Children with Traumatic Experiences

Children with a traumatic experience very often need assistance to help them overcome it. Specialists in trauma recovery define traumatic experience to be something physical – such as being in a car accident, nearly drowned, or lost, alone in the woods. People can readily relate to the experience of children who have lost parents or siblings due to natural disasters, such as cyclones, hurricanes, fires or floods. Trauma to kids has to be something that you can see.

Following Cyclone Yasi, in Queensland, Professor Ronan of Central Queensland University, points out, in relation to physical trauma that “kids are the most vulnerable demographic group, they view the world differently to adults.” “Some will have trouble putting their emotions into words, and are likely to express their anxiety by misbehaving” When kids turn to drugs, they will need addict help

Professor Ronan goes on to say that reassurance, comfort and support of children with traumatic experience is “first aid” – counseling can come later.Delving too deep into traumatic experience, too soon, can easily re-traumatize children.

Where modern medicine and counseling fall short is when they fail to help children with traumatic experience that has no visible, physical cause. Many incidents of emotional trauma happen to children that go unrecognized. If kids turn to drug use, they will need addict help for both.

Some children who live in difficult homes and environments suffer extreme fear, apprehension, anxiety, loss and abandonment. Because their life experience appears to be within the “normal” range, their experience is not called traumatic, just something that they are expected to “cope” with.

It touches very much on societies “sacred cows” if people suggest that children could be exposed to trauma in the family – unless it is a sexual or other assault that yields physical evidence.

Children with traumatic experience include those intimidated, who feel threatened by “emotional” reactions. Parents and others who control by fear, withdrawal of love and affection, who control a child by directing their lives, allowing them no freedom. Others are left abandoned, to grow up without proper support. Some kids are plainly confused and contorted as to how to deal with conflicted parental messages. Such children who exhibit acting out and playing up behaviors don’t get the ready support that they would do if a cyclone had caused their trauma. Children whose homes are an emotional maelstrom, will be diagnosed with autism, ADHD and other affective disorders – and labeled as mentally ill.

If not given prescription medication, many affected children, in search of emotional relief, will self medicate with substances, find drugs in the home or on the street, or drink alcohol.

Alone and without guidance, children with unrecognized traumatic experience will simply fall prey to risky behaviors and inevitably drug use.

Children with traumatic experience due to natural, physical causes will suffer more if they already have been exposed to childhood emotional trauma. It is not enough to try and counsel children for a specific event.

To re-process and fully recover from trauma needs a comprehensive approach that deals with the child as an individual – not just the victim of some specific, observable “trauma”.

Children with traumatic experience, and related substance abuse, are in need of a thorough program that supports all of their nurturing needs, in a caring, comprehensive manner. Treating and medicating presenting symptoms is simply not enough, to help children to become emotionally free and recovered. Comprehensive alcohol and drug rehab methods can provide addict help for children with traumatic experience to build a new, and healthy way of life.

Author: National Addiction Resources

America's Best Treatment Directory