Human beings will always be exposed to events that might not be pleasing and that might provoke lasting negative effects. However, what happens when we start our lives surrounded by distressing situations? My name is Jen Stuart and, in today’s post, we will explore what developmental trauma is and how Trauma Sensitive Yoga can help you heal your inner child. 

What is developmental trauma?

We call developmental trauma to the trauma that people suffer during their early development stages, and that impacts on their adulthood. The 6 areas that become disassociated are:

• Sensory development
• Attachment development
• Emotional regulation
• Behavioural regulation
• Cognition
• Self-concept and identity development

Babies and children can suffer from it, even unborn babies can present developmental trauma if the birth mother was a victim of trauma during pregnancy. Adults suffer from it too. There are 3 types of adverse childhood experiences, which covers the most usual factors:

• Abuse
• Neglect 
• Household dysfunction

But the events can happen outside home too and be produced by accidents, catastrophes, bullying, among others. Developmental trauma is not limited to openly negative experiences neither.

How does it affect the person?

Childhood emotional trauma can cause a series of behavioural problems. People can develop trust issues since their needs weren’t met during childhood, and they may have a poor sense of safety. They may have uncontrolled reactions if they struggled with regulating their arousal during childhood,. This can affect their relationships, their working life, and even compromise personal aspects such as hygiene. Furthermore, it can have impacts on health and education and therefore result in early death.

Some individuals may lack empathy and fall into a cycle where trauma is still present in their lives, whether they are the victims, again, or the aggressors. People could feel incomplete or avoid themselves and neglect their own emotions. They may not remember their childhood as part of a self-defense mechanism.

Developmental trauma in adults and Trauma Sensitive Yoga

Among the many benefits of yoga for trauma, I can list 3 vital ones that will help you heal your inner kid:

• Greater self-knowledge

Trauma Sensitive Yoga gently helps you open a door to explore and understand one’s self. One might have developed self defence mechanisms (to fight, flight, or freeze) that are hampering the healing process. By restoring the link between your body and mind, ones will be able to broaden self-knowledge and recognise one’s needs, likes, dislikes, etc.

• Change the relationship you have with trauma

Yoga for trauma guides trauma survivors, in a safe environment,  through their healing process. It allows the body to complete the incomplete trauma response and unearth the repressed memories because, to be able to let go, we need to touch in again.

• Get tools to retake the control that was lost during childhood.

Trauma Sensitive Yoga is focused on providing you with tools to self regulate and self soothe that you will be able to use in the long term, like interoception, meditation and mindfulness practices; you will not only start your recovery journey but will be able to sustain it over time as the practices will be integrated.

If you feel ready to start your healing journey, please visit Journey for Jen to get more information.