Page 17 - NAMAH-Apr-2019

Namah Protecting innocence

occurring over and over again creates a neural knowledge they gained confidence to fight
network. Which then becomes a behaviour. their situation. The doctor started giving them
Whenever we see any person, we perceive resiliency training, of which mindfulness
them as danger. Our brain operates under meditation is a major part.
stress so often that the rational brain does
not get developed adequately. This is what But how can you solve a multi-faceted
makes these children perform poorly at problem by just training the victims? It has
school, and hit out at classmates. Are they to be brought to the attention of teachers
inherently aggressive or are they provoked and parents. So, the doctor became a social
by circumstances in their life? activist, teaching about ACEs and calling all
to compassionate action. The parents who
There are ten categories of ACEs. Abuse is the first misbehaved were themselves often products
category, which is way too common. Physical of ACEs. But armed with this knowledge they
abuse — where children are beaten, not fed could turn around and give a saner childhood
well, not cleaned on time. Psychological abuse to their children. The ACE study then asked
is when they are scolded, ridiculed, called American adults all over the country about
names, compared to others, and given no ACEs in their own childhood. It turned out
importance. And then there is sexual abuse. that two-thirds of them said they had at least
The other ACEs are categorised as household four ACEs. I can imagine people of other
dysfunction. They are — parents quarrelling, countries having similar responses. Such
going through divorce, neglect of children, a large population of humans suffered in
alcoholism or drug abuse in the family, mother their childhood and did not complain! A
being beaten, parent going to prison, scarcity child does not know whom to trust outside
of food and other resources, bullying by the family. So, who should he complain to?
adults, death of a parent. Often the family threatens more harm if they
complain. Children are taught that family
When a paediatrician, Dr. Nadine Burke matters should not be spilled outside. Thus,
Harris,working in a depressed community many misdemeanours witnessed by children
in the US, first found these common threads surface in other ways, later in life.
in her patients, she wondered what was
happening. They performed poorly at school, From using crude language and abusive
they had attention deficiency syndromes, behaviour — especially towards children and
some were violent; they found it hard to trust subordinates — to becoming a sociopath on a
people. She stopped giving them medication killing spree, a gangster or terrorist… all these
and decided to follow on a hunch. She can be roughly traced to childhood ACEs.
befriended these abused kids, and gave them Children are like wet clay tablets. Anything
her ears. They had never been given the gift marked on them can become deep stabs and can
of listening. Their stories made her cry. She remain forever. They are sensitive to injustice
assured them it wasn’t they who were dumb and understand it very well. Copying is
or slow. It was their life situation. That very an instinct we are born with. Before we
revelation gave them relief. So, it wasn’t them? realise it, we have chosen a role model we
They were not born stupid? And with that are emulating. Even if it is the person who

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