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They say children are the future, but why aren’t they properly cared for?
1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys in the United States alone are estimated to suffer from such abuse. A whopping 558 899 children are recognized victims by authorities since 2022, and the numbers are still growing. Although perpetrators stop inflicting abuse once children are physically taken from their custody or upon adulthood, this doesn’t mean its effects immediately disappear.
Abuse leaves marks on its victims, and while unresolved childhood trauma doesn’t manifest physically, it’s able to destroy the lives of so many adults.
Shame may hinder them from seeking help. But life is ultimately better without burdens left unraveled and unresolved. To help them get started in their healing journey, Christina Balzani offers her self-help book for survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
The best day to start moving forward and seeking a healthier perspective in life is today.
What Does Childhood Trauma Look Like?
In discussions of abuse, some common signs people observe rely on physical manifestations such as bruises, gashes, or broken bones. When asked to paint an image of abuse, people picture a person suffering physically. Over time, these signs and manifestations heal.
They go away, but the trauma they’ve brought doesn’t.
There’s no singular way for trauma to manifest. A single image isn’t enough to convey everything there is to know of its aftermath. After all, its destructive nature impairs people differently.
Childhood trauma to someone can look like prolonged and ongoing emotional upset or behavioral changes. To others, this can manifest through dysfunction and difficulties with self-regulation. To a lucky few, this leads to a stronger disposition as the individual doesn’t let their past define them.
But regardless if such experiences lead to positivity, one thing is certain: healing needs to happen.
Abuse may primarily be physically inflicted, but without treatment, it can affect the brain and nervous system even until adulthood. This burden from childhood grows up with people, hindering them from seeing who they’re truly meant to be and impacting their adulthood.
Signs of Unresolved Childhood Trauma in Adults
When people are unable to resolve what they’ve experienced in the past, this leads to issues in every aspect of their lives. The effects of child abuse creep into people’s lives in countless ways imaginable. Abuse leaves people with not only physical scars. It influences their psychological, societal, and behavioral well-being as well.
How it manifests in adulthood depends on its severity and duration. But among the signs, broken trust in not only others but also themselves is the most common.
Depression
Abuse is never easy, and given children are the typical victims, they’re unable to understand why it happens to them. As innocent as they are, children would blame themselves for the things that happened to them.
From their perspective, abuse is their fault, and although they can learn to understand that they were never to blame when they grow older, they can still develop a skewed perception of guilt and shame. Christina Balzani talks more about this in her book, expounding on why even survivors nurture such a thought and what should be done to avoid it.
Unresolved childhood trauma will heavily weigh on the victims’ minds as they constantly have to live with the memories. Questions about their experiences will still hunt them until adulthood, and they’ll continue to wonder what they did that deserved abuse.
Relationship Issues
At the heart of unresolved childhood trauma is broken trust. When left untreated, people will have trouble forming relationships as doubts not only about people but their self-esteem will constantly rise. With the misconception that the abuse was their fault, they will question what they stand for and if they’re worthy of love from others. This perspective is carried into adulthood, leading to unhealthy relationships and numerous poor decisions.
Unhealthy Behaviors
Overall, unresolved childhood trauma will manifest in unhealthy behaviors. With depression and questions about self-worth piling in people’s minds, it’s no surprise how these can lead to unhealthy habits. This can involve eating disorders, substance abuse, violence, and others even retort to committing crimes. They have so much negativity in their lives that this will reflect in their decisions and habits.
The consequences of abuse can be heavy. However, life continues without waiting for people to heal. They’re forced to show up and perform despite any underlying pains they’re feeling. This is why, more often than not, people swallow their hurt and forcefully move on in life. With the responsibilities they must execute, perhaps, unresolved childhood trauma should remain a baggage they have to live with.
Wrong.
While healing from trauma is never easy and takes time, it’s imperative. Unresolved childhood trauma doesn’t only lead to debilitating health risks; it also weighs life down for these people. In fact, leaving trauma unaddressed poses serious consequences that may even lead to death. The call for healing and resolving things, even though they’ve occurred in the past, is loud. This must start now.
Christina Balzani’s Dry Your Eyes, Girl provides every childhood trauma survivor with a safe space to process the things they’ve gone through. The author aims to give back the voices they’ve lost, cutting harmful patterns they’ve allowed themselves to suffer. Healing from unresolved childhood trauma can be challenging, but freedom isn’t impossible.
Grab a copy of Dry Your Eyes, Girl, and find forgiveness and transformation now.
- Rebuilding Trust After Abuse: A Long And Uncertain Journey - November 13, 2024
- How Do People Heal and Recover From Childhood Abuse? - November 6, 2024
- Childhood Abuse Trauma: Tainted Interpersonal Relationships - October 10, 2024
