Abstract
Children experience trauma and adverse experiences at an alarming rate. The negative impact of traumatic experiences on a child’s developing brain is pervasive, adversely affecting one’s thoughts, feelings, behaviors, physiological reactions, and social relationships. Conversely, the nature, pattern, timing and duration of therapeutic experiences can change the brain in ways that support and cultivate therapeutic growth and healing. The purpose of this paper will be to review and expand on two prominent neurobiological therapeutic frameworks within the field of child trauma therapy: the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics and Interpersonal Neurobiology. We will discuss the ways in which trauma experiences are organized in the brain and how therapeutic and parenting interventions can address the key areas of the brain that are impacted. Further, this paper will expand on these frameworks to explore how the sacred (within primarily a Judeo-Christian monotheistic religious tradition) can be integrated within the therapeutic process—specifically through the themes of safety, relational connection, and meaning-making.
Highlights
IntroductionChildren would grow up in an environment in which they feel safe and loved
In an ideal world, children would grow up in an environment in which they feel safe and loved
Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), “Child traumatic stress occurs when children and adolescents are exposed to traumatic events or traumatic situations that overwhelm their ability to cope.”
Summary
Children would grow up in an environment in which they feel safe and loved. According to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), trauma symptoms might include intrusive thoughts or re-experiencing the event or situation, persistent avoidance of trauma associations, negative alterations in cognitions and mood, and marked alterations in arousal and reactivity The impact of these symptoms is rather pervasive and impairs a child’s thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and physiology. Avoidant symptoms might include conscious efforts to evade associated memories, thoughts, or feelings related to the traumatic event, or the avoidance of people, places, or activities that remind the child or adolescent about the event In young children, this may be linked to restricted play behaviors or limited exploration of the environment. Advances in neuroscience and neurobiology have provided many insights into how we understand the impact of trauma on the developing brain as well as how to help children heal from trauma in a developmentally sensitive manner
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