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When Childhood is a Battlefield
“Whether abuse of a child is physical, psychological, or sexual, it sets off a ripple of hormonal changes that wire the child’s brain to cope with a malevolent world.”
While it seems to stress “Left-Right” Brain concepts more than much of the literature, I still think this is a fine article. I ask you to stretch your mind a bit and see how much of the dysfunction can be related to fear:
Fear of something that happened in the past, fear of something you saw happen to someone else, fear of what might happen in the future. Fantasy fears exacerbated by head injuries. Real fears triggered by abuse and neglect. To the degree that the effects this article discusses can be connected there, fear that exceeds our capacity to process healthfully opens the door to an entire universe of ugly, self-or-socially destructive behaviors, depression, anxiety, cognitive confusion and so much more.
TO THE DEGREE THAT THIS IS TRUE, I think it would be smart to integrate into EVERYONE’S schedule powerful fear-coping mechanisms, as well as therapeutic and meditative techniques that allow us to move beyond the damaged ego shell to the soul-core of who and what we are are human beings.
There is nothing sadder than an optimist who has had the light beaten out of them. An adult who cannot remember ever being loved and protected as a child. A person whose…