{"id":82469,"date":"2018-02-22T11:00:47","date_gmt":"2018-02-22T11:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=82469"},"modified":"2023-03-10T17:46:35","modified_gmt":"2023-03-10T17:46:35","slug":"what-are-adverse-childhood-experiences-aces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-are-adverse-childhood-experiences-aces.htm","title":{"rendered":"What Are Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_82474\" style=\"width: 375px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-82474\" class=\" wp-image-82474\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/1848796755_51dff09db0-400x400.jpg\" alt=\"ACEs\" width=\"365\" height=\"365\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/1848796755_51dff09db0-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/1848796755_51dff09db0-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/1848796755_51dff09db0.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/1848796755_51dff09db0-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/1848796755_51dff09db0-50x50.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 365px) 100vw, 365px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-82474\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/hinkelstone\/1848796755\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" \">Karl-Ludwig Poggemann<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #333399;\">by Andrea M. Darcy<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>We all go through stress as a child. Our parents<\/strong> yell at us or let us down, we <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/feel-like-a-failure.htm\">fail at something<\/a> that we cared about, or we have to move house or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/toxic-friends-what-to-do.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">lose a friend<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0These experiences help us grow and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-resilience.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">become resilient<\/span>.<\/a>\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>But adverse childhood\u00a0experiences\u00a0are not something a child can just bounce back from.\u00a0They are<\/strong> too overwhelming and scary, or they are situations that see a child lacking any real support.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #800080;\">What are Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs?)\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #666699;\">Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are an identified set of ten ongoing traumas that set up a child to have health and social difficulties as an adult.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>ACEs grew out of a\u00a0large-scale\u00a0American public health research study, the<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/violenceprevention\/acestudy\/about.html\">Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACE study)<\/a>. The idea for the study was triggered when a doctor running an obesity program discovered that most of his clients had suffered<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-child-sexual-abuse-why-your-definition-might-need-updating.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> childhood sexual abuse<\/span><\/a>. <em>Why was there not more research on the link between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-childhood-trauma.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">difficult childhoods<\/span><\/a> and health problems?\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>The result of this lightbulb moment was eventually an ongoing survey, the<\/strong> bulk of which took place between 1995 to 1997. Over 17,000 people with health problems were asked about\u00a0their childhoods. These subjects are still under ongoing surveillance, as we learn more and more about what childhood adversity means not just for adult health, but for our very mortality.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_82471\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-82471\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-82471\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/26217926718_d6dde5ae1e-400x267.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/26217926718_d6dde5ae1e-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/26217926718_d6dde5ae1e.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/26217926718_d6dde5ae1e-180x120.jpg 180w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-82471\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/159161473@N04\/26217926718\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" \">Rinet IT Australia<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #800080;\">What sorts of traumas are considered ACEs?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>\u00a0The original ACE study looked at the following 10\u00a0adverse experiences:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/the-effects-of-divorce-on-children.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">p<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">arents divorcing<\/span> or separating<\/li>\n<li>living with a parent who is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/depression-help-guide.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">depressed<\/span><\/a> or suffers mental illness<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li>living with a parent who is an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/addiction-help-guide.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">addict<\/span><\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/alcohol-and-depression.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">alcohol<\/span><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/club-drugs-and-therapy.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">drugs<\/span><\/a>, or otherwise)\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li>witnessing your mother being abused\u00a0or mistreated\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/honesty-criticism-or-verbal-abuse.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">verbal abuse<\/span><\/a>\/<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/emotionally-abusive-relationships.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">emotional abuse<\/span> <\/a>and humiliation\u00a0\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li>emotional neglect<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li>physical neglect<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li>physical abuse\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/were-you-sexually-abused-as-a-child.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">sexual abuse\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li>a family member going to jail.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>It&#8217;s actually common to have a few or several ACEs over just one.