#ACE (adverse childhood experience)

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #88

Today is the day. I'm going to try to write about ACEs. It's a big topic, and I'm pretty exhausted, so my efforts might be clumsy. Sorry in advance.

So, ACEs is short for Adverse Childhood Experiences. An organization called Kaiser Permanente conducted a study that involved thousands and thousands of people, the purpose of which was to look at how adverse experiences in childhood, especially in the absence of appropriate support, impacts the development and health of the resulting adult.

You can find lots of information about it here:

…But the short version of it is basically, the more kinds of abuse and adversity that a person experiences during childhood, the more likely a person is to have significant health problems when they get older.

The mechanism for that is basically this: children get adrenaline and cortisol in their bodies when they're hit, screamed at, neglected, abused, or needing to withstand living in tense, unpredictable environments, and growing brains cannot develop properly if a child has adrenaline and cortisol coursing through their blood all the damn time. And this does not only affect a person's mental health as they get older - it also impacts the brain's ability to do other important stuff, like regulate blood pressure and composition, regulate insulin levels, regulate various hormone levels, regulate digestion, regulate the sleep cycle, regulate immune system function, regulate the metabolism overall, and SO MANY MORE THINGS, because chronic exposure to adrenaline and cortisol ACTIVELY INTERFERES with the development of the parts of the brain that control these very basic bodily systems. When the parts of our brain that are responsible for the functioning of our basic organs do not grow in properly, it has widespread effects on a body's health and on the body's ability to maintain homeostasis overall.

So essentially, whether or not a person was abused during childhood or went through difficult shit without much support DIRECTLY AFFECTS whether or not the organs in a person's body get to function properly. Pause here and let that fucking sink in for a moment. Sit with it, and with all the ugly, horrifying implications that come from it. Take all the time you need.

Just to drive the point home, here is a handy-dandy infographic that can explain a lot of this FAR more succinctly and completely than I can:

Then there's this little page, too:

And yeah, you read that right in the previous link: if you have an ACE score of 6 or more, there's a decent chance that you'll take a dirt nap 20 years earlier than most other folks, and that's not just from risky behaviors like substance abuse, eating disorders, and whatnot. No, you get 20 years shaved off your lifespan just because if your body can't properly do things like regulate its blood pressure, insulin, hormones, sleep cycle, immune system, and all that jazz, it causes damage over time, which means that a person's cells will need to divide more frequently to repair the damage, which shortens a person's telomeres (and can also lead to cancer!), which results in, you guessed it, less life to live. Hoodathunkit.

You can find more sciency stuff about all this in this spot:

…Like I said in my 86th letter, this rabbit hole is HUGE. If ACEs impact even base functions (all it takes for this is an ACE score of 1), you can bet your ass that a person's higher functions (such as emotional regulation, decision-making, executive function, and all that fun stuff) are ALSO impacted, because these systems are even more delicate than basic things like "making sure your heart beats properly". Untreated ACEs FUCK. PEOPLE. UP.

Fun fact: my ACE score is at least 8. The questionnaire we were given when I studied Early Childhood Education is woefully underinclusive (it doesn't include things like living as a marginalized human, for example), and I think there are better ones out and about now, but it still covers most bases. You can find it here if you wonder what your ACE score is:

So here's a caveat: I know that this all probably looks pretty bleak, but recovery is ABSOLUTELY possible, and awareness of this stuff is the very first step on that road. Congratulations - you've been made aware. Now you can DO something about it. You can start today. You can start tomorrow. You can start a year from now. Whatever. It's NEVER too late. It's NEVER too late to try something new, to walk a different path, and to choose a healthier and more wholesome life for yourself, no matter how you've suffered before, and no matter the mistakes you've made before.

