Adult vs. Childhood Trauma
Adult trauma is the experience of a bodily or emotional event, usually negative, as an adult verses a childhood happening. A traumatic episode can have a lasting psychic effect on both an adult or child, but especially on children who are still forming their personality.
Adult vs childhood trauma effects how the person sees adversity or negative events that occur in the journey of life. Those who have had a strong support system and have been able to process what happened are more capable of handling additional stress than those who had no one to help them deal with the negative trauma.
Is It Trauma or Just Stressful Incident
Adults who have experienced trauma as children are more likely to perceive events in their grown lives as traumatic rather than stressful. Adults who have had fairly trauma-free early lives tend to perceive negative events and experiences as more isolated and have a greater stress tolerance.
Adults and children who have not dealt successfully with the past traumatic events tend to link their current trauma to past events. By processing and working through a traumatic event, whether as an adult or child, allows the individual to put it in a wider context of life.
The individual learns great coping skills that can transfer to other areas of life.
Do Some People Attract Trauma
Some scientific studies have shown that those with early childhood trauma which has never been resolved or processed continue to experience more trauma as adults. The debate is how much it is a matter of perception or choice to keep attracting that to which they have unfortunately become accustomed. Some people create crisis situations because they have become accustomed to being in crisis.
Negative Belief Systems Can Be Changed
If you were involved in either Adult or Childhood Trauma, you will want to re-examine your belief system and make sure it is serving you now. If not, then reframe the trauma and process the experience so it is not repeated.
I would invite you to check out
http://www.EncourageSelfConfidence.com for a more complete look on how to modify your belief systems. You deserve to put the past behind you and become more confident in the future.
Having experienced both, I’d have to vote for adult trauma as easier to reframe. Children seldom have the tools or maturity or guidance to do that and sexual trauma in particular can be entirely repressed beyond conscious awareness or repressed through shame. Fortunately, we do tend to attract those experiences that recreate the original wound once we’re capable of recognition and healing.