Sharing – Memories of childhood trauma may shift depending on current relationships

This seems like an important takeaway:

A study published in Child Abuse & Neglect reveals that young adults report fewer adverse childhood experiences during weeks when they feel more supported by their parents. This suggests that standard measures of early trauma may reflect a person’s current state of mind as much as their historical reality.

https://www.psypost.org/memories-of-childhood-trauma-may-shift-depending-on-current-relationships/

That’s not to say that children who experienced childhood trauma can forget the experience if only their parents could love them enough. The trauma still happened, but when a child is safe in their family, the trauma is not at the forefront of their mind in the same way.

Think of it this way, we don’t ask trauma survivors to try healing from their trauma when their current situation is unsafe. That would be silly. We get them into a safe situation first, before they can even begin to heal. The same goes here. Kids who are safe and feel secure in their parents’ love and support look forward beyond the trauma.

Kids who are unsafe and not secure in the love and support of parents relive their trauma on a daily basis. It’s no wonder they are slightly more likely to immediately think of it when surveyed.