Developmental Trauma

What is Developmental Trauma?

Developmental Trauma, also referred to as “Relational Trauma” or “Attachment Injury”, does not result from an immediate threat to life and therefore does not elicit the same survival response that occurs with Single Event or Complex Trauma. Instead, this type of trauma is a result of repeated failures of the parents or caregivers to support the emotional and psychological needs of the child during the critical first six years of life when the brain is rapidly developing, and the child is learning to make meaning out of its experiences.   

A child whose needs are met in a timely fashion by a sensitive parent or caregiver will form a “secure” attachment style with that parent. Such a child will tend to grow up with self-confidence and feelings of self-worth, and find it easy to be warm and loving with others. However, children who grow up with an emotionally unpredictable or unresponsive parent/caregiver will tend to form an “insecure” attachment bond, which can undermine the child's developing sense of confidence and security. Such a child will acquire beliefs and patterns of emotional expression that are contrary to their true nature. This distortion of the child’s essential being is the essence of developmental trauma, which influences all later development.