Early Roots of Trauma

When individuals experience a traumatic event outside of their daily life experiences, they have difficulty making sense of this event and acting correctly. By negatively affecting people's view of the world, they may believe that the world is unreliable, that people are bad, and that they are guilty of their negative experience. According to many studies, childhood traumas, which may consist of emotional, physical or sexual abuse, predispose people to develop psychological disorders in adolescence and adulthood.
 
From an emotional point of view, it has been observed that these people tend to avoid negative emotions they experience instead of coping with and accepting them. The important reasons for this are; belittlement of negative emotions by their parents during childhood, punishment related to these feelings, and the continuation of long-term and repetitive emotional abuse.
 
Traumatic past life experiences, especially abuse and neglect, trigger depression and anxiety symptoms in humans. The longer a person is exposed to abuse, the greater the risk of developing depression and anxiety disorders. According to a theory explaining this relationship, people's internalizing negative events, forming dysfunctional schemas and having a hopeless perspective on themselves, the world and their future lead to psychopathology. Results such as a high level of anger, difficulty in coping with problems, and problematic relationships with family members and peers appear in children exposed to trauma.
 
In addition to direct trauma, people can also experience secondary trauma. Secondary trauma may occur when people hold themselves accountable by watching a traumatic event or being held accountable by others for this event. At this point, people's past experiences, individual characteristics, familial/environmental structure and coping mechanisms affect the way they handle trauma. However, according to studies, the most important factor affecting this bond is perceived social support. Thanks to social support, people feel loved and understood, their feelings of helplessness and inadequacy are reduced, they replace their dysfunctional thoughts with reality, and reduce the risk of pathological responses.
 
The rate of adults who have been exposed to a traumatic event at least once in their lifetime in the USA has been found to be 90%. Considering this high rate, it is important to identify and evaluate the psychological interventions to reduce the symptoms that develop due to trauma. For example, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy strengthens coping mechanisms by targeting people's thinking styles, emotional responses and dysfunctional behaviors, makes relaxation exercises apply, provides accurate information with psycho-education, and strengthens interpersonal communication. At this point, children's ability to talk about traumatic events with their families and work on it can reduce the pathological side effects that may occur in the future.
 
Dr. Alişan Burak Yaşar
 
REFERENCES
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