Heroes ACE

What Happened?

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

1. Psychological abuse by parents/caregivers (e.g. verbal abuse, excessive punishment):
   MAYBE – As the youngest, he was often tormented by his family, not to mention by extended relatives. It’s hard to get the phrase “Look what you did you little jerk” out of your mind.
2. Physical abuse
   NO – Not by an adult in the household.
3. Sexual abuse
   NO – Not referenced.
4. Emotional neglect
   MAYBE – This is difficult to say yes or no to. Kevin felt like he didn’t belong in the family and was often told he didn’t belong by relatives, and he was forgotten by family. However, on a deep level, he did seek and pursue family connection.
5. Physical neglect or malnourishment
   NO – This wasn’t a concern. Despite being left home alone, his family did respond adequately to return home (and a year later to New York)
6. Domestic violence
   NO – Not mentioned.
7. Parental alcoholism or drug use in home
   NO – Not referenced.
8. Loss of biological parent before age 18 (Death or absence)
   NO – Both parents are alive.
9. Parental mental illness or depression
   MAYBE – It’s hard to tell the state of parents when their child is missing. Understandably there was a hyper anxiety like focus.
10. Household member imprisoned
    NO – Not mentioned.
11. Multiple changes in placement or primary caregiver
    NO – Not mentioned.
12. Serious medical issue involving hospitalization?
    NO – Not mentioned.

Discussion About ACEs

Kevin experienced a range of 0-3 adverse childhood experiences. While ACE’s is informative, things that could be deemed as traumatic are not always considered ongoing adverse experiences. In Kevin’s case, being left home alone, have burglars threaten your life, and then later being lost in New York City, could all have been traumatic experiences for him, but do not show up on the ACE’s assessment.

While the following is a parody, it does show the potential long term effects of untreated traumatic experiences.

Protective Childhood Experiences (PCEs)

1. Able to talk to family about emotions
   YES – Kevin was able to freely express how he was feeling and the thoughts that accompanied them. Doesn’t mean there weren’t consequences or prosequences about them.
2. Felt that family stood by in difficult times
   MAYBE – On one hand, his family forgot about him twice during high stress vacation situations. But then on the other, when they realized they had forgotten him, the did everything in their abilities to return home. Then again, his family wasn’t there during the burglary or the chase in New York City, but they were their to buffer him afterwards.
3. Enjoy participating in community traditions
   YES – His family appears to have traditions, and Kevin did seek out community churches and spaces when he was alone.
4. Felt belonging in high school
   UNKNOWN – We never really get to experience Kevin in a middle or high school setting.
5. Felt supported by friends
   UNKNOWN – Kevin isn’t depicted with peers his age.
6. Having atleast two nonparent adults who show genuine care
   YES – “Old Man” Marley and the Pigeon Lady.
7. Felt safe and protected by an adult at home
   YES – When his parents are home with him, Kevin appears to feel safe and protected.

Discussion About PCEs

From what we know about Kevin, he appears to have experienced nearly all of the protective childhood experiences. It is curious to understand why PCE’s seem to refer to teen years more than childhood years. For example, why is it just a sense of belonging in high school? What about elementary or middle (junior high) school?

It’s important to keep in mind that ACE’s and PCE’s are not ratios. One ACE isn’t neutralized by one PCE.

Positive Psychology (PERMA)

• Positive Emotions: It is interesting to observe, in both cases, a sense of confidence and maturity grow in Kevin. He starts off, for example, being scared of the furnace in the basement, but as time goes on, he shows a shift from unhelpful thoughts to helpful thoughts, and overcomes his fear of the furnace. Not to mention, Kevin would probably describe himself as silly, pleasant, happy, and creative.
• Engagement: In terms of flow, you see Kevin achieve that as he comes up with an elaborate plan to protect his house, and himself (which we could lead to a great discussion between the difference of survival focus, and flow). He also sought out his church community and used that as a place of refuge.
• Relationships: Kevin seems polarizing in his relationships. In one moment with family he hates them, and they are annoyed with him, then later (mind you after some time apart) there is a sweet connection. Also, he starts off afraid of a strange neighbour (the old man), and then they end up having a deep impact on each others lives.
• Meaning: Pretty typical for a child to struggle with their place in life, and to take on the role that others define for them. But as Kevin began to see himself as the protector of the house, and a secret identity he held from his family, he had a new found purpose in his life.
• Achievement: Survive being home alone. Check. Survive being pursued by burglars. Check. Defend the house from robbery. Check. Survive being alone in New York City. Check. Save a store from being robbed. Check. It’s fair to say, whether intentional or not, Kevin did achieve his goals.

