Childhood Trauma Therapist in Austin, TX

The honest answer is that it depends. It depends on the type and severity of trauma as well as the length of time the individual was exposed to these conditions. Things like play therapy and EMDR can help as well as having a supportive system around them. Children might not forget what happened to them but it doesn’t have to dominate their experience of life.

Trauma is impactful at any age even if kids are pre-verbal. Trauma from 0-6 can affect cognitive development. This has to do with things like neural pathways, affecting emotional regulation, attachment, and cognitive functions. Most commonly we tend to see things tied to behavior from children during this age (regressive behaviors, excessive crying, aggression, or withdrawal in response to trauma). This also affects attachment and the ability to have secure attachments later in life due to not having that as a child. During ages 7-12 we often see cognitive difficulties in concentration, learning, and school performance and can lead to social withdrawal, difficulty in making friends, and trust issues. Anxiety, depression, and other behavioral issues also may be present during this age. 13 and older tend to show the same as above but it can become more deeply seeded as their identity development takes place. You might witness more risky behaviors, such as substance abuse, promiscuity, or delinquency, as a way to cope with trauma.

The brain is an amazing thing and part of the way it can help us is that it blacks out memories that are too charged or traumatic. It doesn’t mean this doesn’t affect us or that we won’t remember them later, but this can be a way for our brain to compensate for something terrible that happened.