Childhood Developmental Trauma Vs. Later Trauma

[joeylittle]

Those of you looking for more background on the ANP/EP stuff (@Meadowsweet, @Saelben, @Intrepid) will find a great discussion here:
Structural Dissociation?
And that thread links to another one as well.

 

[Deleted member 28403]

I've just been doing a bit of work on my own states, and posted a thread regarding the DID.
https://www.myptsd.com/threads/dissociative-indentity-disorder.54055/

 

[Chava]

Childhood abuse and trauma has a huge and lasting impact. As for the "developmental" category, that has to do with the first couple years of life when human attachment is formed (creates basis for future relationships). About 80% of total brain development happens within first few years of life. So there has been discussion about differences between developmental trauma and later childhood trauma or cptsd. Truth is there is so much overlap for many of us. But developmental trauma really refers to the first few years...shock trauma, abuse, neglect, attachment trauma. Any of it threatens the baby's existence because they are completely helpless and the little brain is growing at lightning speed, especially in the first 6 months.

Skills like reasoning develop through adolescence but the brain is mostly developed. The frontal lobe is the last to develop (finished in late adolescence, like early 20s). Neuroplasticity involves the hope of being able to continue to develop or change brain patterns in subtle ways, but the whole brain has more plasticity when young (hard to teach an old dog new tricks...maybe not impossible, but hard).

 

[shimmerz]

The thing is with Developmental Trauma, if I am a babe in arms up to about the time I am five (maybe more) and I consistently realize that I need to keep myself safe because my parents do not - then I am spending all of my time hiding in corners, screaming and crying (if I am allowed to without thinking I am going to die), investing myself in my Teddy Bear or dog, if I have one, or use some sort of inanimate object as a form of substitution. So many things that I am going to be figuring out that others, who are cared for, just breeze through. I may learn not to EVER take care of my own needs because I get severely punished for having them.

This, I think, is where @Junebug 's statement resonates:

it came to me (I see) what I think we need is modelling (it is one thing that is very helpful).

I agree completely. We don't learn to eat when we are hungry, we don't learn to sleep when we are tired, we don't learn how to soothe ourselves, and most importantly, imho, we learn to become more invested in the needs of others rather than ourselves (in a dysfunctional way), because we learned that is where our safety lies. When everyone else is happy.

That, I think, is the pretense for this posting. I see the difference in people's postings and can pretty much nail (I think), after seeing how they interact, whether they have been traumatized during developmental stages. And I feel a type of kinship with them because I kinda 'get' them. Other posts from members who are not developmentally traumatized, I feel like I have a totally different thought pattern. Most responses rarely hit the mark.

Idk, just thinking out loud.

 

[shimmerz]

I feel like I relate to much of what you say Link Removed ....what I actually see sometimes is conversations sidewinding into off-topics or related topics between small groups of forum friends...and a new poster isn't necessarily responded to, or allowed to relate to the new conversations that are between small groups of members.

Yes, I have definitely noticed this as well. This is a really good point. I know that I have done this as well as something - like you say, a sidewinding of the topic - grabs attention. Agreed. Thanks Chava.

 

[Meadowsweet]

@shimmerz a good while ago I read an article on mirror neurons and the possible effect upon learning nurturing coping strategies in later life. The basic premise was that if a child has not been soothed, nurtured or shown healthy responses to their physical or emotional needs, then the person is likely to lack those skills when it comes to looking after themselves in later life. It seems pretty obvious, but it was the fact that these mirror neurons seemed to show the physical development of self coping skills (and therefore the developmental deficiency of those skills when they have not been shown). It seems to relate to what you are saying here.

 

[shimmerz]

I think you have a big piece there @Meadowsweet . Mirror neurons are a really important part of development. Connection, attachment, and empathy in particular. Here is a good video on their role if anyone is interested.

 

[RussH]

I don't understand the 'parts' part, or even the inner child concept really, but I heard an old (bit corn...

IF you ever get to see the movie Disney's "The Kid" it portrays this beautifully

 

[shimmerz]

Thanks for this @RussH , I didn't know this. :)

 

[Weemie]

i think in relation to "parts" it's not really this "multiple personality" thing, like sybil or f*ckin' eve. it's just. different things are fronting, we section our awareness of ourselves into tangible elements. fractured, y'know, faceted.

i've met people w/o dev. trauma who have this, too. when i was right in it. they were older, fell into it. you can tell, you can see. they're unpredictable, they're contradictory. bad tempers. where's the explanation? same, same, same. punched a garbage can once at work. guy was walking by, me, just slow-motion punching a garbage can. still got the mark on my knuckles. why? mad. the rage flows through me, becomes me, turns me.

i think it's just a certain type of trauma. executive functioning, mind-casting over, living, breathing shit. secondary trauma, y'know. take-good-care. there's a certain formation aspect, maybe like because you're needing to form something new, something purely for it, when you're in that kind of trauma space. because it's so outside of your experience, there's no native function.

 

[Hope4Now]

Link Removed , it came to me (I see) what I think we need is modelling (it is one thing that is very helpful). :tup:

I completely agree. For a long time it really flipped me out that I would hear my therapist's voice in my head a lot. I mean A LOT. And I would remember his responses to me which sort of contradicted/slammed up against how I respond to my parts. And at some point I realized what was happening. He models for me how I can be with myself. And I am learning. I think this is attachment stuff.

We still have mirror neurons as adults. They can still be activated in positive ways that help our systems. This needs to happen for our brains to rewire themselves in ways different from how they got wired through our developmental years.

IF you ever get to see the movie Disney's "The Kid" it portrays this beautifully

Check this trailer out. Inside Out. Opening June 19th. The IFS (Internal Family Systems) people who do a lot of PARTS stuff are all over this movie. It is pretty funny actually. Shows relatively functional systems in the trailer, I think. Because everyone has parts. Even those who have no trauma. Those of us who have trauma just have parts that are very extreme and we have difficulty understanding and leading them.
http://video.disney.com/watch/inside-out-trailer-2-509d33e1baece169cc10dc60

@RussH thanks for the suggestion to watch The Kid. I've never seen it. I am going to watch it!

 

[ghotiff]

New Link Removed , it came to me (I see) what I think we need is modelling (it is one thing that is very helpful). :tup: