Healing the Wounds of Trauma

• They may lose interest in life. The pain in their hearts preoc- cupies their minds. It saps their energy for life. • They may become quiet and not respond to what is going on around them. • They may feel they are responsible for what happened. • Older children may feel guilty that they survived when others did not. B. Their bodies are affected. • Their speech may be affected. They may begin to stutter, or they may become mute. • They may lose their appetite because they are anxious, or they may eat too much to try to kill the pain. • Theymay complain of headaches, stomach aches, or other aches in their bodies. They may have hives or asthma. C. Their behavior is affected. • They may go back to behaving as they did when they were younger. Children may start wetting the bed or sucking their thumbs again. • They may have nightmares and bad dreams. Some small chil- drenmay scream in their sleep without even being awake. This will stop as they grow older. • They may play at war all the time, or fight a lot and be irritable. • They may cry a lot. • They may be especially upset if they lose things that matter to them, like clothes or a toy or book. • They may do poorly at school because they can’t concentrate. • Older children may use alcohol or drugs to kill their pain, or become involved in sexual relations outside of marriage. • Older children may take risks, like riding fast on a motorcycle, taking up a dangerous sport, or joining a gang.Thismakes them feel brave in the face of danger.

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How can we help children who have experienced bad things?