Treating the core problem of childhood trauma: Liz Mullinar at TEDxNewy

In this talk, Liz Mullinar, tries to show the audience that childhood trauma are the first cause of mental illness and the reason why people are addicted to drugs, alcohol and gambling, etc. "People are addicted to drugs because of their pain." she says. Liz then asks the victims of childhood trauma to break their silence, and call the other people to give them their support and their help to heal from their illness.

Can anyone explain to me

why we spend millions
and millions of dollars

on educating about
drug prevention,

don't take drugs
because they're bad for you.

And allowing parents
to worry themselves sick

about will my child
get into drugs

because they mix
in a bad company.

They don't have
to worry at all.

People are addicted to drugs,
because of their pain.

So they are not going to do it
because they're in bad company.

It just because they have
suffered some trauma,

and it's not an easy thing
to solve and heal from.

Let's take an issue
that the last two speakers

have both talked about:

mental illness.

Across a research,
academic search

over the whole of research
into this area in 2005:

69.9% of psychiatric inpatients,

with serious psychotic disorders,

you probably guessed,

yes all of them had suffered
from childhood trauma.

Bipolar disorder was mentioned.

82 to 86 % of people
with bipolar disorder,

have suffered from some
form of childhood trauma.

Border personality disorder:

90% have suffered.

Then let's talk about the one
that we have been million,

79 million dollars last year spent
on raising awareness of:

depression.

How many people
who suffer from depression

do you think have suffered
from childhood trauma or abuse?

80%, research tells us.

And how many of you here
have heard one word

about what's happened
in your childhood,

and might help you to heal
from your depression or anxiety.

So what we are doing,

raising awareness, so that we can
feed the pharmaceutical companies!

So that people can take
more medication!

Because after all in Australia,

we take more anti-depressants
than any other country in the world.

I work with survivors
of childhood trauma,

and I know from
my independent research,

that four years after
just a five-day program,

there is a highly
statistically significant —

can never say that word,

highly statistically
significant reduction in depression.

Six months after
a five-day program,

a 45% reduction,
in measured serious mental illness.

So what's the silence?

Why don't we talk about this?

Why we not allowed
to acknowledge childhood trauma?

Why we not encouraged
to heal from childhood trauma?

What we know,
because of neuro-plasticity,

that this is possible.

Let me discover one other
area of deep human sadness.

An area that we all
care passionately about,

and when it hits us,
it really, really hurts.

And I'm talking about suicide.

How agonizing it is.

The young women I work with

at Heal For Life;

I have one common complaint
when they go to hospital

having tried to kill themselves:

nobody ever asks why?

And if they did

they will get the same answer
from all those young people.

Because of my internal pain
from my childhood.

Because I think I am worthless,
I worth nothing.

Because no one cares
about the fact that I've been abused.

And if I look at them, Esperance

which in the Central Coast

runs a wonderful suicide
prevention service.

Tony Humphrey,
wrote to me and said,

"Around 90% of all the women,

who have attempted suicide

who I have worked with,

have ever suffered
from sexual abuse

or child abuse of some type.

And a slightly lower
percentage for the men."

So have any of you,

ever seen anything
about suicide prevention,

which is talked about
what happened in your childhood?

Has there been a campaign
which has said,

"Ask a friend
when they're down.

What happened
in your childhood?

Talk to me about
your childhood.

Because that is
very, very likely,

to have an impact
on your current mental well-being."

So maybe for a moment
some of you maybe think

"What she keeps talking
about childhood trauma and abuse?

What actually is it?

Childhood trauma
covers a huge spectrum.

It covers abandonment,
death of the parents,

alcoholic parents,

childhood sexual abuse,
physical abuse,

emotional abuse.

It covers of course
natural disasters.

What happens
when a trauma occurs?

A trauma is more emotion
than the brain can deal with.

Trauma, at the time it is happening,

the person,
in an age-appropriate way

thinks that their life is threatened.

And the brain reacts to this trauma

and develops differently,

which is why childhood trauma
has a much bigger impact on behavior later

and the whole way the brain
operates later in life.

Trauma cannot be remembered.

Let me give you
an example of this,

and that's because
the conscious brain

shuts down during trauma.

You may remember
or you may not.

Princess Diana's bodyguard,

after they were try to find out
what actually happened in the accident,

they hypnotized,

the French police
hypnotized the man

so that he could remember.

So that part of his brain
could be unlocked.

So that he could say what actually
happened at that moment of impact.

So I suppose
my great wishes

that this silence
could be broken.

And I have hope that
this silence can be broken.

Because 40 years ago,

there was the big C,

there was cancer.

No one talked
about cancer,

we didn't mentioned it,

it was just,
"They have got the big C!"

But now wonderfully

everyone talks about cancer.

We know people
who have suffered from cancer.

We talk to them,
we encourage them, we love them,

and they tell us immediately
when they have cancer.

Can you imagine how it would be,

if in my lifetime —
this is my longing,

that people talk
about childhood trauma.

That is Ok to say,

"I had a terrible childhood.
All these things happened."

And the other
person listening says,

"Let me support you.
Let me help you in your healing.

Let me help you
work through what is happened

for the development of your brain,

because you suffered
from childhood trauma."

Wouldn't that be
a better world for all of us?

Because what is creating
this silence?

Is the embarrassment?

Is it shame?

Are we shamed by the stigma?

Because we are not allowed to know

when there is a rape victim,
the name of the rape victim.

As if in some way
that rape was their fault!

Why is it that all the concentration
is on stranger danger,

and church abuse?
When that's about 1% of all abuse!

Abuse happens in the home
and it happens to families.

But every single one of you here,

can help change that.

If each one of you
help me in my big idea.

If each one of you

who's actually suffered
from childhood trauma says,

"I have no reason
to be ashamed of it.

It wasn't my fault.

It wasn't my fault
for my childhood was not perfect.

And I deserve
love and support."

If those of you when you meet,

someone who's addicted
from gambling, alcohol, drugs,

if you say them,

"Hey, has anyone
ever discussed with you

what happened
in your childhood?

Do you think you might like
to heal from your childhood?"

If only with any moment
the mental illness

you could say them not just —

which is a wonderful campaign,
but, "Are you Ok?"

but,
"Hey do you want to talk about

what happened
in your childhood?

Because I understand an awful
lot of people with mental illness

have suffered from some form
of childhood trauma.

Talk to me about it.

Every single one of you
could do that.

Every single one of you
can help me achieve my big idea.

Every single one of you

can get involved
with the Heal For Life foundation,

and help us to make this world
a happy place.

I leave you with
one final thought.

I wonder what it would
have happened to this world,

if someone
had healed Adolf Hitler,

from his much acknowledged
child abuse.

Thank you.

(Applause)