Trauma victims often have a torn view of the world. This is especially apparent when their worldviews are compared to those of people who have not been through traumatic events.
Many trauma victims understand that their worldviews are different from others’. Even so, they’re not always able to understand why this is the case. The question is, how to people learn what is safe, and what is not safe? Much of this learning is formed in the earliest years of one’s life. However, that does not mean that new learning cannot take place, even to replace information that has been there for years.
Childhood and the Worldview Formation Without Trauma
During childhood, children form their worldviews. In fact, so much information is stored in their brains during the first 5 years of their lives. From the very beginning, children learn that they are the center of the universe. When they are nurtured and cared for properly, they flourish.
An excellent example of this is a child who is consistently loved and verbally praised. Grandparents may dote on this child, telling him how cute he is, how smart he is, etc. Parents may view this child as being exceptional, and treat him with love and respect. As a result, this child grows up believing that this is normal.
In adulthood, whenever something happens that goes against these basic, worldview ideals is seen as foreign. Normalcy is to be treated well at all times.
Traumatized Children and Their Worldviews
As you might expect, the exact opposite is true for children who did not grow up this way. For these children, they may suffer verbal or physical abuse on a daily basis. They may suffer from sexual abuse, or they may be neglected. Everywhere they turn in their lives, there is pain.
As a result, when they grow up, that is their “normal.” When they meet people who treat them well as adults, it doesn’t feel right. Instead, spending time with people who abuse them feels the most comfortable and familiar, even if it’s not comfortable at all.
The Core Issues Behind Trauma
It’s important to get to the core issues of what is behind trauma. Many people don’t even realize why they feel the way they do. They may know that they’re different from others. However, if they were asked to point to a single, traumatizing event in their lives, they aren’t able to do that.
This is where trauma therapy comes into play. You may be in a situation yourself where you feel lost. You may know that something isn’t right in your life, but you can’t put your finger on it. If this sounds like you, it’s possible that trauma therapy can help.
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