Become a member of Allies in Recovery and we’ll teach you how to intervene, communicate and guide your loved one toward treatment.Become a member of Allies in Recovery today.

Naming and Understanding the Symptoms of Childhood Trauma

Photo credit: Jonas Mohammadi

Childhood trauma of any kind leaves its mark. Severe or sustained trauma generates certain telltale symptoms in survivors. Licensed therapist and life coach Patrick Teahan, himself a survivor of childhood trauma, breaks down three of the most prominent symptoms. By reaching a deeper understanding of what’s occurring inside us, he argues, we’re in a far better position to overcome the challenges that result.

Nothing that goes on in our emotional core is particularly simple, or so you may reflect after listening to this fascinating talk. We all know, for example, that trauma experienced in childhood leaves scars we continue to deal with as adults. But can we really see the shape of those scars? Can we even begin to understand the complex ways they manifest in our adult lives?

Patrick Teahan would answer yes to both questions. Certainly, he has a gift for explanation. The three symptoms he explores in this video have names that may be daunting at first (Perceptual problems, compromised emotional imbalance, vacuum relational experience), but Teahan describes each one in such clear terms that they soon feel familiar and simple. His style is disarming and friendly, but no less insightful for that.

This video is long (37 minutes!), but believe me, not a minute is wasted. By the time it’s over, you may feel like you’ve just taken a short course in the subject. And a vital subject it is how childhood exposure to abuse, neglect, rage, gaslighting, and other behaviors of “emotionally dysregulated adults” can echo through our lives and cause challenges in our present-day relationships. Whether you’re a survivor of childhood trauma, the Loved One of a survivor, or both, this one’s worth the time. Have a listen.

Loading

Related Posts from "Resource Supplement"

Anger: Why Talking About It With a Purpose (And Not Just Venting) Can Be Healing

Anger evolved with the human brain. Though it may not seem so today, its original function was to keep us safe. Unfortunately, for most of us, anger is a deeply unpleasant experience, one that can damage our relationships and sense of wellbeing. The good news is that we can change this dynamic. This article offers a science-based guide to regulating anger and returning it to its constructive purpose.

Eating Disorders: Myths, Realities, and Recovery Paths Explained

Finding a health professional who truly understands eating disorders is no easy task. And for those who suffer from them, it can be just as hard to avoid the judgments and unhelpful comments of friends, family, or coworkers. This interview with one of the world’s leading experts on eating disorders takes a broom to those old and stigmatizing ideas. It also offers pointers for standing by a Loved One suffering from an eating disorder.

Needles In The Ear Can Help With Addiction? You Heard That Right

You’d be forgiven if ear acupuncture isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when talk turns to substance use disorder. Numerous studies, however, are documenting the efficacy of a specific procedure (the NADA protocol) for help with craving, withdrawal, and other aspects of addiction. As this article points out, however, the key to success with NADA lies in the details.

Substance Use Disorder: A Guide For the Family

The Recovery Research Institute, affiliated with Harvard Medical School, is dedicated to advancing the understanding and treatment of addiction. This page on substance use and the family is an extremely well-designed information hub. It’s a great place to start your journey to deeper understanding—or to remind yourself of the basics.

The CRAFT Approach: An Introduction From Verywellmind.com

Verywellmind is a health website that takes pride in its quality, professionally-reviewed information. In this article, they make it clear how the CRAFT approach differs from old-school “interventions,” and why its outcomes are so much better overall. This is also a great general overview of the CRAFT approach, hitting the highlights of the skills and resources you can access through Allies in Recovery.

“So Many Pathways” To Recovery: A Sister’s Message After Losing Her Brother

A brave and loving look back, and a plea to others to think broadly about options for their Loved Ones. Jaclyn Brown lost her brother Marc to heroin in 2018. While she and her sister tried to support him, the clarity of hindsight is making it painfully clear to her the steps she might have taken, if only she’d known they were possible. But her essay is not about self-judgment; it’s about reaching out to others with a message of hope.

David Scherer, CRAFT Expert & Researcher

David Scherer, PhD has been a collaborator on the Allies team from the start. He is a retired clinical psychologist and professor emeritus in the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He worked with adolescents and families for over 35 years, doing research and publishing articles on adolescent development and how to most effectively treat troubled adolescents. Here is a selection of his publications.