Trauma is an important concept that affects the psychological process of the person. Our problems that we cannot understand in adulthood can sometimes be caused by traumas experienced in childhood. For example; While a teenager with social phobia describes himself as introverted, shy, shy, when we look at his life-long experiences, we can come across a negative memory of him when he was an extrovert in childhood.
Traumas experienced by the individual in childhood and young adulthood; neglect and abuse such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse. At the same time, natural disasters, accidents, unusual stressful events, death, medical diseases, emotional and psychological violence experienced by the parents and harming the person's self are also factors in childhood traumas.
Childhood trauma of the person. The effects of the situations experienced as traumas, physical and psychological violence in the family, physical and psychological violence between the parents and the child's observation of these situations can be long-lasting. The child's upbringing in an insecure and inconsistent environment where his needs are not met will affect the child's sense of security. He may experience difficulties due to the fact that the world is an insecure place and the lack of trust in interpersonal relationships. The child's psychological violence in the family, neglect, punishment, criticism, mockery will affect the child's personality and may cause a traumatic effect. In adulthood, situations such as suppressing or overcoming the trauma in a situation that will trigger the trauma can be addressed. The physical or sexual abuse of the caregiver is a great trauma for the child.
Childhood Traumas and Self-Perception
In analyzing the mental structure of the adult individual and in interpersonal relations in childhood The first life experiences gained will form the sense of self. Based on the attachment problems, the individual's attachment experiences are taken into account. k will be helpful in explaining self-awareness, self-perception and attachment experiences. Since the person realizes his first experiences with the caregiver, the place of the caregiver is very important in perceiving himself and the environment and in explaining the attachment experiences. The person's perception of himself and the environment is a factor in creating self-consciousness and value. The caregiver's behavior towards the child will form the child's self-consciousness. Self-awareness is the thoughts about how the individual is perceived by the environment, what he is and what he should be. Caregiver and family have an impact on self-evaluation. People with whom the child first communicates have important effects on the formation of self-consciousness and self-perception.
To be loved, respected, admired and valued in the first years of life is a positive self-perception. Not being respected or loved will result in a negative self-perception. The individual's perspective on himself and his feelings, thoughts and behaviors in his close relationships will have a place in the effect of the bond he establishes with the caregiver. Childhood traumas will affect the individual's mental structure. In adulthood, this will live on in interpersonal relationships.
Types of Abuse and Neglect
Physical Abuse and Neglect
Sexual Abuse
Emotional Abuse
Childhood neglect and abuse rates are increasing day by day in the world. It has been reported by UNICEF (2015) that child abuse is increasing gradually in Turkey. The Violence Prevention Association stated that child abuse incidents in Turkey have increased by 700% in recent years (2016). The family plays an important role in the physical and mental development of the child. Especially the relationship that the child establishes with the caregiver will have a great impact on the personality development of the child. The gradual increase in child neglect and abuse rates in Turkey, the effects of childhood experiences that affect their mental development in the future on adult individuals can be observed.
Childhood Traumas and Emotional Loneliness
Neglect, abuse experienced with the caregiver mother in childhood traumas may prevent the child from filling the feeling of loneliness. In later adulthood, he may experience a feeling of loneliness and emptiness by avoiding close relationships or in close relationships Childhood traumas are at the root of his problems. While evaluating this subject in the psychotherapy sessions of the person, EMDR (eye movements desensitization and reprocessing) therapy technique, Flash EMDR technique can be used. The EMDR technique is an answer to the question of how we can intervene in the past and left behind. The child, who is helpless in the past trauma, may react differently to the memory and get stuck in the memory. Childhood trauma may be at the root of many problems in adulthood, and it is possible to desensitize the impact of past childhood trauma to the present by going through its own therapy process.
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