Discussion About PERMA

It is fair to say that Kevin is experiencing positive emotions, feels engaged, has positive relationships, finds meaning, and accomplishes achievement; therefore, Kevin is living a positive life. It is not free from hardships, but he is practicing the five pillars of positive psychology.

Post Traumatic Stress vs Post Traumatic Growth

• Post Traumatic Stress:
  • Re-experiencing: This is difficult to assess, because we don’t necessarily meet Kevin in his later life. However, the commercial below does lend to the idea that Kevin may be re-experiencing, or even recreating in his older life.
  • Avoidance: He doesn’t necessarily avoid places or situations where traumatic events happened.
  • Numbing: The only numbing behaviours that Kevin engages with are TV and snacking, other than that he appears to be someone who lives in, and experiences the moment.
  • Hyperarousal: Kevin during times of high stress (being chased) was in a state of hyperarousal, and then had some moments of difficulty sleeping because of the hyperarousal.

• Post Traumatic Growth:
  • Relationships: Kevin formed new relationships in times of hardship. “Old Man” Marley and the Pigeon Lady. He also seemed to form fresher, and potentially stronger relationships with his siblings and parents after the traumatic experiences.
  • New Possibilities: Kevin definitely seized the moment and used his creativity to defend his house.
  • Personal Strength: Yes, he developed a new confidence in his abilities despite being mistreated as the youngest sibling.
  • Spiritual Change: It’s hard to tell if going to church was a regular part of life, or somewhere he deemed safe when in trouble. Not that church participation means spirituality. But a sudden change, either from not going to going, or from going to not going, would be a spiritual change. Also, there seemed to be transformative moments with each of his new adult mentors that created a deep change inside of him, and a perspective shift.
  • Appreciation for Life: Maybe? Maybe just typical baseline with no change? He doesn’t show any greater appreciation for life, but neither an increase in disrespect for life.

Discussion About Post Traumatic Growth

It’s fair to say that Kevin experienced a lot of growth from the two times he was left alone. It’s also hard to tell if these were terrible moments for Kevin, or traumatic. Because trauma is such an individual experience and interpretation of an event. Some of us may label these moments as traumatic, but Kevin may never show any signs of “trauma” due to his own traits and family/peer support. That being said, this would atleast be a terrible experience, and Kevin experienced growth from the hardships.

Interventions

I think there is a quick assumption that after something “bad” happens therapy is needed. That isn’t necessarily always the case. Repetitive moments and messages of safety and care can let the brain know it’s safe. So with that in mind, here are a couple of intervention ideas:

Timing. I think it’s important to let Kevin participate in therapy when he wants to. Don’t force him to go. In this moment, his experiences may not be interfering with his life, and if we force him to go and it is a negative experience, the chances of him seeking counselling when he is 15, 25, or 55, is less likely. Not that a child gets to choose, offer, maybe book an initial visit. If they don’t want to go back, don’t. If they do, book another appointment.

Safety & Security. Kevin will need to be reminded that he is just a child, and needs to be a child. He will need reassurance from the adults in his life that he is safe and that proper security measures are in place. This can be reminders that mom and dad are home, that doors are locked at night, that the family has security cameras, etc. Part of that safety and security is also connection to parents, that he can feel their love, care, and trust; therefore meaning that his parents need to provide warmth and reception to his potential inquiries about safety.

Belonging. After being forgotten twice, it may be understandable that Kevin feels like he doesn’t belong in his family. It would be important for the family to develop micro traditions to help Kevin feel that he belongs. This can be family readings, outings, walks, hugs after school, 15-minute board games, family meals, and so on. Little traditions and rituals to let Kevin know that he belongs.

Closing Thoughts

Kevin experienced two very lonely moments during, what our society deems, peak moments of family connection. However, despite the struggles of being left alone, and then the threats to his safety and life, Kevin navigated the situations well. He was also received well by family upon reunification.

Lastly. Remember, this is fictional. Healing is always possible.

