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Did I read that correctly? Childhood Sexual Abuse can alter my DNA???
What is wrong with me? Why can't I move on like others are?
I stopped using drugs to numb my pain from being sexually abused, and I am
facing my demons with a sober mind. Why am I stuck, feeling depressed, anxious,
having all of these negative thoughts when I know there is light at the end of
the tunnel, not an oncoming train?!
I have since learned that the damage done was much farther
reaching than I could have ever imagined. I wondered why it felt like it was
taking me longer to work through my struggles than others who had "just
abused or were just addicted to drugs regardless of sexual abuse." I recently found a potential
reason behind this struggle.
Without getting so nerdy that you are bored to tears, here
is the bottom line. Researchers and scientists have documented for the first
time that childhood trauma leaves mark on the DNA of some victims. These changes have been shown in three genes: the FKBP5,
the 5-HTTLPR, and the CRHR1.
They have determined that some abused children are at a
higher risk of anxiety and mood disorders due to traumatic experiences that can
induce lasting changes to their gene regulation. As a result, those affected
find themselves less able to cope with stressful situations throughout their
lives, frequently leading to depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or anxiety
disorders in adulthood. Therefore, they are less able to process and work
through their personal challenges, sometimes even leading to suicide.
We talk about DNA as if it’s a template, like a mold for a
car part in a factory. But DNA isn’t really like that. It’s more like a script.
Think of Romeo and Juliet, different directors using different actors produce
different versions. Both productions used Shakespeare’s script, yet the two are
entirely different. Identical starting points, different outcomes.
The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study is one of the
largest investigations ever conducted to assess associations between childhood
maltreatment and later-life health and well-being.
More than 17,000 Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)
members undergoing a comprehensive physical examination chose to provide
detailed information about their childhood experience of abuse, neglect, and
family dysfunction.
The ACE Study findings suggest that certain experiences the
leading causes of illness and death as well as poor quality of life in the
United States. Progress in preventing and recovering from the nation's worst
health and social problems is likely to begin by understanding that many of
these problems arise as a consequence of adverse childhood experiences.
Possible legal and policy implications of this area of
research remain far in the future, but could include identifying earlier
critical periods for childhood intervention programs, better understanding
abuse as a mitigating factor if the person is later convicted of a crime
related to an abnormal stress response, or calculating damages in a civil
lawsuit against the abusive caregiver. The most significant implication is
better understanding epigenetic pathology caused by childhood abuse and neglect,
which may be an important part of a multi-faceted approach towards treating
survivors of abuse who continue to suffer from its lasting effects.
So once again, here is an even greater validation by
scientists on the cutting edge of DNA study why we MUST do all we can to prevent
childhood sexual abuse in order to ensure that children do not suffer the trauma
and long-lasting effects.
Doctors and scientists hope these discoveries will yield new
treatment strategies tailored to individual patients, as well as increased
public awareness of the importance of protecting children from trauma and its
consequences. And isn't that the true bottom-line—protecting children from
trauma in the first place?
References
- MPI
of Psychiatry, Munich Germany, 2003-2012
- Nature
Neuroscience 2012
- Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and
Control, Division of Violence Prevention
- Maggie
Brown, MS, ELS
- Intramural
Research Program of the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholism
- Colin
A. Hodgkinson, PhD
- Pei-Hong
Shen, MS
- Dr.
Sarchiapone
- The
Epigenetics Revolution: How Modern Biology Is Rewriting Our Understanding of
Genetics, Disease, and Inheritance, by Nessa Carey (Columbia University Press,
2012).
- Christine
Heim, Bekh Bradley, Tanja C. Mletzko, Todd C. Deveau, Dominique L. Musselman,
Charles B. Nemeroff, Kerry J. Ressler, and Elisabeth B. Binder
- Benoit
Labonte, Volodymyr Yerko, Jeffrey Gross, Naguib Mechawar, Michael J. Meaney,
Moshe Szyf, and Gustavo Turecki. Differential Glucocorticoid Receptor Exon 1B,
1C, and 1H Expression and Methylation in Suicide Completers with a
History of Childhood Abuse. Biological Psychiatry, 2012
- NIMH
- National
Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Center for Research Resources
- National
Institutes of Health
- Emory
and Grady Memorial General Clinical Research Center and the Burroughs Wellcome
Fund
- Binder
EB, Bradley RG, Wei L, Epstein MP, Deveau TC, Mercer KB, Tang Y, Gillespie CF,
Heim CM, Nemeroff CB, Schwartz AC, Cubells JF, Ressler KJ. Association of FKBP5
Polymorphisms and Childhood Abuse With Risk of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Symptoms in Adults. Journal of the American Medical Association, 299 (11):
1291-1305. March 18, 2008.
- Kelly
Lowenberg, The Stanford Center for Law and Biosciences
- Moshe
Szyf, a McGill University epigeneticist, and Michael Meaney, a McGill
University neurologist
Learn more about Together We Heal.
David spent years on a healing journey that continues to this very day. This led him to seek out groups specifically for men as well as those who had been through a similar trauma and ultimately inspired the foundation of Together We Heal, an organization focused on providing counseling and guidance for those who have suffered the trauma of childhood sexual abuse.
As the Executive Director of TWH, David works to educate the public through speaking and collaborating with other groups to raise awareness and expose the sexual predator's methods. TWH now works with therapists, counselors and groups aiding both men and women in their efforts to heal, grow and thrive. He is also the South Florida Area Support Group Leader for SNAP, Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests.
TWH follows the saying, "one person might not be able to change the world, but you can change the world of one person."
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