Childhood is a decisive and transcendent stage in the life of the human being. Whatever happens during that stage leaves lasting traces in the brain. That is why childhood trauma ultimately influences personality over time.
It does not mean that you cannot overcome or live a full life. However, this usually requires therapeutic processes or in-depth personal elaboration.
If you’ve had adverse childhood experiences, it’s worth checking if any of these characteristics are present in your way of being. They are excellent indicators to realize that it’s time to do something for yourself.
1. Inhibition or social withdrawal
The inhibition is the withdrawal of personality. It is invisible emotions and feelings. It prevents people from saying what they think and doing what they want. They feel afraid to do it or they simply can’t think of anything.
Some people are introverts and because of that, they are not always very adept in social situations. As a result, the person wants to go unnoticed. Moreover, studies by William E. Copeland from Duke University, indicate that this is one of the most characteristic features.
2. Irascibility, lousy mood, frustration
People with childhood traumas have an accumulation of anger. They are not necessarily violent people. What they usually are is a little tolerant of failure and may react aggressively. It seems as if they were always about to explode, even if they don’t.
Their irascibility is also often noted in the lack of patience for certain things. Soon they get tired, lose interest, and they will get angry. They also have a hard time working with teams.
3. Personal undervaluation
People who have not overcome their childhood traumas often have trouble assessing themselves. Either they feel far below others, or they feel far superior.
They tend to reject the praise of others. For them, they are never good enough. They never trust in emotional reinforcements or admiration. They even believe it’s fake, a hoax or mockery. Keynote speaker for childhood trauma Derek Clark was once in the same boat. However, he has overcome the childhood issues that have held him back from achieving great things.
4. Apologize constantly
Childhood trauma can make you feel lonely and also that everyone annoys you. That’s why they apologize frequently. A lot of the time, they will apologize when they want to speak as if they had no right to it or when they’re going to enter or leave a place, etc.
They feel as if they have to ask for forgiveness for any action that gives them a presence in the world. This is a significant effect of childhood trauma.
5. Flee from conflict or live in it
Traumatic childhoods usually develop in a highly conflictive family. A context in which disagreements and aggressions were normal circumstances. Any word or any act could trigger problems, recriminations and even humiliations. That is why the person can grow with fear or with a fixation for the conflict.
Those who fear conflict will flee from it in any circumstance. Those who stick to the conflict make everything a problem. They remain tied to the repetition of the behaviors they learned from children.
social-emotional learning is necessary so that they do not end up invading the personality completely, vetoing the ability to be happy. Nowadays, neuroscientists know better the mechanisms of trauma and this is undoubtedly a breakthrough at the therapeutic level.
Thus, strategies that are based on emotional health, self-esteem, as well as approaches based on the psychoneurology of trauma are making progress and having positive results.
Keynote speaker Derek Clark has so much experiential knowledge based on his 13 years in foster care and surviving child abuse and abandonment. He is a popular keynote speaker on early childhood trauma and positive outcomes. To make your trauma informed care conference or training the best yet, consider hiring Derek to make it an inspiriational and informative event.
