Skip to main content

Reply to "Addressing the Economic and Low Quality-of-Life Effects of ACEs"

Good morning.  Jonnie Kifer touched on the most important bit of information already, which is the development of those factors that strengthen resilience.  This person will need a support network, which should include friends, family (whether blood relatives or chosen family), coworkers, and professionals like therapists or social workers.  It is basically impossible to learn and really internalize what you need to overcome the negative impact of ACEs on sense of self and self-esteem without outside help, because of the way that ACEs can distort our perception and make us vulnerable to some of the worst cognitive distortions.  Anyone can have cognitive distortions, but distortions like filtering and catastrophizing I find are more common and more deep-seated in people with ACEs.  This article helps shed light on some cognitive distortions: https://psychcentral.com/lib/1...gnitive-distortions/

The other thing besides developing those supportive connections and getting our thinking/perception clear is to let go of resentments.  I believe this is tied to fallacious thinking involving a belief in "inherent justice," but the reality is that we are never really going to be restored, compensated, or "made whole" after what was done to us in childhood.  Holding on to the anger and the resentment and the bitterness only hurts us, no one else.  It holds us back from reaching our full potential because we are stuck believing that we are owed something that is, frankly, not going to come from outside of ourselves.  Letting go of that resentment is what sets our minds free, and gives us the ability to actually see the good things we do have in life.  Things like mindfulness, meditation, and daily thankfulness can help, but all the mindfulness in the world won't help someone who is stuck in their own prison of anger and resentment.

Copyright © 2023, PACEsConnection. All rights reserved.
×
×
×
×