Trauma Adaptations
Trauma adaptations are patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that served survival during childhood but may or may not serve survivors in adult life.
Useful vs. Maladaptive Adaptations
Section titled “Useful vs. Maladaptive Adaptations”Some trauma adaptations remain useful as adults:
- Hypervigilance can protect against real danger
- Accurately reading social cues can prevent revictimization
- Recognizing patterns of harm can prevent entering dangerous situations
However, other adaptations are maladaptive in adult contexts:
- Staying in toxic relationships because leaving wasn’t possible as a child
- Fawning to placate dangerous adults when such compliance is no longer necessary
- Freezing or dissociating during conflict when adult options are available
The Critical Distinction
Section titled “The Critical Distinction”These adaptations were not “distorted thinking”—they were accurate, adaptive responses to the reality of childhood trauma. A child who had to stay in an abusive home developed the belief that leaving wasn’t an option, because for them, it wasn’t. A child who learned to read subtle threats to avoid punishment developed accurate pattern recognition, even if they now overgeneralize that pattern. A child who learned that expressing needs led to punishment developed emotional suppression, because in their environment, it genuinely was dangerous to show emotion.
The Purpose of Trauma Therapy
Section titled “The Purpose of Trauma Therapy”The purpose of trauma therapy is to help clients adjust to adult life—identifying which adaptations are still useful and which need to change because adult contexts differ from childhood contexts. This requires using trauma models to understand:
- What pattern did this serve during childhood?
- Is this pattern still accurate in adult life?
- What resources are now available that weren’t available then?