Welcome to Succeed with Stacy

Adverse Childhood Experiences & Toxic Stress

 

TOXIC STRESS- Is very severe and overwhelming that it leaves a person feeling shook up and stressed for a long time. This kind of stress adversely affects the brain and biology in ways that impair adult health, work performance, relationships, judgments, impulse control, spirituality, and self esteem especially without having a safe adult around to comfort and help the stress. The edicts of toxic stress can be passed down as intergenerational if it’s not addressed.

 

What is Trauma? -It is described in the dictionary as a deeply distressing or disturbing experience.Trauma Experiences are negative distressing, emotionally intense and can undermine a persons ability to cope with everyday life. It can leave them feeling helps, entrapped, vulnerable, powerless, terrorized, isolated, and lonely.

 

There are three different types of trauma -

• Acute- A singular traumatic event that is brief in duration and narrowly focused in nature such a car accident or assault results from a single incident.

• Chronic-occurs when a person experiences traumatic situations, abusive relationships or one trauma after another.

• Complex- is exposure to varied and multiple traumatic events.

 

What are some CASUES OF TRAUMA??

• Sudden or Violent Deaths

• Sexual or Violent Assault

• Unthinkable Acts

• Accidents- Plane, Train, Automobile, Motorcycle

• War

• Abuse and or Neglect

Everyone will respond to each situation differently. We all have our own experience and perception of the events. There are a few situations that can matter how people suffer.

 

What the traumatic event was: and what immediate followed? If the person was able to facilitate as an escape or save others are less likely to experience the serve trauma compared to those that felt helpless or remained paralyzed. 

Environment : No two will have the same experience or response to the trauma, but in situations where a person was raised in a stable environment with loving parents or trusted guardians shows that they are more likely to develop resilience and strength to help them later with extreme stress or trauma.

Spiritual and Philosophical: The belief systems also contribute to an individuals resilience and ability to withstand or process trauma.

 

Using the ACES study to find out how many you fall under gives you a good idea to where you fall. 

• Three kinds of abuse-

• Sexual

• Physical

• Emotional

• Two kinds of neglect

• Emotional 

• Physical

• Some of the different household dysfunctions

• Parents divorced or separated

• Witnessing mother or stepmother being treated violently

• A household member addicted to alcohol or other drugs?

• A household member in jail.

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EMOTIONAL TRAUMA & COMMON RESPONSES-

• CAUSE:

• Divorce or Relationship Breakup

• Health Issues

• Job Loss

• Financial Difficulty

• Miscarriage

• Retirement

• Loss of Pet

• Serious illness in Family

• AFFECT 

• Hyper vigilance

• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

• Avoidance

• Dissociation

• Anger

• Reactive

• Guilt and Shame

• Grief

• Depression

• Cynical 

• Loss of Libido

• Addictions

• Maladaptive Behaviors

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​EMOTIONAL TRAUMA: 

We are learning that it is way more than just extreme experiences such fighting in wars and the effects of war. Today we now understand that isn’t always the case. Traumas can be chronic or insidious events because many life experiences can leave people traumatized.​ When TRAUMA causes an intense stressful experience this can destroy a persons sense of security which can leave a person feeling completely overwhelmed.

• Causing:

• Feeling Used

• Feelings of Abuse

• Feeling Taken Advantage Of

• Treated like an Object

• Feeling Violated 

• Disregarded or Trashed

• Feeling Vulnerable

• Feeling Powerless

​It’s not the objective facts that will determine if its a traumatic event its your subjective and emotional experience of the event(s). The more frightened and or helps the person feels, the more likely the are to be traumatized.