Childhood trauma doesn’t only mean one obvious event. It can include ongoing experiences (neglect, chronic criticism, instability, feeling unsafe in closeness). The key isn’t “was it bad enough?” but what your nervous system learned.

Common adult impacts

• Hypervigilance (always scanning for threat)

• Emotional shutdown or numbness

• Shame/self-criticism that feels automatic

• Over functioning, people-pleasing, difficulty resting

• Relationship patterns that don’t match your values

What research shows (broadly)

A large cohort/twin study found adverse childhood experiences were associated with adult psychiatric disorders even after adjusting for shared familial factors (genetic/environmental confounding), with dose-related patterns.

“But nothing extreme happened”

Many people minimise because:

• there was food/school, so it “shouldn’t count”

• the trauma was emotional/relational and hard to name

• you adapted by becoming high-functioning (until it stops working)

What therapy often focuses on (in a safe, staged way)

• Stabilisation and safety skills first

• Understanding triggers and protective strategies

• Processing at a pace that stays tolerable

• Rebuilding self-trust and boundary capacity

General information only. If you’re in immediate danger call 000. For crisis support: Lifeline 13 11 14.

References

• Daníelsdóttir, H. B., Aspelund, T., Shen, Q., et al. (2024). Adverse childhood experiences and adult mental health outcomes: A cohort study using twin analyses. JAMA Psychiatry, 81(6), 586–594.