Studies show that childhood trauma can have lasting effects into adulthood. Unfortunately, trauma is often misunderstood and mismanaged. For many teens today, childhood trauma can manifest as drug and alcohol use. The best way to help teens struggling with drug and alcohol use or unresolved trauma is a trauma treatment program specifically for teens.
If your teen is dealing with the effects of trauma, call Venture Academy for support today. Our range of programs for clients ages 18-25, addiction therapy, and trauma treatment help young adults build resilience. Reach us now online or at 866.762.2211 to learn more about how our trauma treatment for teens can help teens begin to heal from the signs of childhood trauma.
What Is Trauma?
Trauma is a physical, emotional, and psychological response to a life-threatening event. In the event of a near-death experience, abuse, natural disorder, or other traumatic events, the body releases cortisol, adrenaline, and other chemicals to help it survive. Unfortunately, the body either processes these chemicals in the moment or stores them as traumatic memories. Many scientists call this trauma “trapped” in the body’s tissues.
For many people, the chemicals that create a fight, flight, or flee response when faced with danger never process at the moment. This can lead to traumatic memory and reliving trauma as well as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Signs of Childhood Trauma in Teens and Young Adults
The most difficult thing to understand about trauma is that everyone’s tolerance and experience are different. What may be traumatic to one person is easily processed by another. This can be especially hard to understand when it comes to childhood trauma. While traumatic events are stored in the body, there may not always be a conscious memory. This is especially common with traumas that occur within the first several years of a person’s life. Many children can grow up suffering the effects of childhood trauma and do not know why they react and experience the world the way they do.
Signs of childhood trauma include:
- Often feeling on edge
- Emotional outbursts that make little sense
- Self-medicating
- Not feeling safe
- Avoiding people, places, thoughts, activities
- Strange responses to other’s actions
- Vivid nightmares
- A constant state of hyperarousal
- Trouble concentrating
When someone has undergone childhood trauma, they have a lower stress tolerance. Seemingly normal things can trigger traumatic memories or re-traumatize them. Trauma-informed therapy can help young adults get to the root of childhood trauma and begin healing.
Over time, childhood trauma can worsen symptoms of mood disorders like depression and anxiety. A therapist can help diagnose and treat these underlying disorders alongside trauma treatment. Practises like EMDR and behavioural therapy can help process and desensitise traumatic sensations and memories to reduce anxiety and depression.
Treating the Effects of Childhood Trauma
If your teen shows some of the signs of childhood trauma, they may be dealing with other mental health disorders as well. As a parent, it can be complicated to witness and help a traumatised teen. Venture Academy can help. Our programs provide young adults with a range of services, from crisis intervention to clinical treatment for substance abuse and childhood trauma. Our multidisciplinary team can provide your teen with a 30-day assessment and the clinical support they need to begin trauma recovery and healing. With a range of programs, therapies, and extended care, Venture Academy is ready to help your teen thrive.
Recognise Signs of Childhood Trauma and Heal at Venture Academy
Don’t let childhood trauma control your teen’s life. Call Venture Academy now at 866.762.2211 or reach out to us online to learn more about our programs and the effects of childhood trauma on drug and alcohol use.
