Developmental Trauma: What It Is

By: Holly Earnest, M.Ed., APC, NCC 

When people hear the word trauma or traumatic experience, they often think of a singular moment such as an assault, accident, or natural disaster. While those experiences can absolutely be traumatic and deserve their own healing, trauma can also develop in broader and less obvious ways— during childhood. This type of trauma during childhood can be referred to as developmental trauma.  

Developmental Trauma 

Developmental trauma is best conceptualized as: 

Complex and pervasive exposure to life-threatening events that occurs through sensitive periods of infant and child development, disrupts interpersonal attachments, compromises an individual’s safety and security operations, alters foundational capacities for cognitive, behavioral, and emotional control, and often contributes to the development of complex PTSD in adulthood. (Cruz et al., 2022, p. 03) 

Developmental trauma can be characterized as having lasting impacts on identity development, interpersonal relationships, family and community violence, psychiatric comorbidities, and other neurological illnesses (Cruz et al., 2022). Developmental trauma can stem from consistent and perpetual neglect, abuse, and harm. Oftentimes, children do not have the power to control their home, school, or social environments, leading to increased feelings of powerlessness.  

Symptoms of Developmental Trauma  

Adapted from Kryss Castle, 2025. https://krysscastle.com    

Developmental Trauma and The Nervous System 

When children grow up in stressful, chaotic, inconsistent, or ever-changing environments, their nervous systems may adapt to stay stuck in survival mode. Survival mode can look like steady transitioning between fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. These modes of survival are the nervous system’s way of responding to threats, real or perceived.  

As children grow into adults, the body and brain may continue to respond to threats even if the active threat is no longer present. This can lead to emotional dysregulation, hyperarousal, hypoarousal, dissociation, and an inability to relax or feel calm.  

Healing Is Possible 

While developmental trauma may leave substantial impacts on an individual's brain and body, healing is possible. The nervous system and brain have an incredible ability and propensity to change throughout the lifetime.  

Healing Includes: 

• Safety and attunement 

• Learning nervous system regulation tools 

• Understanding personal patterns and triggers  

• Developing compassion for self 

• Enhancing emotional regulation 

• Working with a trauma informed therapist  

With time, consistency, and a whole lot of courage, these experiences will accumulate and cultivate the safety, connection, and stability needed to heal the nervous system and lead to regulation, growth, and prosperity.  

  Finally, developmental trauma leaves a profound impact, influencing all parts of our lives. While our caregivers do not always understand the impact of their actions on our childhood and rarely have malicious intent, our childhood experiences greatly shape our present- day self. If you have experienced developmental trauma, you are not alone and do not have to do this alone. You deserve healing. You deserve compassion. You deserve growth. Reach out for a free, 15-minute consult as you step into the most courageous step of healing.  

Resource: 

Cruz, D., Lichten, M., Berg, K., & George, P. (2022). Developmental trauma: Conceptual framework, associated risks and comorbidities, and evaluation and treatment. Frontiers in Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.800687