with this situation is by changing their view of self. To achieve this, we should learn to love ourselves. If a person likes himself, then the actions and opinions of other people will not change them. Learning not to take everything personally could help with coping with stress. That way, we will stop hating the world for everything and change how we view the world.

Conclusion

Childhood trauma has proved to be harmful to the individuals affected and also to those around them. It is the role of the whole society to work together in helping those affected by being there for them emotionally and physically. The nation should also make sure that the parents neglecting or abusing children face the law to discourage such behavior.

References

National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (n.d.). Complex trauma Retrieved April 14, 2020, from https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma/trauma-types/complex-trauma

Spinazzola, J., Habib, M., Blaustein, M., Knoverek, A., Kisiel, C., Stolbach, B., Abramovitz, R., Kagan, R., Lanktree, C., and Maze, J. (2017). What is complex trauma? A resource guide for youth and those who care about them. Los Angeles, CA, and Durham, NC: National Center for Child Traumatic Stress. https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources/what_is_complex_trauma_for_youth.pdf