Janese Johnson

It has long been assumed that all a person has to do who has been neglected and abused as a child is go to therapy and heal the old emotional wounds, and then their life will be so much better.

There are many people I have known over the years, including myself, who have gone through countless different avenues of healing, only to find that perhaps the old traditional ways only go so far in healing the traumas of early childhood.

Scientists at McLean University are showing that the reason why many abused children do not really heal and live completely healthy normal lives is that, while they are being abused as children, their brains are developing differently than those who have not experienced childhood abuse or neglect.

The McLean research has identified four types of brain abnormality linked to child abuse and neglect. What the researchers say in their findings is: “Although a baby is born with almost all the brain cells (neurons) he will ever have, the brain continues to develop actively throughout childhood and adolescence. A child’s interactions with the outside environment cause connections to form between brain cells. Then these brain cells are pruned during puberty and adulthood. So whatever a child experiences, for good or bad, helps determine how their brain is wired.”

The area of the brain that is affected concerns emotions, impulse control, attention and consequential thinking.

In essence, they found that the person who has been abused might see situations as hostile situations even when the situation is not hostile, because their brain was wired that way. They also might feel discouraged more easily because they are not able to see the bigger picture. Therefore, many adults who have experienced early childhood trauma tend to live in the fight-or-flight response more than others, and this can affect all other areas of the person’s life.

When we really understand the importance of how trauma impacts the brain’s wiring, and take steps towards healing the “whole” person and not just the feelings, then it seems that we can really make some headway in the larger scheme of things.

This is not a small fraction of the population we are talking about. Unfortunately, child abuse and neglect are affecting many children’s lives. Child-protection agencies receive approximately 50,000 reports a week on suspected child abuse. Out of those 50,000 calls a week, about two-thirds have substantial evidence to warrant an investigation. If neglect or abuse is found, then often the child/children are removed and put into a foster home until they are able to go back home or become adopted.

Sometimes a relative will take them in.

Because of the serious cuts in mental-health services by the current administration, many of these children are not getting the help that they need to become healthier in their life. Not only have they suffered physical, emotional and spiritual damage that will take a lot for them to recover from, but as the McLean studies show, they have also suffered in areas of brain development.
Child abuse and neglect have been on the rise over the past couple of decades and services and funding have been on the decline. That affects each and every one of us one way or another whether we know anyone directly who has been abused.
What has been happening to our children now that funding has decreased is that, more often than not, they are getting sent to detention centers and jails because there is nowhere else to send them, according to officials. In the past many of these children would have received services earlier, preventing the possibility of becoming criminals.

When we criminalize our children early on without any hope of change, they become the adults that our tax dollars are not improving. Preventively helping “our” children seems to make more sense than not doing anything for them until it is too late, then sticking them away in a jail and hoping their brains rewire.

Whether you are one of those “children” who have experienced trauma in your early childhood or you were raised in a healthy situation, this is an important issue that affects us all. After all, we all know someone who has been traumatized by early childhood neglect or abuse.

And those who have grown up with early childhood trauma deserve to have a life free of “fight or flight” response. So it is up to all of us to help.

It is very important to be there today for all “kids,” young and old. There are many ways to do this. On a basic level, compassion for those who are struggling is the most important ingredient of all. Also, volunteering for an organization like Big Brothers and Big Sisters can be helpful for a child in a difficult situation. But the best way is to let our kids know they are safe and they are loved. It is my belief that the more social awareness there is, and the more action for our children, then the sooner abuse and neglect could become mere historical terms. Let’s work together for our children!
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Janese Johnson has been doing intuitive counseling nationally for more than 20 years. She may be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .