06/24/2025
đ Childhood Trauma Changes How We See Faces
Imagine walking through life always expecting angerâeven when no one is angry. For many children whoâve experienced abuse or neglect, this isnât imagination. Itâs survival.
đ Research by Pollak & Sinha (2002) found that children who experienced physical abuse become highly attuned to facial expressions of anger. In fact, they can detect anger fasterâand with less informationâthan children who havenât been abused. Their nervous systems are trained to spot danger immediately.
But hereâs the painful cost:
đ These children often misinterpret neutral faces as angryâseeing threat where there is none.
đ Children whoâve experienced sexual abuse or early neglect are more likely to miss positive facial expressions, perceiving them as neutral instead.
These patterns arenât behavioral problemsâthey are adaptations. The brain learns to expect what it has known, even if what it knew was harmful.
But thereâs hope.
Therapies like EMDR can help the nervous system update its expectations, offering a pathway toward more accurate perception, safety, and connection.
đ§ Trauma rewires perception.
đŤ Healing can rewire it again.
