What is Developmental Trauma?

Developmental Trauma (DTD) or Complex Trauma (CT) can be a result of caregiver abuse, neglect, or chronic misattunement. Put simply, the experiences we have with our primary caregivers can have long-lasting and significant impacts on our physical and mental health in adulthood. Contrary to largely held societal beliefs, emotional abuse has the strongest correlation with symptom severity in adulthood. Those who grow up in chaotic, emotionally or physically abusive/neglectful households often develop chronic problems such as:

  • Difficulty regulating emotions

  • Impairments in impulse control, attention, and cognition

  • Dissociation

  • Chronic problems in Interpersonal relationships

  • Identity problems

 

Many people with DTD or CT have been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, BPD, and ADHD whose mental health difficulties would be better explained using a DT framework.

To gain understanding I frequently have clients read these three books-

For more information regarding Developmental / Complex Trauma, I recommend The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van der Kolk, MD.- it is considered by many to be “the trauma bible".”

For help with codependency, Codependent No More by Melody Beattie is both a classic and excellent.

If you are looking to understand the emotional toll problematic parents can cause, Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson, PsyD is my top choice- my clients love this book!