What Happened?

Harry Potter grew up with his aunt, uncle, and cousin. His parents were killed when he was an infant. Miraculously Harry survived the attack, but it left a scar on his forehead. Harry subsequently grew up in the care of his aunt (moms sister), uncle, and a cousin. He had a room under the stairs in the house and had very little information about his biological parents. At the age of 11 he went to boarding school, the same school his parents went to. He quickly learned that those at the school knew more about his parents and his own life than he did. Harry developed close relationships with two peers and a couple of the staff at the school. However, each year at the school, the same individual and group that murdered his parents, made an attempt at his life. Each year the battle grew until it became a war. It wasn’t until his final year of school that the war resolved, the final event nearly took his life.

However, here is a more playful look at his life in 99 seconds:

Adverse Childhood Experiences

1. Psychological abuse by parents/caregivers (e.g. verbal abuse, excessive punishment):
   YES – While living with his aunt and uncle, they lied about Harry’s past, treated him differently from their own son, and had him living under the stairs or in a locked room.
2. Physical abuse
   NO – As cruel as his aunt and uncle were, they never hit him. Of course we can consider some of the staff at Hogwarts, but they were not in Harry’s household.
3. Sexual abuse
   NO – Not reported in the books or movies.
4. Emotional neglect
   YES – Harry was treated as a major inconvenience in his aunt and uncles life.
5. Physical neglect or malnourishment
   YES – His aunt and uncle withheld food from him and had him in rooms that were not appropriate for his age.
6. Domestic violence
   NO – Not reported in the books or movies.
7. Parental alcoholism or drug use in home
   NO – Not reported in the books or movies.
8. Loss of biological parent before age 18 (Death or absence)
   YES – Lost both of his parents as an infant.
9. Parental mental illness or depression
   MAYBE – This is difficult, there were traits of it in his aunt. However, it also seemed to be a case of living in distress or incongruent to who she wants to be and who she actually is.
10. Household member imprisoned
    YES – His godfather, Sirius Black, was in Azkaban.
11. Multiple changes in placement or primary caregiver
    YES – As an infant living with his aunt and uncle. Then at the age of 11 he went on to live at Hogwarts, with the Weasley’s and subsequent other dwellings for his safety.
12. Serious medical issue involving hospitalization?
    YES – From his first school year at Hogwarts, Harry ended up in hospital care multiple times, including missing bones.

Discussion About ACE’s

Harry Potter has experienced seven, maybe eight, adverse childhood experiences. This means that he is at a 150-400% increased risk of experiencing health or behavior concerns as an adult (without intervention).

We’ll discuss some of the protective factors in a moment. But first I wanted to address some of the shortcomings of ACE’s as it applies to Harry Potter. First, is growing up in a time of war is not covered in the ACE’s, and it has great impacts on development, as the brain is in a constant state of survival. Therefore the survival brain is overdeveloped as compared to the emotional/relational and rational/thinking parts of the brain. Another area lacking is loss of impactful individuals that do not live in the household. Yes, Harry lost his parents and that is covered in ACEs, but the loss of his uncle Sirius and headmast Dumbledore are not. And, in fact, they may compound the losses that Harry has already experienced, leading to a complex grief.

Protective Childhood Experiences (PCE’s)

1. Able to talk to family about emotions
   SORT OF – This may come down to definitions of the family you choose and the family you are born with. The family Harry was born with, his aunt and uncle, he could not talk about his feelings. The family of choice, the Weasley’s, yes Harry could talk about his inner feelings.
2. Felt that family stood by in difficult times
   YES – After meeting his uncle and godfather Sirius, Harry had family that stood beside him in difficult times. Then also, the family by choice stood beside him as well.
3. Enjoy participating in community traditions
   YES – Harry immersed himself into the community, traditions, and rituals of wizardry and witchery.
4. Felt belonging in high school
   YES – From being the youngest seeker on the quidditch team to a Tri-Wizard champion, Harry felt he belonged at Hogwarts. However, there were moments of isolation, but Harry always had his core group of friends.
5. Felt supported by friends
   YES – Harry had strong friend relationships with Hermione and Ron, and had close relationships with many other individuals at school that supported him (Luna, Neville).
6. Having atleast two nonparent adults who show genuine care
   YES – Where to begin… Hagrid, Dumbledore, Weasley’s, McGonagall, Snape*, and the list goes on.
   *Snape is a complex situation. Yes he provided counter spells, teaching Harry occlumency, and sharing his last memories – all caring. However, he also singled out and picked on Harry, had a disgust for Harry’s dad, and killed Dumbeldore in front of Harry. So from Harry’s vantage point, Snape was probably polarizing.
7. Felt safe and protected by an adult at home
   SORT OF – When living with the Dursley’s it would be difficult to say that he felt safe and protected. That being said, there were adults watching over him in the community that he was unaware of that, and they were keeping Harry safe. When Harry lived with the Weasley’s, yes, Harry felt safe and protected at home.

