Becoming Parent
Know What Childhood Trauma is and How to Deal with It Appropriately
23 Feb 2024
Know What Childhood Trauma is and How to Deal with It Appropriately
23 Feb 2024

Now, one of the questions that often arises in many people's minds is about What is childhood trauma and how to overcome it? Childhood trauma is a trauma that a person experiences when he is a child and has a big effect on him when he grows up. So, what is an effective way to help children recover from their trauma?

Get to know what childhood trauma is and how to overcome it

According to a study conducted by The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, trauma experienced during childhood is a serious trauma because it has bad effects that last throughout life. However, there are several ways that can be done to overcome this childhood trauma, namely as follows:

  1. Reassure your child that you care about him
    If your little one has childhood trauma that is quite imprinted in his memory in the past, then your job as a parent is to convince him that you always care about his safety. Generally, childhood trauma is experienced by young children who previously grew up in a harsh family environment or had past experiences that made them depressed.

    Children's fear of violence will sometimes make them have negative perceptions of the people around them. For this reason, you must convince your little one that you and your family will always protect him and are willing to do whatever it takes to make him feel safe.

  2. Encouraging Children to Be Open
    Children who have trauma are also often indicated by being reluctant to talk and being very closed, although it does not rule out the possibility that this is their personality. Little ones who have trauma sometimes won't tell what's on their mind because of fear and other things that make them unable to open up.

    To overcome this, you have to take a gentle approach to your little one so that he wants to talk. Avoid forcing him to tell stories, invite communication that is full of understanding and does not pressure him. Apart from that, invite your little one so that they can talk about their feelings and validate the emotions they are feeling.

  3. Always There for Children
    Parents have an obligation to always be there for their little ones in any situation, whether they are happy or down. When a child has deep trauma, the parent's role, which is key so that the child can recover, is to be by his or her side as often as possible.

    You can invite him to play or watch fun videos as a way to bond with your little one. That way, slowly your child will trust you as the person who will always protect him.

  4. Show Love to Children Through Actions
    Not only in verbal form, but parents must show their affection and love for their little one who has trauma in real action. You can show it with simple actions, such as hugging him gently, taking him on holiday, holding him, and so on.

    This action will trigger the release of a hormone related to positive feelings, namely oxytocin, which can provide a sense of calm for your little one. However, sometimes there are small children who don't like physical contact, even if it is with their own parents. If your little one is a child who hates physical contact, then you have to understand that and approach it communicatively.

  5. Keep Children Away from Causes of Trauma
    One of the most important steps in overcoming childhood trauma is to keep children away from things that make them remember traumatic events. An easy example, you can change the television channel to show a certain event that turns out to be related to what he is afraid of. If you recall the trauma he faced, it will actually make him stressed and even more afraid.

  6. Stay calm
    Many parents feel at a loss when their children experience trauma, such as being victims of bullying at school. Panic and anger are normal emotions when you hear that your child is being disturbed, but try to always act calmly in front of your child because if you worry too much, he will feel depressed.

    Communicate slowly when you want to ask about the chronology of events that your little one has experienced. This must also be done with patience and a cool brain, then make sure that the child is in a ready condition, both mentally and physically, to tell you a story.

  7. Seek Professional Help
    Sometimes, parents try their best to help their child overcome childhood trauma. However, there are times when this method is less effective because the child has severe trauma and needs direct help from professionals such as child psychologists.

    For this reason, there is nothing wrong if you decide to visit a child psychologist so that they provide adequate therapy to your little one, so that the child can quickly forget his bad memories. Apart from that, collaborate with the school so that children can get justice when they are bullied by other children.


Conclusion

As a parent, effective steps to help overcome childhood trauma are as follows:

  1. Provide affection, care and gentle communication with children
  2. Keep children away from things that traumatize them
  3. Ask for help from professional experts

This is information about what childhood trauma is and how to deal with it, which is powerful enough to apply. Children who have trauma need you as parents and adults who love them, so try to always help them recover from the trauma.