So get on it; if some derpy-ass autistic chick from an unremarkable, backwater planet can walk this difficult road, then someone amazing like you sure as hell can! You're a lot smarter and a lot more resilient than some nobody like me could ever possibly hope to be. So if you choose not to walk down this road, then you'll have to admit that some random noodley weirdo like me is braver, stronger, and more flexible even than you in all the ways that matter (yes, even if by some wondrous and merciful miracle you manage to zoop yourself all the way over here and use that fancy sword of yours to liberate me from my defective meat-mech), and LITERALLY NO ONE WANTS THAT TO BE THE CASE. So for fuck's sake fix it already, willya? Goddamn!

Anyhoot. I'm tired. So I'm gonna call it quits here for today. If you got questions about any of this stuff, go ahead and ask me and I'll try to answer it in my next letter to ya. Assuming any of this ever reaches you, or that you could ever reach me. Impossible, I know, but I'm going to hope for it anyway; after a childhood like mine, I fucking deserve to believe in magic sometimes, even if other people think I'm weird and crazy for it; I'm getting too old and cranky to give a crap about what someone who has no intention of understanding my circumstances thinks about my existence.

I love you. And I'll write you again tomorrow.

Your friend, Lumine

[amazingmagda]

“Do not talk to me of dragon fire”

me, who was raised by a chaotically abusive mother, when I read posts about how NPD, BPD or psychopathy are not a “bad person illness” and we should all be nice and good to each other and it all will be well! ^*^

[autistic-mike-wheeler]

'billy's actions actually are redeemable he wasn't evil you have to remember he's a victim of child abuse-' ok but do you remember when he abused children

[avoidantrecovery]

the way i saw my grandmother, mother and myself reflected back at me in this chart.

source: mymentalhealthspace

[enbygunderson]

Why don't I see more outrage about how the ACE questionnaire only cares about domestic abuse if your mom was the victim of it? It LITERALLY specifies "mom or step mom" rather than just saying "parent". That's not right and I'm pissed. My dad was the one getting stuff thrown at him, pushed, hit, screamed at, threatened, etc. It's BS to imply that because Dad was the victim that it isn't still traumatic for a kid (or worse, that that doesn't happen at all...!).

[mh-and-celiac]

Struggling with celiac a bit on & off the past couple of weeks. It’s lead me back to a thought that I’m sure many have questioned & is I guess the source if research. But what caused our body to do this? Especially in a family with zero history of celiac. Even with testing post my diagnosis. We know genes are the starting point but we don’t really know what causes it to come out in some people & not others. I’m here speculating if it’s my trauma & mental health, biological stressors. We know that shit fucks up peoples bodies & we don’t know where to begin explaining all the mechanics behind that. I guess it’s just like, thanks universe. We had to endure horrors no one should ever have to & all we got for it was a ton more problems to deal with. Can’t even comfort ourselves with food much any more. I’ll get over it. Just need to be blah in this moment.

[lost-in-prose]

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Okay, my loves. If you’ve been reading my posts in this universe of The Truth of Childhood Trauma, you know that this one is going to be a long haul. Like the previous posts, if you see stars (☆☆☆☆) that means there is a break in information, and you can take a little break. 

⚠️TRIGGER WARNING- READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION⚠️

!!This should in no way be used as a diagnosis tool!!

Where it all begins: 

Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, are a collection of traumatic events that happen within someone’s life before they turn 18. These could include:

experiencing at least one of the following: physical neglect, emotional neglect, emotional/physical abuse, or sexual abuse 

having a parent who abused substances

watching your parents go through divorce 

having a parent with mental illness 

having a parent who was incarcerated

experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, familial death, neighborhood violence, economic hardship, or unfair treatment based on race or ethnicity 

These could also add onto Adverse Community Environments, increasing the effect that ACEs could have on the brain. These Adverse Community Environments include, but aren't limited to:

Poverty, poor quality housing, and affordability

Lack of opportunity & economic mobility

Discrimination

Community disruption

Violence

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Consequences of ACEs:

Some of these are ones a personally expetienced while others are ones I have read about/researched

These traumatic events occur during the developmental years of someone's life, leading to interference with the person's health, opportunities for growth, and stability throughout their life. These affects could impact future generations if not dealt with properly (AKA generational trauma). Also, those who experience abuse in their childhood are more likely to commit violence in their adulthood ( abusing and/or neglecting their own children).

