{"id":77335,"date":"2022-08-23T13:48:49","date_gmt":"2022-08-23T17:48:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=77335"},"modified":"2022-09-05T19:56:28","modified_gmt":"2022-09-05T23:56:28","slug":"traumatic-childhood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/traumatic-childhood\/","title":{"rendered":"How a Traumatic Childhood Can Alter Your Beliefs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What are some of the effects of a traumatic childhood? How does it shape you as an adult?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to holistic psychologist Nicole LePera, traumas in childhood take many forms, including feeling unloved or powerless as a child. LePera found that those who experienced such feelings in childhood displayed certain self-destructive patterns as adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to learn how a traumatic childhood could still be impacting you as an adult, according to LePera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

A Traumatic Childhood & Defensive Behaviors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many people engage in self-sabotaging patterns<\/a> that prevent them from being happy. Despite their efforts to change, they end up reverting to their unwanted behaviors and feel powerless to adopt healthier patterns. According to holistic psychologist and bestselling author Nicole LePera, such patterns stem from a traumatic childhood that’s been left unresolved.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her book, How to Do the Work<\/a><\/em>, LePera argues that you can live a healthier, happier life by taking control of your self-destructive patterns. The key to overcoming unwanted patterns lies in addressing childhood traumas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LePera argues that, whenever your parents made you feel unloved and insecure, you felt extreme pain and discomfort<\/strong>. Since you couldn\u2019t escape your traumatic childhood and hadn\u2019t yet developed the emotional skills to cope with your inner turmoil, you adopted defensive beliefs and behaviors to avoid feeling your pain and prevent similar painful situations from occurring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further, since you relied on your parents to teach you how to think, feel, and behave, you adopted the same defensive beliefs and behaviors that <\/strong>they <\/em><\/strong>used to cope with their pain. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example: How You Developed Defensive Beliefs and Behaviors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Let’s look at an example of traumatic childhood experiences: Every time your parents fought, your father would withdraw both emotionally and physically\u2014by acting cold and distant or staying away from home. Meanwhile, your mother would stay at home and take her frustrations out on you and your siblings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To avoid feeling the emotional discomfort this situation created, you might have:<\/p>\n\n\n\n