An increasingly wide circle of specialists in various fields declares the negative impact of traumatic childhood experiences on the general state of not only mental, but also physical health of an adult. Psychologist-consultant warns that the strategy of “forgetting and moving on” may not work, since the lack of secure attachment already in the early years lays the foundation for emotional disorders and diseases.
In the future, injuries that “sit” in the body, unlived emotions that are repressed, problems in communication and anxiety will not allow to get out of the vicious circle, continuing the harmful effect on the body.
Impaired ability to objectively assess whether the environment is safe complicates social communication and forces the body to be in constant readiness for rescue (increased cortisol levels, heart rate negatively affect health).
According to John Bowlby, the founder of attachment theory, the current state of our internal self-regulatory processes shows how securely we have established contact with external sources of regulation at an early age.
Simply put, the ability to soothe yourself depends largely on how securely connected with loved ones was established in childhood.
Despite critical childhood experiences in the form of a lack of love (manifestations: physical and moral abuse, inability to comfortably express needs and emotions, parents’ banal aloofness), everyone has the opportunity to:
Over time, already in adulthood, rethink this experience.
Learn to test the surrounding reality. Compare your fantasies with reality, assessing how dangerous/safe the environment is.
To establish a trusting relationship and to feel by your example that safe communication exists. In this way, the lack of reliable relationships is replenished.
Find the courage to burn off the previously suffered losses and, as a result, make room for the acquisition of a new one.
It should be remembered that in addition to early childhood experiences, mental and physical health in general depends on other factors:
genetic predisposition;
current environment (experience of everything experienced);
experience of past generations;
personality, skills and attachment style.