Negative effects:

Greater risk of developing chronic disease and behavioral changes, including obesity, autoimmune disease, depression, alcoholism, respiratory and heart disease, cancer, and suicide

Negative effects with associated TOXIC STRESS:

Toxic stress is prolonged stress that no longer cultivates positive results. Toxic stress is prolonged and can cause detrimental effects on both the body and the brain:

Alters the expression of DNA, leaving lasting effects on the endocrine system, nervous system, and immune system (like anxiety, the cortisol release can limit the effectiveness in which your immune system acts)

Lasting effect on attention, behavior, decision making, and response to stress throughout lifetime

Memory loss

Trouble with relationships (because of instability within the home, you crave what you've always known)

Dissociation

Constant state of fear & anxiety

Thyroid problems

IBS

PCOS (for you AFAB people, sorry :()

Significant problems going asleep and staying asleep (body can't ever be relaxed)

Hyperviligance

Keen ability to read people

Second-guessing yourself

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Positive effects???:

Some of these are ones a personally expetienced while others are ones I have read about/researched

Ability to be calm in large moments of crisis

Beacon of calm for people

Very trustworthy (normally)

People confide in you

Ability to overcome adversity (AKA resilience)

☆☆☆☆

Statistics:

How common are people to have an ACE? (Must experience at least 1):

*note: EVERYONE has an ACE score, even if it's 0*

61% of black children

51% of Hispanic children

40% of white children

23% of Asian children

30% of people do not have a single ACE

16% have 4+ ACEs

☆☆☆☆

Healing from ACEs:

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Prolonged exposure therapy (PE)

Art therapy

Behavioral therapy

Cognitive processing therapy (CPT)

Letting your inner child heal (I'm a big softie when it comes to this. I dance in front of my mirror. I binge watch Disney movies. I make funny voices to myself. I cuddle pillows. Whatever it looks like for you, give your inner child the attention it never got)

☆☆☆☆

Resources:

Suicide and crisis lifeline: 988

SAMHSA'S national helpline: 1-800-662-4357

Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453

☆☆☆☆

Quizzes

THIS IS NOT A DIAGNOSTIC TEST!! DO NOT TAKE YOUR RESULTS AS A SURE-SIGN THAT YOU HAVE ACES!!

American SPCC

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Relationship to CPTSD

Complex PTSD is caused by prolonged trauma that warps a person's sense of self. Often, this trauma happens during a person's formative years- in their adolescence. These Adverse Childhood Experiences are the foundational building blocks for years of trauma responses that a person will be deal with for the rest of their lives.

☆☆☆☆

Works Cited

https://www.ncsl.org/research/health/adverse-childhood-experiences-aces.aspx#:~:text=1%20ACEs%20101.%20What%20Are%20ACEs%3F%20Adverse%20childhood,explore%20two%20critical%20components%20of%20a%20child%E2%80%99s%20development.

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/index.html

https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/aces/index.html

If you have any questions, let me know. I'll be glad to answer them as best as I can :)

Main post can be found here.

[coochiequeens]

Enough is enough

“A nation is not conquered until the hearts of its women are on the ground. Then it is done, no matter how brave its warriors or how strong their weapons.”(Cheyenne proverb)

We’re experiencing a pivotal moment where Oklahoma can say “enough is enough” and allow women to protect themselves, even in complicated situations. Let me explain.

For the last decade, I’ve been at the University of Oklahoma, and while my journey may be unique, it has always followed the evidence.

My career began as a SWAT officer and police detective. I know firsthand the importance of the justice system and the need to hold people accountable for the commission of crime. The things I saw in those roles made me question why people commit crime and led me to a career in forensic psychopathology.

