The article discusses the profound and lasting impact of childhood abuse on mental health, highlighting various forms such as physical, emotional, sexual abuse, and neglect. It explains how these experiences shape a child's sense of safety and belonging, often resulting in unresolved trauma that affects their adulthood. The author emphasizes that healing is possible through therapeutic tools, reiterating that while the past may be painful, the future offers opportunities for restoration and joy.
Childhood abuse manifests in multiple forms, and not all of them leave visible scars. Physical abuse is perhaps the most recognized, involving acts of violence that inflict bodily harm. Emotional abuse... can be equally devastating.
The common denominator is that abuse disrupts a child's sense of safety, belonging, and worth, leaving them to navigate life with an internal landscape shaped by fear and mistrust.
In over 40 years of mental health counseling, my experience is that unresolved trauma is the leading cause of mental health challenges. Among events that contribute to unresolved trauma, childhood abuse is near the top.
The future is yet to be written; and that story can be one of healing, wholeness, and joy.
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