Coping with childhood trauma as a young adult can take time, and that is completely normal. Overcoming abuse, either physical or mental, drains you from the core. No matter how hard you try to forget or avoid the past, it always follows you closely and tells you to remember them. “While emotional abuse doesn’t leave scrapes or bruises, it can leave severe emotional scars and be just as damaging to a child as physical or sexual abuse.” In terms of mental abuse, manipulation is heard of more frequently. Manipulation is a tactic used to control and influence others to their advantage. These approaches are toxic, and it is so important to realize when this is taking place. Examples include gaslighting, using silent treatment, dismissing one’s feelings, and blaming the child for adult problems.

The effects of abuse may lead to long-term effects on a child’s growth and development. Researchers show that kids who have been in a situation of mental abuse are more likely to suffer from anxiety, which can lead to depression. Even low self-esteem can occur, implementing the possibility of suicide. Studies demonstrate that physiological abuse tends to have more frequent cases of mental illness, and even substance abuse. Acting out at school or enduring attachment problems are known to occur when sexual and physical abuse are both taking place. Most cases are simply not obvious, and that is why it is so crucial to know the warning signs so you can act immediately. You might very well save somebody’s life.

As any human being, we often find ourselves being accustomed to a certain person in our life. This person may be a partner, a friend, a co-worker, or even a teacher. Yes, teacher attachment is a thing, and this situation often develops due to the lack of a parent figure or not having an emotional support system at home. Coming from personal experience, this form of attachment is extremely mentally draining. You do not want to express your concerns because of the thought of bothering them. The simple act of compassion affects you deeply because you never received care from a father or mother resulting in an ongoing search for a parent figure. “It seems that for years I’ve always become very close and attached to my teachers, they were (and are) very important people in my life, and I know that they helped shape the person I am today,” an anonymous source says.

You may ask how to overcome this, and the grim reality is that straight forward is not the path. Painlessness is not a word that can be used to describe the healing process. If you continue to care long after it has been done, you are not truly numb. I am deeply sorry for those that recognize and have endured an absent parent growing up. Just know that alone is a temporary word, and that love and acceptance are inevitable. Isolated, you may feel but we are never truly alone, even in this cruel world. 

SOURCES:

https://talk.collegeconfidental.com

https://www.apa.com

https://www.verywellmind.com

CPS HELP Line: 980-31-43577

Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988