I moved to Oklahoma in 2013 to investigate differential criminal behavior among women. If you didn’t know, Oklahoma incarcerates women at rates among the highest in the developed world. We are three to five times higher than New York or California and over 15 times higher than Iran, a country currently in cultural and political upheaval regarding women’s rights.

Data shows men and women commit crimes with fundamentally different drives and motivations. While the majority of all criminal justice-involved people have experienced trauma, women who commit crimes have experienced trauma that’s significantly more extreme and problematic.

ACE (adverse childhood experience) scores measure childhood trauma on a scale of 1 to 10. The average ACE in the United States is about 1.5. The average in Oklahoma is about 3, and the average for an incarcerated woman in Oklahoma is over 5 with about 40% of incarcerated women in Oklahoma having an ACE score of 7 or higher.

Adding to the impact of this childhood trauma, upward of 65% of incarcerated women in Oklahoma were in abusive relationships at the time of their arrest. Trauma follows them across their life span and creates a biological injury to the brain that can cause mental illness, and almost always affects behavior and decision making.

However, did you know that evidence of abuse isn’t commonly considered by courts in most states when handing down sentences? In February, Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin, introduced legislation, House Bill 1639, that would help domestic violence survivors who fight back against the person abusing them.

When that legislation passed the Oklahoma House with a unanimous vote on March 22, it was a key step toward allowing the courts to have more discretion when sentencing crimes where domestic abuse plays a significant factor.

HB 1639 also could give women convicted of a crime the opportunity to provide evidence of their abuse for consideration at sentencing modification hearings.

We already know a majority of women in Oklahoma prisons are trauma survivors. Courts not taking into account the abuses these women have suffered is basically saying they’re OK with our criminal justice systems endorsing the abuse.

Rigid sentencing laws have already devastated too many women who have experienced terrible trauma. I think that’s why HB 1639 has had such strong support, so far.

I also strongly believe our state’s lawmakers should maintain the language demanded by impacted families. Our legal system must consider the circumstances behind every crime, and sentences should be proportional — and retroactive — depending on each individual situation.

The authors of HB 1639 didn’t say people should be free to commit crimes or avoid responsibility for their actions. Rather, they said context is important. They got the bill language — both the sentencing angles and the retroactivity — exactly right.

I encourage Oklahoma legislators to pass HB 1639 with full retroactivity, and to limit sentences to 10 years and allow courts to rehear cases and hand down shorter sentences to people who show a significant link between the domestic violence they experienced and their crime.

It’s the right thing to do. Because, truly, enough is enough

By David A. McLeod, Ph.D., MSW, is associate director and professor at the Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work at the University of Oklahoma.

[tenth-sentence]

For example, a person who experienced frequent verbal abuse, who had an alcoholic mother, and whose parents divorced would have an ACE score of three.

"The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, brain and body in the transformation of trauma" - Bessel van der Kolk

[schwhoopsie]

being in a child development class is making me wanna analyze eddie munson so bad

[livingwellnessblog]

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Bessel van der Kolk, a renowned psychiatrist and author of “The Body Keeps the Score,” delves into the idea that individuals can become “addicted” to their trauma and the feelings of helplessness associated with it. This concept sheds light on the profound impact trauma can have on a person’s psyche and behavior, often resulting in complex challenges when trying to overcome its effects. Reacting…

[fosteringinsc]

Transforming Lives: The Power of TF-CBT in Foster Care

Transforming Lives: The Power of TF-CBT in Foster Care. Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) has emerged as a transformative approach to healing the emotional scars of trauma in children and adolescents. For foster children, who often bear the weight of adverse childhood experiences, TF-CBT holds the promise of providing a path to recovery and resilience. In this blog post, we…

[providencereiki]

Addiction Is Not The Drugs, It's The ACEs

Addiction Is Not The Drugs, It’s The ACEs

Addiction Is Not The Drugs, It’s The ACEs. As we learn more and more about addiction, its causes, and recovery, it is not what we thought it was, or at least it is not only what we thought it was. We now know that many addicts experienced trauma(s) and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), adolescent trauma, or multiple traumas resulting in PTSD or complex PTSD (cPTSD). Thanks to the research and…

