SIGNS OF DEVELOPMENTAL TRAUMA IN ADULTS FULL

emotionally unavailable parents or caregivers.Some common causes of unresolved trauma Manly and Lapides have worked within clients include: If you receive support or help while going through a traumatic event, the trauma is less likely to stick with you. It’s how you process the event,” Lapides says. In other words, “trauma isn’t an event that happens. “You can have 10 people survive a small plane crash, and each person’s response to the traumatic event will be different based upon their history, genetics, and their actual experience of the traumatic event,” Manly explains. Complex trauma - the kind that arises from repeated events - often stems from childhood experiences.Įvery person’s response to trauma is unique - so an event that might cause one person to regress or get “stuck” might not impact someone else in the same way, even if they lived through similar experiences. She adds that trauma can come from events that weren’t registered as significant at the time, but they left a mark, nonetheless.Īs well as one-off events, trauma can result from repeated events, like an abusive relationship or childhood neglect. “Most people understand as tragic, violent, or catastrophic incidents, like combat trauma or natural disasters,” says Claire Corey, PhD, a clinical psychologist and trauma specialist. difficulty maintaining close relationships.knowing you want to do something in life, but feel like you can’t get there.fear-based behaviors, such as excessive anxiety or controlling behavior.Some general signs of unresolved trauma could include: Still, these are not necessarily negative coping methods, and they can help many people feel comforted, safe, and loved. The signs or symptoms that someone is emotionally stuck vary from person to person and can depend on how old you were when the trauma occurred and the nature of the trauma.īehaviors associated with age regression could include adult temper tantrums, difficulty with impulse control, or overly clingy or dependent behavior.īehaviors classed as regressive can also involve child-like comfort-seeking, such as: Signs that you’re stuck at an earlier age It might occur in people with mental health issues related to trauma, such as: Trauma can cause anyone to get “stuck” in this way. “It doesn’t necessarily make you stuck at a certain age, but instead, acting out the emotional wounding that happened at that age,” Lapides adds. “Because it wasn’t safe for the body to process, the trapped emotions unconsciously dictate your behaviors and relationships unknowingly,” she says. Melissa Lapides, a licensed marriage and family therapist, psychotherapist, and trauma specialist in California, explains age regression as a survival mechanism. Trauma that affects your development can occur at any time during childhood. When does trauma-related regression happen?

Though many therapists and counselors believe that trauma can cause age regression and leave people stuck at a certain age, few research studies are looking into its validity and usefulness in trauma therapy. A small-scale 2007 study notes that regression may be more common in younger adults than older adults. It can rewire your brain in such a way that ultimately influences your thought patterns and behavioral responses as you get older, she says.Īccording to 2015 research, age regression can happen in children and adults. This is because, on a neurobiological level, the trauma is not properly processed. “In essence, depending on the severity of the trauma, entire way of being may be formed around the traumatic incident,” Manly adds. “As a result, if healing does not occur, the traumatic incident can impede healthy development. “When an individual is traumatized, especially early on in life, the memory of the trauma is stored both in the brain and the body,” explains Carla Marie Manly, PhD, a clinical psychologist, trauma specialist, and author based in Sonoma, California. When you feel or act emotionally younger than your actual age, this is known as age regression.Īge regression means that, later in life, child-like behavior patterns can appear again when we feel unsafe or when we encounter triggers related to previous trauma - even if we’re unaware that we’ve been triggered. Trauma can “freeze” your emotional response at the age you experienced it.

SIGNS OF DEVELOPMENTAL TRAUMA IN ADULTS FULL

When trauma impairs your ability to develop full emotional maturity, this is known as arrested psychological development. Traumatic events can overwhelm your body and mind, leaving a lasting mark on your mood, relationship, and sense of self long after the trauma has ended.

Signs of developmental trauma in adults