Developmental trauma is a term used to describe the harmful impact exerted at an early age by:

repeated acts of violence,

neglect,

premature separation,

a variety of negative events occurring within relationships that matter to the child.

The difficulty for people with early developmental trauma is that even when they find themselves in a safe environment, “survival mode” does not switch off.

The person stays in it; and even small, everyday things (moving from one room to another, say, or someone nearby raising their voice slightly) signal danger that threatens their life.

All of such a person’s resources go into physically surviving and into not being wounded by those close to them.

This means very few resources are left for processing and storing information in memory; for the capacity to reason; for the capacity to be with friends or relatives; to empathise; to see that other people’s intentions carry a positive or at least a neutral colouring.

We can say that developmental trauma has a damaging effect on seven areas, following the order in which the brain develops:

sensory development (physical sensitivity)

dissociation (amnesia, derealisation, depersonalisation)

the development of attachment

emotional regulation

behavioural regulation

cognitive functions (the cognitive sphere)

the sense of self and the development of identity.