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Children can't learn,
when they're afraid |
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Trauma is an experience that impacts how our brain develops, how our neural pathways are wired,
and how we view the world. Those who have experienced trauma have a sensitized amygdala. The amygdala is the small almond shaped center in our emotional brain that detects threat.
A sensitized amygdala means our amygdala is hypervigilant and trained to scan for threats. A brain with trauma views the world as a dangerous place so we always need to be on the lookout for danger to protect ourselves.
Our default protection system is our sympathetic nervous system. Activated by adrenaline and cortisol, our brain sends the message to our body to fight, flight, or freeze. This reaction can cause problems for us, if we are not aware of what triggers our amygdala (what we view as threats) and prepared to respond with appropriate skills. Watch this 9 minute video created by The Trauma Foundation, in collaboration with the Polyvagal Institute to see this process in action.
and how we view the world. Those who have experienced trauma have a sensitized amygdala. The amygdala is the small almond shaped center in our emotional brain that detects threat.
A sensitized amygdala means our amygdala is hypervigilant and trained to scan for threats. A brain with trauma views the world as a dangerous place so we always need to be on the lookout for danger to protect ourselves.
Our default protection system is our sympathetic nervous system. Activated by adrenaline and cortisol, our brain sends the message to our body to fight, flight, or freeze. This reaction can cause problems for us, if we are not aware of what triggers our amygdala (what we view as threats) and prepared to respond with appropriate skills. Watch this 9 minute video created by The Trauma Foundation, in collaboration with the Polyvagal Institute to see this process in action.
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This information empowers us to prevent negative outcomes through learning skills to help us navigate the challenges and complexities we experience from the impact of trauma. We can model regulation, co-regulate, create connected relationships to ultimately help those effected by trauma to heal and build a meaningful life.
There is hope and help. Please reach out to your school counselor for support. There are resources available. 
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We know from the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study, as the number of ACE's a person has experienced before age 18 increases, so does their risk. A person with an ACE score of 4 or more showed the following outcomes in adulthood:
In 1998 two doctors brought together by the Centers for Disease Control and Kaiser Permanente healthcare plan in San Diego, initiated what is now famously known as the ACE's study. ACE stands for Adverse Childhood Experiences, also known as traumatic experiences. ACE's are extremely stressful experiences in childhood that can alter brain development and have lifelong effects on health and behavior. Although there are many ways a child may experience trauma, doctors Felitti and Anda found there were 10 types of adversity, or trauma, most commonly mentioned in the study linked to negative health outcomes. The study revealed as the count of ACE's a person experienced went up, their risk for all kinds of health and social problems went up. |
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"AS the ACE study has shown, child abuse and neglect is the single most preventable cause of mental illness, the single most common cause of drug and alcohol abuse, and a significant contributor to leading causes of death such as diabetes, heart disease,
cancer, stroke, and suicide." --Bessel A. van der Kolk |
↗ Empathy
↗ Trauma Informed Parent ↗ ACE's Connection ↗ An interview with Nadine Burke Harris ↗ Watch Oprah on CBS "school was my refuge." ↗ Self Compassion ↗ Self-Care ↗ What Self-Care Is & Isn't ↗ The Amazing Teen Brain |
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