<\/strong> Over 12% of participants in the original study, for example, scored four or higher.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Since the\u00a0study, other research suggests that other traumatic experiences should be taken into account,\u00a0including:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>the death of a parent\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li>growing up in poverty or in a violent community\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li>watching\u00a0a sibling be abused\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/child-being-bullied.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">being bullied<\/span><\/a> by a classmate or teacher.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Can I take the ACE test?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>The original study has been boiled down to a\u00a0<\/strong>ten question\u00a0test used by some American institutions and also widely available across the internet.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>The World Health Organisation\u00a0has also since developed a more comprehensive<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/publications\/m\/item\/adverse-childhood-experiences-international-questionnaire-(ace-iq)\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">WHO ACE\u00a0screening questionnaire<\/span> <\/a>with 43 items that actually includes peer bullying and exposure to community violence.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Why are ACEs so powerful?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_82473\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-82473\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-82473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/128494793_cb2eecf780-400x367.jpg\" alt=\"what are adverse childhood experiences\" width=\"400\" height=\"367\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/128494793_cb2eecf780-400x367.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/128494793_cb2eecf780.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-82473\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/lachlanhardy\/128494793\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" \">Lachlan Hardy<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Experiencing ongoing adversity as a child affects the development of your brain\u00a0and the way your body reacts to stress.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If there was a &#8216;body stress thermostat&#8217;, it&#8217;s as if too many ACEs put the setting on a permanent high.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/fight-or-flight-response.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">high stress response<\/span><\/a>\u00a0means you are more likely to\u00a0to\u00a0engage in behaviours that put your health at risk<\/strong>, such as smoking, promiscuity, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/drinking-too-much-alcohol.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">substance abuse<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You are also more likely to suffer from<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/dealing-with-anxiety.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">anxiety<\/span><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/depression-vs-sadness.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">depression.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #993366;\">The study found a shocking three thousand per cent\u00a0increase in attempted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/myths-about-suicide.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">suicide<\/span> <\/a>when looking at the statistics of those ranking with over six ACEs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>If your body\u00a0is\u00a0constantly swamped with stress hormones it results\u00a0in your body&#8217;s\u00a0inflammatory\u00a0response <\/strong>being too high. And science shows that inflammation is a leading cause\u00a0of many long-term illnesses.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #333333;\">In\u00a0fact\u00a0the ACE study\u00a0<strong>connects\u00a0growing up in a difficult household and being treated poorly to chronic\u00a0disease\u00a0that includes<\/strong> cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Things to\u00a0Keep in Mind About ACE scores\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #666699;\">The ACE study simply links illness in adulthood to childhood difficulties. It does not at all prove it is the only reason we get ill as adults. Nor is a a\u00a0high ACE result a guarantee you&#8217;ll be sick anytime soon.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Our bodies are unique, complicated machines and different people respond differently, even to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-psychological-trauma.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">trauma and stress<\/span><\/a>. And genetics, and things like exposure to toxins, also cause illness.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Plus, there are things that help some of us develop resilience despite ACEs.\u00a0<\/strong>This could be\u00a0counteractive positive childhood experiences, or\u00a0support from outside the home, such as a committed and caring teacher or family friend.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_82475\" style=\"width: 286px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/20340311772_3950b5f834.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-82475\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-82475\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/20340311772_3950b5f834-276x400.jpg\" alt=\"what are adverse childhood experiences \" width=\"276\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/20340311772_3950b5f834-276x400.jpg 276w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/20340311772_3950b5f834.jpg 345w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 276px) 100vw, 276px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-82475\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/ufv\/20340311772\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" \">University of the Fraser Valley<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>In fact many people who have difficult childhoods somehow thrive.<\/strong>\u00a0Possible reasons for this that researchers are looking at include the differences in the ways males and females\u00a0respond to stress, and how differences in genetic coding affect how each child will react to stress.<\/p>\n<p>For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/scottbarrykaufman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Grazioplene-2012-JCPP-CHRNA4-.pdf\">new research points to a possible &#8216;sensitivity gene&#8217;<\/a>, which can be beneficial if we are raised in supportive environments, but lead to\u00a0to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/avoidance-coping-depression.