We are seeing the numbers of children struggling with emotions skyrocketing, and as a trauma psychiatrist, it makes sense to me. Traumas create predictable patterns in our psychological and biological health. The pandemic was/IS a shared, global trauma that all humans experienced, and if a large number of "adults" are struggling with "post-" traumatic mental health effects, then of course, the children are suffering, too. In this episode, we will dive into 3 common challenges for children who have experienced ACES: Tantrums, Trouble-making and Trust-issues, and address how Empathy (LOVE) can help them heal.
ACEs (Adverse Childhood Events) are surprisingly common in the US. About 61% of adults surveyed across 25 states reported they had experienced at least one type of ACE before age 18, and nearly 1 in 6 reported they had experienced four or more types of ACEs.
Also included are aspects of the child’s environment that can undermine their sense of safety, stability, and bonding, such as growing up in a household with:
Preventing ACEs could potentially reduce many health conditions. For example, by preventing ACEs, up to 1.9 million heart disease cases and 21 million depression cases could have been potentially avoided.
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/index.html
Be aware of the power of words and the way the amygdala can pull even adults into saying things in a heated emotional state that we cannot “erase” even when We retract. Having empathy for the Child’s internal experience. See Your Self as they might experience you. Become a corrective experience.
Look with Suspended Judgment
Observe the emotions in all parties involved
Validate the differing yet EQUAL experience of the Other
Express Your Self SKILLFULLY, Creator!
To learn more how to AIM for better Mental Health and self-heal from trauma in 2023, Join me for The Trauma CURE : Creators Using Radical Empathy 3 Day Live Virtual event on March 9 - 11, 2023 from 10 - 4 pm CST.
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