Posts Tagged ‘childhood trauma’
Fears for Children When Divorcing an Alcoholic
The thought of divorcing an alcoholic * is terrifying for so many reasons, but when one has children, it can be paralyzing. Time and again I receive phone calls and emails from spouses expressing fears like these: “I am terrified to divorce because my children aren’t safe with him/her they drink.” “He drinks and drives…
Read MoreEarly Trauma Can Change a Child’s Brain
Early trauma can change a child’s brain. These brain changes can alter the physical and emotional health of that child across their lifetime. Seriously. And why might readers of BreakingTheCycles.com be interested in this topic? Because trauma – also referred to as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) – is often at the root of alcohol and…
Read MoreParental Alcohol Use Disorder Causes Trauma
Growing up in a home with parental alcohol use disorder “can feel like life in a war zone,” writes frequent guest author, Darlene Lancer, JD, MFT, in her article below. Darlene is the author of Codependency for Dummies and Conquering Shame and Codependency: 8 Steps to Freeing the True You, and her latest eBook is titled, Dealing with a Narcissist, 8…
Read MoreShame | Darlene Lancer Shares Her Shame Experience
Shame. Shame like that which surrounds all concerned when substance use or mental health disorders are part of a family’s dynamic. “It lurks in the unconscious, undermines self-esteem, and creates anxiety and havoc in our lives. The magnitude of feeling different, inadequate, or inferior can be unbearable. It’s the feeling of being a bad, unworthy person,”…
Read MoreThe Link Between Sexual Trauma and Addiction
The link between sexual trauma and addiction can be significant. As I wrote in my article, “Treating ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Helps With Addiction Recovery,” Treating ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences, which are extremely stressful or traumatic events occurring before the age of 18, can go a long, long way to helping a person with addiction…
Read MoreLandmark Congressional Hearing on Childhood Trauma
What a landmark Congressional Hearing on Childhood Trauma last Thursday! I imagine Doctors Vincent Felitti and Robert Anda, co-principals of what is now known as the CDC-Kaiser ACE Study, were heartened and deeply moved by that July 11, 2019 House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on childhood trauma. Twenty-one years after their study findings were…
Read MoreBuilding Resilience Through Understanding Substance Use Disorders and Their Impacts on Others
Building Resilience Through Understanding Substance Use Disorders and Their Impacts on Others was the topic of a 3.5 hour presentation I delivered to three different organizations this spring; these organizations were also the program sponsors: San Joaquin County Office of Education and the San Joaquin County Children’s Services Coordinating Commission (Stockton, CA, March 5, 2019)…
Read MoreRecovering from Childhood Trauma – “Cracked Up” Documentary Tells the Story
Recovering from childhood trauma, now commonly known as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), can begin at any age. And it can begin when we understand that treating childhood trauma requires identifying the root causes that underly the symptoms of childhood trauma. In other words, it requires helping children and adults understand there’s a reason they engage…
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