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">anxiety<\/span><\/a> and neuroticism otherwise.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>It is possible to conclude, however, that ACEs could make a genetic\u00a0inclination\u00a0to<\/strong> illness <em>more likely<\/em> to trigger.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Hope Despite a High ACE Score?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The last decades of research have finally crystallised a long-held hypothesis that <strong>the brain is actually plastic &#8211; it can change and regroup.\u00a0<\/strong>So even if your ACE score is high, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-does-a-traumatic-experience-do-to-your-body-and-brain.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">your brain is affected by trauma<\/span><\/a>, improvements are possible.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Talk therapies can help, especially those that<\/strong> create a strong connection between client and therapist, like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/schema-therapy-london.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">schema therapy<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>And new types of therapeutic interventions are being proven to help the brain&#8217;s plasticity and\u00a0counter\u00a0the effects of trauma even where other forms of therapy have\u00a0failed. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Some of these tools are now being integrated into &#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-third-wave-therapy.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">third wave therapies<\/span><\/a>&#8216;. These tools include:\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/emdr-therapy.htm\"><u>eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR)\u00a0<\/u><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/mindfulness-help-guide.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">mindfulness\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/guided-visualisation-therapy-can-make-feel-better.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">visualisation\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li>bodywork\/ body psychotherapy<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/meditation-and-the-brain.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">meditation<\/span><\/a> and yoga.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Would you like to work with a therapist who has experience helping clients with adverse childhood experiences? Harley Therapy puts you in touch with<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/therapists.htm\"> therapists at several central London locations.<\/a> Or try our <a href=\"https:\/\/harleytherapy.com\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">UK-wide site<\/span><\/a> for therapists who offer <a href=\"https:\/\/harleytherapy.com\/therapists?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=harleytherapy.co.uk&amp;utm_content=Post%20End\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">online therapy<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em><strong>Still have a question about &#8216;what are adverse childhood experiences?&#8217; Post below in the comment box.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-117271 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/headshot-yellow-e1675110089673-150x150.png\" alt=\"Andrea M. Darcy mental health expert\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/headshot-yellow-e1675110089673-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/headshot-yellow-e1675110089673-200x200.png 200w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/headshot-yellow-e1675110089673-50x50.png 50w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/headshot-yellow-e1675110089673.png 268w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 130px) 100vw, 130px\" \/>Andrea M. Darcy <\/b>is a mental health and wellbeing expert and personal development teacher. With training in person-centred counselling and coaching, she often writes about trauma and relationships. Find her on Instagram @am_darcy<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Andrea M. Darcy We all go through stress as a child. Our parents yell at us or let us down, we fail at something that we cared about, or we have to move house or lose a friend.\u00a0These experiences help us grow and become resilient.\u00a0\u00a0 But adverse childhood\u00a0experiences\u00a0are not something a child can just [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":82474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"yes","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[375],"class_list":["post-82469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anxiety-and-stress","tag-childhood-trauma","has_thumb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Are Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)? - Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What are adverse childhood experiences? They are ongoing difficult experiences as a child that are now shown to affect our physical and social wellbeing as adults. Do you qualify as having ACEs?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-are-adverse-childhood-experiences-aces.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Are Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What are adverse childhood experiences? They are ongoing difficult experiences as a child that are now shown to affect our physical and social wellbeing as adults. Do you qualify as having ACEs?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-are-adverse-childhood-experiences-aces.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/harleytherapy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-02-22T11:00:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-03-10T17:46:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/1848796755_51dff09db0.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andrea M. 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Darcy\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/what-are-adverse-childhood-experiences-aces.htm\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/what-are-adverse-childhood-experiences-aces.htm\",\"name\":\"What Are Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)? - Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/what-are-adverse-childhood-experiences-aces.htm#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/what-are-adverse-childhood-experiences-aces.htm#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/1848796755_51dff09db0.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-02-22T11:00:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-10T17:46:35+00:00\",\"description\":\"What are adverse childhood experiences? 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