[reportwire]

Newly Crowned Ms. Black North Carolina 2022 is Supporting Healing Around the State

Newly Crowned Ms. Black North Carolina 2022 is Supporting Healing Around the State

Spreading and sharing the science of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and resilience to support communities across North Carolina Press Release – updated: Jun 30, 2022 WILSON, N.C., June 30, 2022 (Newswire.com) – Rural Opportunity Institute (ROI), the local organization supporting trauma-informed and resilient communities by offering various initiatives that foster healing in Edgecombe…

[mygnolia]

[TEASER! ] it's cupid, stupid! | lhs

synopsis -› To hell with Lee Heeseung, you couldn't find someone you hated more than the boy who's by your side no matter what. You figured that maybe the summer before university would be the best way to finally let go of him, and to leave the hate you have in your childhood- but no. What do you mean you have to spend ALL summer with him?

pair -› golden boy!heeseung x fem-pres!reader

release date -› who even knows...maybe by june...

genre -› fluff, mutual pining, hurt/angst, slow burn i fear, bakery au, summer au, post highschool au

trope -› (slightly one sided) enemies to lovers

wc -› currently 6.7k! probably will be 10-15k

cw -› food mentions, a self indulgent characterization of my grandmother but she’s also everyone else’s in this fic, cursing, oh the miscommunication trope...sorry not sorry.  

a/n -› even though i tried keeping food descriptions vague, i used the experience i had with my own grandma and her cooking to influence the way y/n grandmother cooks and the way it’s described so it might not be accurate for everyone! i understand not all cultures include baked goods with starches (since I mention a lot of flouring surfaces) so pls be kind to me :( ALSO!! i haven't written in MONTHS don't hate the writing pls we are all just in this fanfic hell tgt

© all rights are reserved to mygnolia 2024. republished, translated, and/or heavily referenced work will be reported and removed immediately.

Lee Heeseung might only have eleven characters to his name, but they spelt trouble in forty different ways. 

It starts with the same old Lee Heeseung spilling his applesauce on you in the first grade, with his cup of mushy lukewarm grossness splattered across your new pants with glittery stars on them. You shriek when it happens, frantically wiping off the mess and yelling at his Lightning McQueen lunchbox with all of the bottled up rage a seven year old can have. His eyes are wide, but all his friends laugh and say girls are so angry all the time, so he stops himself from apologizing. Which, you think his friends were being a little rude to all girls alike, but what mattered was that Lee Heeseung never ended up saying sorry. 

But that’s just one way of saying it. He hit you in the face with a ball, ran into you when your knee was scraped and you almost were bursting into tears, and tripped you in the lunch line. 

Did the universe hate you, or did he? 

You figured it was the latter.

Heeseung’s been stuck to you your entire life with some extra strong adhesive that you can’t seem to get off. You wish you could get some of the same glue that stuck you two to the hip and attach his tongue to the nearest streetlight, but things almost never worked in your favor. If you could catch him, just once, like one of the dumb boys who lick frozen poles in winter, you’d be satisfied. 

The blackmail would trump any sort of Heeseung related adversity your elementary grade self had to deal with. 

Unfortunately, the years have rendered you no protection against him, and in the small victories you find yourself in, you also see Heeseung right next to you. The exam you aced was topped by Heeseung with a 98%, just a bit higher than your 96%, and it couldn’t even feel good to talk about it because you knew all your friends talked about was how he did better. 

There was no accomplishment anymore when Heeseung was around. 

Heeseung was perfect in everyone’s eyes, a golden boy in their praises and a role model for their parents. If people didn’t want to be with Lee Heeseung, people wanted to be Lee Heeseung. That? That was something you hated. How could people want to be someone who you couldn’t stand?

“Have you seen the scissors?” Heeseung asks out of nowhere, startling you from the doorway.

