Do You Know Your A.C.E.’s?
“The difference between a victim and a survivor is the meaning made of trauma”
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) comes from a study done by the CDC and Kaiser Permanente back in 1998. It is a very short screening tool and measures several areas of abuse, neglect, and household struggles in childhood. The screen is still used today because of the shocking results of that past study.
How it started…
According to the article written by Jane Ellen Stevens, writer for ACE’S too High, who states the study came out of an obesity clinic run by Dr. Vincent Felitti. Dr. Felitti was apparently frustrated at the dropout rate in his clinic. He interviewed past patients for a better understanding. His conversations revealed an alarming connection between obesity and sexual abuse.
The ACE Study
Motivated by this new understanding of mind-body connection, Dr. Felitti paired up with Kaiser Permanente to survey over 17,000 people. They added trauma-informed questions to an already circulating survey. The questions added three types of abuse (sexual, physical, and verbal) and five types of family stress (divorce, mental illness, violence, prison, substance abuse). You can take the test HERE.
What it Revealed
The study showed a direct link between childhood trauma and chronic illness, mental health issues, and social struggles. Trauma was found to be far more common than anyone expected, with 87% experiencing two or more types of trauma. The scores usually intensified with higher scores, meaning trauma often led to more trauma. Most of all, the study revealed that the higher ACE score correlated with mental, physical, and social problems in adulthood. Much like the sexual abuse and obesity he initially discovered.
“Trauma comes back to us as a reaction, not a memory”
To dig deeper they looked at different scores to see how they correlated with medical health conditions. They found that a score of 0 compared with a score of 4, showed a much higher risk for things like hepatitis, pulmonary disease, sexually transmitted diseases, suicide attempts, and substance addiction were dramatically increased.
Why does it matter?
The ACE study led to other research that helped to build a better understanding of what trauma does to the growing brain. Simply put, childhood trauma can release stress hormones that alter functioning and development. Children in environments that create toxic stress, get stuck in the fight, flight, and freeze mode. Constantly scanning the world for danger has an impact not only on the ability to function but the physiological consequences as well.
There is an important aspect of this information that can lead to healing. As most trauma-informed therapists like to assert, instead of approaching people with, “what’s wrong with you?” we can ask instead, “What happened to you?”. Realizing we are all wounded in different ways because of our unique histories can help with compassion. Compassion for ourselves and others. This acknowledgment of childhood trauma’s effects should not be seen as an excuse, but rather a more accurate starting point. By keeping it in mind, we can learn how to heal from the beginning point, not the end.
Navigating the effects of past trauma will often require a system of support. Psychotherapy can be useful to help understand how it affects you in your current life. A therapist will listen to you without judgment, providing space for you to take an honest look at what causes you stress and why. If you are looking for this type of support, or have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out by using the form below.
