His theory is that to cope with the stress and dark memories, he “forced” himself to forget and to pay less attention. He claims this habit established pathways for the rest of his life, to the extent that he now struggles to sustain his attention.
Mate proposes that all addictions are rooted in unresolved childhood trauma.
Not a single day passes in my clinic where I do not encounter at least one child who embodies various stages of a mental wound. I use the image of a deep cut which bled profusely an needed stitches but for some reason didn’t happen and now there is a gaping wound or thick scar tissue.
In our current culture, children witness domestic violence more often; police raids on homes have become more common; children witness parents dying by suicide and drug overdoses; they are forced to flee their homes, threatened by floods, fires, tornados, earthquakes; some are forced to leave war zones and “find their feet” in new, unfamiliar countries.
One cannot help but wonder what the long-term consequences of these various forms of mental anguish will be.
Preschool children often develop fears of separation from parents or caregivers. They may cry excessively, eat poorly, lose weight and experience nightmares. Elementary school children become anxious and fearful, they feel shame or guilt, lose the ability to focus and find it hard to sleep. Older children feel depressed or alone, and are at risk for developing eating disorders and self-harming behaviours. Some engage in drug use and sexual encounters at a young age.
On a cellular level, telomeres are shortened, which means lifespans are shortened. (Telomere are the part of genes similar to the end of shoelaces and when those ends are gone, the shoelace frays and deteriorates more easily).
Over many decades, this centre has accumulated long-term data and provided fresh insights on what may appear to be a rather depressing topic of how the wear and tear of an increasingly stressful planet leaves long-term imprints on developing brains.
I was surprised to read on their website — printed in bold letters no less — that “No one who has experienced significant adversity is irreparably damaged.” Not all experts in the field may agree with that understanding.
In Finland, there is a word for mental resilience: sisu. I discovered this word when I tuned in to a recent podcast where the guest, Elisabet Lahti, the founder of sisulab.com, explained what she calls the Finnish Art of Sisu. Her book, Gentle Power, provides useful insights into solutions for those who experienced childhood traumas.
Shawn Achor, the New York Times bestselling author of the Happiness Advantage, calls Dr. Lahti one of the most important voices in positive psychology.
Given the complexity of the brain and the ever-evolving understanding of resilience, one hopes that not all cases of childhood trauma ultimately translate into a shorter lifespan or a diminished quality of life.
I have had the privilege to follow some children from toddlerhood to early adulthood and I have studied various experts’ opinions on the long-term consequences of childhood trauma. I have concluded that the more we know, the more we realize how little we know as to why some children end up more resilient and others end up as adults still bearing the deep, unattended wounds inflicted in childhood.
My own approach is to learn from those who overcame childhood traumas and then to share it with my patients.
In Greek mythology, a phoenix is a mystical bird which arises from the ashes. Not all traumatized children may experience such a fate.
Dr. NIeman is the founder of Centre 70 Pediatrics and the host of drnieman.com. He is the author of three books; the most recent, Sustained, describes life after the death of a child.