Childhood trauma is a complex beast – but understanding it can help you deal with scars of the past
- Developmental trauma is a term used to describe childhood trauma such as emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse and exposure to violence
- Occupational therapist Kim Barthel is good at unpacking it, deciphering complex theories and translating them into practical advice
Kim Barthel is the kind of person I’d want to be sitting next to in a bunker when the bombs are raining down outside. She exudes warmth and kindness, the kind of energy that could be wrapped around anyone in need.
The Canadian occupational therapist has been travelling to Asia to teach for 12 years and was back again this summer to spend a couple of months lecturing in Hong Kong and China – only this time it was different.
“This is the first time I’ve been able to use the words ‘developmental trauma’ in a way that connected to people. Before I would have couched it differently, perhaps calling it ‘mental health across the lifespan’, but there’s been a big shift. People are hungry for something that makes them feel compassion and connection,” Barthel says.
So, what exactly is developmental trauma? It’s a term used to describe childhood trauma such as emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse and exposure to violence.
“It can be a cocktail of those things. We now know that different forms of exposure to danger have different impacts on the developing brain and all your neural chemicals are affected differently by the soup of your exposure,” Barthel says.
Sexual abuse might be a taboo topic, but it still tends to command most attention when it comes to childhood trauma.