05/02/2025
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠
When we think about emotional trauma, we often focus on what was present—the distressing events, the painful memories, the experiences we wish we could forget. This is what we call active abuse—harm that is directly inflicted, whether through words, actions, or other harmful behaviours.
However, there is another form of abuse that is often overlooked: emotional withholding, or the absence of what was needed—the withdrawal of love, attention, approval, or emotional warmth. Science increasingly shows that, in many cases, 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒖𝒍.
So, if you look back on your past and believe you had a good childhood, yet you struggle with feeling lonely, unloved or unseen, consider what may have been absent.
𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒖𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒅? 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅? 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅?
These are essential experiences for a child's healthy development, and when they are missing, they lead to unexplained emotional pain in adulthood.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬? 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐝—𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤
Childhood neglect, but not abuse, is linked to slower working memory development from adolescence into young adulthood. While executive functions improve generally, those neglected show a more gradual increase in working memory. This study highlights the unique impact of neglect on cognitive develop...
