Trauma such as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can result in a long-last negative effects on children. There are behavioral, psychological, and biological systems that become stressed as a result of trauma. These changes can result in significant development changes and even problems at later stages of adulthood. However, trauma in childhood does not mean that the individuals are doomed and will not recover at later stages in life. There are individuals that have shown resilience through trauma and have been able to overcome the consequences that the trauma could have on the later stages of their lives. Additionally, spiritual development can be used to help people overcome challenges arising from the trauma. This paper considers the effects of childhood trauma on development and analyzes how the effects of the trauma can be overcome through resilience and spiritual development.
How Trauma Might Affect Development
One of the ways that trauma might affect development is because it can result in biological changes during brain development. Zeenah and Sonuga-Barke (2016) examined different literatures and established that early experiences of threat or trauma and neglect or deprivation led to long-term clinical and developmental delays. These delays were apparent whether the individual could remember the incidences or not. The study specifically identified that structural abnormalities associated with cortical thinning in the frontal and temporal lobes among individuals that had experiences physical and sexual abuse. Rincón-Cortés and Sullivan (2014) also observed that early trauma resulted in the dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and the amygdala. These are important parts of the brain that affect the response to stress.
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Trauma, Resilience and Spiritual Development
Countering the effects of trauma is possible because there are some parts of the brain that can be changed after development. Rincón-Cortés and Sullivan (2014) observe that the HPA-axis can be programmed through the use of various environmental factors. Even though early trauma can program the brain negatively, it can be modified at the later stages of development. One of the ways that it can be modified is by an individual showing resilience and spiritual development. Brewer-Smyth and Koenig (2014) observe that intrinsic and extrinsic social support can be used to promote resilience. Intrinsic support is achieved through creating meaning to the traumatic event and an individual experiencing a supportive and spiritual relationship with the divine. Extrinsic support comes about from support from members of the religious community. Such high forms of resilience could be used to buffer negative effects of early trauma.
Spiritual development also can also counter the effects of trauma by promoting forgiveness. Brewer-Smyth and Koenig (2014) note that spiritual and religious individuals usually experience protection from some of the negative effects and consequences of stress from the trauma through forgiveness. Forgiving others and even oneself was found to be a self-medicating alternative and could replace other ways used to reduce stress from the trauma such as the use of illegal substances and alcohol. Forgiveness was also found to reduce cortisol levels and this suggested a protective effect against the consequences of the trauma.
Conclusion
Childhood trauma is a difficult event and it can result in developmental delays. Children that go through the trauma can experience biological developmental delays especially with the growth of various parts of the brain. However, such delayed developments do not mean that all is lost as it is possible for individuals to counter the effects of the trauma through resilience and spiritual development. Spiritual development through intrinsic and extrinsic social support presents a way which one can experience support. Forgiveness will also mean that an individual accepts their childhood trauma and this would mark one of the first steps towards recovery.
References
Brewer-Smyth, K., & Koenig, H. G. (2014). Could spirituality and religion promote stress resilience in survivors of childhood trauma? Issues in mental health nursing , 35 (4), 251-256.
Rincón-Cortés, M., & Sullivan, R. M. (2014). Early life trauma and attachment: Immediate and enduring effects on neurobehavioral and stress axis development. Frontiers in endocrinology , 5 , 33.
Zeanah, C. H., & Sonuga ‐ Barke, E. J. (2016). The effects of early trauma and deprivation on human development–from measuring cumulative risk to characterizing specific mechanisms. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry , 57 (10), 1099-1102.
