When you think of your childhood, what comes to mind? It might be things like ice cream running down our chin, giggling and running through a water fountain, sledding with your siblings, or having hot chocolate while snuggling on the sofa with your mom and dad. Or you may be among the many people who don't have these lovely childhood memories, or who have darker memories that crowd out the good ones.
What is complex trauma?
Most of us can recognize trauma in general. When we think of trauma, we often think of momentous, life-changing events. We think of horrific instances of sexual assault, car accidents, natural disaster, and war—events that divide a person’s life into “before” and “after.” These are the experiences that victims can’t help but replay in flashbacks and nightmares.
Complex trauma is an insidious, 'slow burn' type of childhood experience that affects a person profoundly.
What we don’t think or talk much about is something called complex trauma. Complex trauma is an insidious, "slow burn" type of childhood experience that affects a person just as profoundly.
These traumas are harder to pinpoint, describe, and remember. They might appear as “snapshots” from childhood, like waiting late into the night for an often-absent parent to come home. They could appear as a general feeling of distrust or detachment. That feeling sneaks into the person’s adult relationships, even when those relationships are with people who aren't abusive.
Complex trauma is not always about what happened to a person; it’s also about what did not happen. Perhaps the person didn't receive basic respect, or a sense of consistency from the adults in their lives.
The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) checklist
Over my years of clinical practice, I’ve learned a few things about trauma that I didn’t get from textbooks. One thing really stands out—how common it is.
Of course, I had heard about the high prevalence of childhood trauma from famous studies like the Adverse Childhood Events (ACE) study. ACE was huge survey of over 17,000 people between 1995 to 1997. The participants had physical exams and filled out confidential surveys about their childhood experiences as well as their current health and behavior status.
The surveys contained a list of ten items. In addition to traumatic experiences like physical and sexual abuse, the checklist included things like:
- Did a parent or older adult in the household often swear at you, insult you, put you down, or humiliate you?
- Did you...
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