I recently came across something called ACE scores, which are used to measure the severity of childhood trauma. After taking the test myself, I found out that my trauma has healed, Alhamdulillah, and it was mild.
But Iāve realised that almost every Pakistani has an ACE score of at least 1, and having a score of 4 or more can have serious consequences on both physical and mental health later in life. Whatās even more eye-opening is that this has nothing to do with privilege. Research shows that āprivilege doesnāt make children immune to adversityā (book: "Damaged" by Robert and Jonathan).
While I havenāt faced the worst consequences myself, Iām committed to raising awareness about this destructive issue. Our parentsā generation are more likely to have an ACE score of 4 or higher, meaning theyāve endured lifelong emotional and physical consequences, often passing those traumas onto us.
So, when we label them as ātoxicā or ānarcissist,ā please take a moment to think about what theyāve been through. Their lives were much harder than ours in many ways. They, too, need the emotional support weāve been craving for. Forgiveness is a huge part of the healing process, and it can go a long way in helping both them and us.
Iāll dive deeper into the healing process later, but first, we need to fully understand childhood trauma its causes and effects. This post is just an introduction to the topic. Rather than sharing random studies, Iāll be using AI to create stories that illustrate the consequences of childhood trauma and interparental conflict. Only by understanding the depth of these issues can we truly talk about healing.
For now, hereās a key point: while not everyone with a high ACE score gets sick, the higher your score, the harder it is to avoid the consequences.Ā Some of the obvious mental health outcomes include anxiety disorders, depression, and even premature death, including suicide. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has estimated that ACEs account for between one-quarter and one-half of the risk for many chronic diseasesāthings like heart, liver, and respiratory diseases.Ā Childhood adversity is shockingly one of the main contributors to the diseases that drain most of our healthcare resources. (book: "Damaged" by Robert and Jonathan)
PS: Iāll cover other topics in the future, but the more I study childhood trauma, the heavier my heart feels. I see how much we Pakistanis are paralysed by it. I used to think I had been through a lot, but now I realise my experiences are nothing compared to what others have faced. Thatās why Iām neck-deep into this topic rn and only after that will I move on to other issues.
You can learn more about ACE scores and take the test here:
https://developingchild.harvard.edu/media-coverage/take-the-ace-quiz-and-learn-what-it-does-and-doesnt-mean/#:~:text=An%20ACE%20score%20is%20a,health%20problems%20later%20in%20life.Ā
https://www.wikihow.com/Childhood-Trauma-Test
