An 8-part series of programs that examines childhood trauma.

Included in the series:
This program presents an overview of the effects of childhood trauma on the individual and on society. Particular emphasis is given to the criteria that define Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, including hyper-vigilance, hyper-reactivity, and dissociation.
Significant Event Childhood Trauma
Sometimes a single significant event can cause trauma in the life of a child. Such events include the death of a parent or sibling, parental divorce, violence, and natural disasters. If not addressed, significant-event childhood trauma will negatively affect normal and healthy childhood development.
The Brain: Effects of Childhood Trauma
Current research confirms that trauma can activate various systems in the brain that actually change neuron response and cognitive pathways. Children who experience on-going high levels of arousal due to trauma will develop systems in their brains that cause them to be constantly hyper-aroused and hyper-vigilant. These changes can result in severe problems for children, adolescents, and adults in learning ability, mood, bonding, and attachment, and in problem-solving.
Identifying & Responding to Trauma I
Trauma in the life of children from birth to five years of age has a profound impact which intensifies the need for early identification and intervention. Young children are either pre-verbal or inexperienced with verbal language; consequently, they are unable to adequately express their thoughts and feelings or describe threatening life events.
Identifying & Responding to Trauma II
Older children suffering from the effects of emotional trauma are frequently misdiagnosed as having Attention Deficit Disorder or Chronic Depression. Misdiagnosed characteristics of trauma are typically gender related, with boys who are hyperactive and act out and girls who dissociate and withdraw. An accurate assessment of the problem is critical to the success of intervention.
Domestic Violence & Childhood Trauma
The connection between trauma in childhood and domestic violence later in life is obvious to Jane Middleton-Moz, a relationship and trauma expert featured in this program. She states that "Children who experience domestic violence grow up learning to stuff feelings and emotions. They go through the world in a deep freeze, and have whole parts of themselves cut off. In domestic violence, if a partner wasn't allowed their vulnerability as a child, then as an adult, if that vulnerability is touched, they will act out their anger for them."
Adults who have suffered trauma in childhood often have difficulty expressing anger. Recovery from childhood trauma ultimately depends on accepting and understanding the original trauma, and then relying on the same survival skills that one had as a child.
Childhood Trauma: A Parent's Guide
This video helps parents identify and respond to trauma from parental divorce, the death of a parent or sibling, a life threatening accident or illness, extreme school violence, and natural catastrophic disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes and floods, as well as news of war or terrorist attacks. The suddenness of the event, the fear produced, the confusion, and the lack of coping skills make these events traumatic for many children.