Reaching for the ones you used to cut the parchment paper with, you hand the pair to him and with a mumbled ‘thank you’ he leaves.

In an odd way, you’re stunned by the silence that follows. A “you suck, _____!” would be more in character for villainous Lee Heeseung than whatever just happened. But you’re way too occupied with the bakery, and go back to cutting squares in the matcha cake.

It’s the same for the next hour until the rush ends and you get a bit more time to yourselves between orders. Heeseung agrees to wash the dishes and you clean the tables to the sound of your playlist from the speakers.

“You have good music taste.” Is the first thing that comes out of his mouth when he emerges. He wipes his hand on a white towel and you stare at him, utterly puzzled. Where’s the malice? Where’s his snarky comments?

“I’m waiting for you to tell me it’s not as good as yours, or something along those lines.” You deadpan.

Heeseung rolls his eyes. “I’m not that mean, I can give a compliment or two when I feel like it.”

“Oh, poor Lee Heeseung only has so much room in his heart to compliment people. How thankful should I be that you spend your daily supply of niceness on me?” You quip, cleaning off the tables. Your chest feels light and you don’t feel as angry as you did this morning.

Blame it on the lack of sleep.

“I think you should be bowing down to me and only talking when I tell you to.” He jokes, and when you glance up, there’s a semblance of a smile on his face. “Anyways, when are you leaving?”

“Whenever you leave.” You tell him, shrugging.

“Well, I stopped my your grandma’s house earlier.” Ah, so that’s where he went. “She said she didn’t want you to stay too late but she also wanted me to take you home, and I think she’d throw a fit if you didn’t.”

“I’d die before getting into a car with you, Lee Heeseung.”

“If I had to get into a car with you, that’s how I’d personally die.” He responds lightly. You furrow your eyebrows and rack your brain for some sort of retort that hurts Heeseung’s pride, but nothing comes up.

“My driving skills are very good, I’ll have you know.”

He jabs, “Didn’t think you had it in you.”

—

there is no taglist i'm lazy and i might not write for a while if u likey pls reblog or save into ur mental archive hehe ty- ren

[witchyafterdark]

— Ominis Gaunt Headcanons; pt. 1

➡️ Images aren't mine; all credits to the artists

I know we have a lot of headcanons about Ominis' sleeping patterns and schedules. There are some who say that it's because he doesn't sleep peacefully when he's back with his family at the Gaunt Manor, or that he doesn't feel safe sleeping continuously throughout the night, and therefore developed insomnia.

While those headcanons can very well be true, I believe that his sleeping habits have something to do with trauma.

One of the ways a person deals with their unprocessed emotional conflict with trauma is to physically "shut down." And yes, I've years of experience with this cause I've had my psychiatrist treat me with this one, too. So I really resonated with Ominis on this one.

In trauma psychology, we have different types of responses and coping mechanisms. While I'm personally not a psychologist or therapist, I've been diagnosed with narcolepsy due to extreme C-PTSD from physical, mental, and emotional abuse. And while not everyone who goes through trauma will develop narcolepsy or sleep related disorders, there's a study that suggests that people who have had childhood trauma are more susceptible to developing sleep disorders.

Without getting extremely scientific about this, I think it's pretty obvious that Ominis finds comfort in sleeping his troubled mind away. If you combine all of the headcanons about Ominis' odd sleeping behavior with this one, I think it also makes sense that this could be the root cause of him just flopping down on the floor and sleep.

This is also why we have "depression naps" where people can just sleep the whole day away to lessen the mental load of all the subconscious trauma that's waiting to be dealt with. It's easier to sleep it away, and I think Ominis has this trauma response from being physically punished and basically abused throughout his childhood.

Not to add salt on the wound but I also noticed that Ominis likes to sit or lay on the floor when there's perfectly comfortable couches beside him. I think... he's got comfortable with the uncomfortable.

Maybe back in the Gaunt Manor, they used to make him sleep on the floor as punishment for not abiding to their family habits and culture. 🥲