What are ACEs and why are they a "thing"
The term ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) became a "thing" after the release of a report from the United States Centre for Disease Control. The study's aim was to try to quantify the effect of adverse childhood experiences on long term population-wide health outcomes. It is one of the largest investigations of childhood abuse and neglect and household challenges and later-life health and well-being, with over 17,000 completing the confidential survey. Due to the broad nature of population-wide studies, the researchers had to assimilate hundreds of different types of things that are considered traumatic in childhood into a concise list of questions, balancing the need for measurable outcomes that were a balance of reasonable to ask
Suggesting that adversity of any kind is bad or traumatic is not what ACEs are about. While abuse and neglect should always be considered fundamentally wrong, traumatic and preventable, the same cannot always be said for adversity. Everyone will experience adversity at some point and there is often strength and hope to be found in it. Our responses to adversity can nurture resilience and loving relationships while also defining our identities
Knowing your ACE Score is not going to fix anything, but it may help you be more gentle on yourself. It may provide an explanation for why you behave or react to certain situations the way you do. It may help you understand the origin of ..... And once you understand the root cause, or causes, you can work with professionals to heal and live well with your childhood experiences
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