How to Help Your Child Avoid the Physical Impacts of Childhood Trauma Through a Holistic Approach to Healing
As the parent of a child who has experienced trauma, understanding that there are psychological effects is a no-brainer. But did you know that there are physical effects to trauma as well? In this article, we’ll take a look at the physical symptoms of trauma and how you can help your child heal from their pain.
Physical Symptoms of Trauma in Children
You could be noticing some of the early symptoms of how the body stores and remembers trauma in your child already, but may not understand that those physical aspects are symptoms of trauma. Trauma impacts our nervous system, leaving us in a constant state of high alert. When we are constantly in fight or flight mode, this can wear our bodies down, making us more susceptible to stress and lead to physical symptoms that impact our muscles, memory, and how we react to stress. These can include:
- Muscle tension
- Chest tightness
- Trouble sleeping and/or nightmares
- Headaches
- Memory issues
- Brain fog or trouble focusing
- Getting easily overwhelmed or feeling “on edge”
- Anxiety and avoidance behaviors
- Depression and/or dissociation
Without proper treatment, all of this pain gets stored up in the body day after day, leading to medical conditions like chronic pain and headaches or migraines.
Why Does This Happen?
Experiencing trauma shrinks your window of tolerance. This is the sweet spot where you feel like you are able to handle stressful situations without becoming overwhelmed. When that window where you feel safe is smaller, it’s easier to become overwhelmed. The more often you become overwhelmed, the more those mental and psychological effects can impact your body. In other words, stress and trauma leave a mark on your entire body, even if you can’t physically see it like a bruise. This is because stress hormones, in high or constant doses to the body, can physically damage your body.
What Can I Do to Help My Child with the Physical Symptoms of Trauma?
It’s important to take a holistic approach to treating trauma. First, you have to treat the underlying cause of the physical aspects or you won’t see any progress. You should get your child into therapy if they aren’t already. We recommend a therapist who is trained and qualified to treat childhood trauma. There are different types of therapy, such as play therapy, art therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy that your child’s therapist may try with them. Remember, each child is different, so it’s important for the therapist to find the right combination of therapies for your child and their experiences and responses to trauma. You should also focus on creating a safe and positive relationship with your child that lets them know they are loved and secure, giving them the space to work through their trauma on their terms and timeline.
Second, work with your child’s pediatrician and therapist to find the right treatments for their physical symptoms. This could be medications to help treat anxiety, treat migraines, or that help your child sleep better. If your child is beginning to show symptoms of chronic pain, their pediatrician may recommend your child see a specialist, such as a pediatric rheumatologist. Conditions such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS), or other chronic pain conditions could be starting to develop, and the earlier you catch them and treat them, the less physical pain your child will feel, giving them the capacity to focus on their mental health and trauma, rather than their physical pain.
Why Treating Trauma is Important
Trauma, if not healed, can have lasting impacts into adulthood. It affects how we react to stressful situations, the relationships we have, and our long-term health. Left untreated, childhood trauma can lead to depression, suicidal ideation, unhealthy relationships, risky behavior like drug use, as well as physical conditions such as heart problems, diabetes, chronic migraines, and rheumatologic or autoimmune disorders.
By treating both the mental and physical effects of trauma, your child can live a more fulfilling and happy life. To learn more about how you can help guide your child on their path toward healing, creating a positive and safe relationship with your child can be the foundation of their healing.
