The physical signs of trauma in children
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Peter Levine, PhD Author of Trauma Proofing Your Kids, explains explains what the signs of trauma in young kids are and how they differ from the signs in adults
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The physical signs of trauma in little children are a little bit different than with adults. With children we notice changes in their behavior. Typical physical symptoms that children have are behaviors. Where they'll be clinging or isolate themselves. Sometimes they'll be aggressive. Maybe being mean to siblings or classmates. They may be experiencing tummy aches. They may bed wet, where they haven't been doing that before. Lot of behaviors that seem younger than their age. That they've regressed to an earlier stage. Those are all possible symptoms, behaviors that are related to a childhood trauma.
Headaches, sometimes even fevers. But the good new that these symptoms, as you help the child move through the trauma, will abate and the chid will be restored to their previous vibrant, happy self. What they are saying to us, with all of their behaviors and with their nightmares, is they need more support from us. We need to let them know that we're there for them, that we'll protect them. And that these feelings that they have will begin to go away.
And we can also give them exercises that we outline in the book "Trauma proofing your kids" to help specifically, have them become less and less traumatized over time.
Peter Levine, PhD Author of Trauma Proofing Your Kids, explains explains what the signs of trauma in young kids are and how they differ from the signs in adults
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Peter A. Levine, PhDAuthor of Trauma Proofing Your Kids & Developer of Somatic Experiencing
Peter A. Levine, PhD, holds doctorates in both medical biophysics and psychology. He is the developer of Somatic Experiencing, a body-awareness approach to healing trauma, and founder of the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute, which conducts trainings in this work throughout the world. Dr. Levine was a stress consultant for NASA on the development of the space shuttle project. Levine’s international best-seller, Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma, has been translated into 24 languages. Levine’s contribution was honored in 2010 when he received the Lifetime Achievement award Recognizing Outstanding Professionals in the Field of Child/Adolescent Mental Health from the Reiss-Davis Child Study Center.
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