Overcoming Adverse Childhood Experiences

The Center for Disease Control has recognized adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as a contributor of long term economic, physiologic, and social stress. ACEs are traumatic childhood events that may have a lingering effect on our lives in adulthood. They are common and can occur to anyone in any setting. More than two thirds of Americans surveyed say that they have experienced at least one ACE during their childhood (0-17 years). These experiences can vary from witnessing violence against others to personal experiences of violence. They can also stem from the stresses of growing up in household dysfunction due to a parent or guardian’s mental illness or incarceration. Often times ACEs comes with some other aspects that undermine a child’s sense of safety, stability, and relationship building beyond direct abuse or neglect such as substance abuse of a parent or regular struggles due to financial instability. Recovering from ACEs can take years if not generations. Victims of ACEs commonly come to develop a form of PTSD known as toxic stress.

Toxic stress caused by ACEs is a prolonged triggering of one’s fight or flight response. This long-term activation of the brain can cause serious dysfunction to the nervous system. A chemical imbalance in the brain can lead to anxiety, depression, and impaired cognitive functioning. The CDC-Kaiser ACE study shows that adults with an ACE score of 4 or higher are significantly more likely to have behavioral, physical, or mental health issues later on in their lives. Luckily, now, due to a greater awareness for the effects of ACEs, many resources have become available to help those in need break the toxic stress cycles that result from ACEs.

If you are reading this as someone who struggles from the haunting traumas of your childhood adversities, know that you are not alone. Taking the steps to reach out and recover from these experiences can take a lot of courage and energy. Remember to take it easy. Recovery isn’t about speed. When we are hurt as children, that hurt can fester and get in the way of our growth. They can collect in the very foundations of who we become and how we perceive without us necessarily realizing it.  The journey can be long and hard, but in the end, you can find peace and happiness.

The key to getting back on track is different for everyone. That is why at Virtual EMDR, we encourage our users to personalize their sessions to fit their needs and timelines. Virtual EMDR provides you with anytime treatment anywhere you go. At Virtual EMDR, our goal is to help you regain control of you past by providing you with a means to reprocess your negative experiences with positive ones. We use a set of unique specialized programs that has helped others overcome their depression, anxiety, and childhood traumas.

MaryAnn, “After using Virtual EMDR, I found myself grow calmer and less likely to be triggered. It helped me work on traumatic experiences that I discovered even back in my childhood.”

Mike L., also US veteran says, “I tried Virtual EMDR in the summer of 2019, and did about 10 sessions to deal with my anger and my shutting down emotionally. It uncovers the deep-down issues that our conscious minds can't access and brings them to the surface to be dealt with.  The negative things that came to the surface during the sessions were disempowered. Virtual EMDR changed the way I felt. After the sessions, I felt more at ease and what used to quickly trigger a response didn’t trigger that response anymore. I didn't have to counsel with anyone rehashing painful things that never got results.”

If you are seeking help overcoming your childhood trauma, please visit us at www.virtualemdr.com to see how Virtual EMDR can help you find peace.

https://www.joiningforcesforchildren.org/what-are-aces/

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/fastfact.html

https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/aces-and-toxic-stress-frequently-asked-questions/