The healing process is a never ending journey. I am committed to healing my mind, body, and spirit. First, I must take into consideration the root causes of my pain to develop a plan for rehabilitation. Therefore, I have identified trauma to have the most impact on my mental, emotional, physical, and sexual stability.
Adverse
Childhood Experiences (ACE) covers various types of abuse, neglect, and other
potentially traumatic experiences that occur in individuals under the age of 18
(CDC, 2019). Some of the most common
forms of ACE include physical, sexual, and emotional- in addition to neglect.
Common Forms of Child Abuse and Neglect
Physical– the intentional use of physical force that
can result in physical: Examples include hitting, kicking, shaking, burning, or
other shows of force against a child.
Sexual– the pressuring or forcing a child to engage in
sexual acts. It includes behaviors such as fondling, penetration, and exposing
a child to other sexual activities.
Emotional– the behaviors that harm a childâs
self-worth or emotional well-being. Examples include name calling, shaming,
rejection, withholding love, and threatening.
Neglect– the failure to meet a childâs basic physical
and emotional needs. These needs include housing, food, clothing, education,
and access to medical care.
Unfortunately, early ACE have
a lasting impact on the individual often through adulthood (CDC, 2019). According to the CDC, these impacts can lead
to injuries, risky behavior, mental dis-ease, health dis-ease, and limited
opportunities for success (2019).
Consequently, adolescents and adults risk the exposure to future
victimization and/or perpetration.
I have decided to conduct research on this topic to gain a better understanding of my childhood trauma. This understanding will allow me to process and accept my past experiences. Eventually, it gets tiresome to continuously feed the trauma with feelings of guilt, sorrow, shame, and other non-beneficial energies. Therefore, I intend to continue my research to move through my experiences. No longer do I wish to give into the trauma- with FEAR. I am ready to conquer this beast.
Do you suffer from ACE? How do/have those experiences impacted your life? What are healthy ways to cope from ACE?
Reference:
CDC.
(2019). About Adverse Childhood Experiences. Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/acestudy/aboutace.html