with as basic science and as much analogies as possible, please explain why does childhood trauma carries on into adulthood and even at a later age, even when it’s not happening anymore later on.

Question

Why can’t the brain simply forget about it since it’s from a long time ago and still end up having some form of mental health issues later on in life because of it?

In: 39

Answer 1

I think it has to do with how you interpret the trauma. Say a 4yo and a 20yo are traumatized in a similar fashion. The 20yo can use the reasoning they have developed to understand the bad/good. The 4yo has no such experience to deal with the trauma and interprets it differently.

The 4yo experiences are hardwired at the intellectual level of a 4yo. Their brain has made the connection with the negative experience and it remains as the 4yo interpreted.

Much easier to make sense of a violent car accident as an adult then as a child.

Sorry for rambling a bit but this is what I think.