[liz0320]

I've wondered about that question for a while, due to my own childhood and the memories that seem to stick out about it for me. One of the memories that causes me a lot of distress to think about was when I was just about to go into fourth grade (or somewhere around that time). I was a very shy and introverted child, and I only had two friends, and we were "besties." My mom and I were checking to see if my friends were in my class for the upcoming year, and neither of their names were on any of the lists. I broke down sobbing. My mom said and did absolutely nothing. I wondered why my own mom didn't even care and why people who were my best friends abandoned me. Now, I realize my mom probably thought I would forget about it and make new friends. That didn't happen for years. I would walk on the playground and wonder why I was the only one without friends, and I waited for recess to be over. I don't recall a playground supervisor asking me if I was okay either.

Another memory that sticks out is my dad when he got angry if I did something wrong. I'm pretty sure I did nothing so wrong to elicit such a hateful look, with his face bright red, but he would yell at me, I would get emotional, and he would tell me to stop crying and shut up. I would try to talk to him about it because I felt misunderstood and he didn't let me say anything. My brother, who is a few years younger than me, also had an anger problem and would throw things across the room. And my mom was an alcoholic for some of my childhood. She was not an angry drunk, but her drinking problem caused a lot of distress for the family. My older sister would also put pillows over my head and the other siblings' heads for maybe a few seconds, and then laughed, took the pillow off, then said, "I wouldn't REALLY suffocate you," then warned us not to tell Mom and Dad. I guess I thought all of this was normal...

Would this kind of thing be considered trauma? I don't believe there was physical abuse from my parents, and I certainly wasn't sexually abused. I realize it's not very severe, but I'm positive it has affected me, especially as an emotionally sensitive child/now adult, and maybe my other siblings as well. But I sometimes feel like I took things too personally. I am planning on seeing a new therapist soon and bringing this up when I feel I am able to.

Yes, this is trauma.

Maybe you'll also find support in this forum: https://forums.psychcentral.com/chil...ional-neglect/

[Pflaumenkeks]

Maybe you want to read a bit about c-PTSD