Brain damage from abuse
Reply #1 - December 27, 2013, 03:01 PM
I do think this is accurate research. I was reluctant to leave my abusive spouse in part because of how it would affect the development of my children to separate them from their extended family and their father at a critical stage of growth.
But it got worse and became about life, and development cannot take place at all, if that ends.
I do know that my least well adjusted child had been screaming, not crying, but screaming, in the nights since he was a newborn, and this lasted until six months after he had been removed from his initial natal environment. I did not know this was a reaction to his environment until I took classes providing information on trauma effecting child development.
He has PTSD, and both he and I experience this excerpt from the publication you provided:
"Persistent Fear Response. Chronic stress or repeated traumas can result in a number of biological reactions, including a persistent fear state (Perry, 2006). Neurochemical systems are affected, which can cause a cascade of changes in attention, impulse control, sleep, and fine motor control (Perry, 2000a; 2000b). Chronic activation of certain parts of the brain involved in the fear response (such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal [HPA] axis) can “wear out” other parts of the brain such as the hippocampus, which is involved in cognition and memory (Perry, 2000b). The HPA axis may react to chronic fear or stress by producing excess cortisol—a hormone that may damage or destroy neurons in critical brain areas (Putnam, 2006). Chronic activation of the neuronal pathways involved in the fear response can create permanent memories that shape the child’s perception of and response to the environment. While this adaptation may be necessary for survival in a hostile world, it can become a way of life that is difficult to change, even if the environment improves."
He also has atypical responses to affection from people besides myself. Thank you for posting this. It's nice to go over it again, because I can see his progress clearly from the last time i read it.
Don't let Hitler have the street.
Topic: Brain damage from abuse