Discussion About PCE’s

It’s important to remember that protective childhood experiences are buffers, they don’t counteract adverse childhood experiences. There isn’t research, at this point, that says if you experience three ACE’s you need to experience at least five PCE’s to counteract the effects of the three ACE’s.

That being said, Harry did have five PCE’s with the possibility of two more. It became apparent during the PCE’s that Harry did receive a lot of support from caring friends and caring adults. It is an important discussion to have about the difference between the family you choose and the family you are born in to.

There is a positivity ratio to keep in mind, again no research to support this connecting PCE’s and ACE’s. Individually speaking, the positivity ratio needs to be three positive emotions to every one negative. In relationships, the ratio is five to one.

Positive Psychology (PERMA)

• Positive Emotions: It’s hard to not get the smile or the grin of shock and awe that Harry has each time he encounters magic in his early years. From how to enter Platform 9 and 3/4’s, to Diagon Alley, to tents that are bigger on the inside. However, he does experience great amounts of doubt, hardship, and loss. If he took the positivity ratio test, he may just narrowly come out on the positive side.
• Engagement: Harry was very engaged in his school community. From his first years he was on the house quidditch team, then co-represented his school in the Tri-Wizard championship, became the captain of his quidditch team, and even started his own club called Dumbledore’s Army.
• Relationships: He had many people who offered friendship, but Harry had an ability early on to judge character and developed close and deep relationships with Ron and Hermione. He also had many supportive and positive relationships with adults.
• Meaning: Harry’s meaning was well established before he was even old enough to comprehend that he was “the chosen one” to save witches and wizards from Voldemort. There were times in his adolescents where his calling in life boosted his ego and created a false sense of prestige. This is a difficult one to assess, because did he find meaning organically; or did it come externally, and then eventually become a part of him?
• Accomplishment: The amount of things Harry Potter accomplished in his youth is quite remarkable. Being the youngest seeker, captaining his quidditch team, slaying a snake, and taking on a troll, just to name a few.

Discussion About PERMA

In terms of practicing the five pillars of positive psychology, Harry Potter did really well despite the adversity he was facing. The only concern may be the genuineness of some of the experiences, versus them being setup by well meaning adults around him. While his reaction to the world of magic was genuine, sometimes the adults were the ones trying to overcompensate the engagement, meaning, and accomplishment to keep Harry on the “chosen” path. That being said, who’s parents or teachers don’t do the same but in a smaller context.

Post Traumatic Stress vs Post Traumatic Growth

• Post Traumatic Stress:
  • Re-experiencing: He experienced vivid dreams, and at times, debilitating re-experiences while awake.
  • Avoidance: Despite terrible experiences at school, he continued to show up. Despite vivid and unsettling dreams of the future, he still went ahead. Avoidance doesn’t appear to be a concern.
  • Numbing: Despite the substances, and magic, available, Harry doesn’t engage in much numbing behaviour.
  • Hyperarousal: Harry was often in a state of scanning for danger and watching out for his safety. His constant state of hyperarousal made him irritable to be around, and impacted the quality of his sleep.
• Post Traumatic Growth:
  • Relationships: Harry formed many positive new relationships during his time at Hogwarts.
  • New Possibilities: During his time at Hogwarts, Harry found many opportunities to create new possibilities.
  • Personal Strength: He became one of the most powerful wizards in the wizarding world.
  • Spiritual Change: Yes, he went from living a muggle lifestyle and beliefs, to believing in a world of magic.
  • Appreciation for Life: Harry was always so mesmerized, every year, by the new possibilities available. He also took great care to use non-lethal options towards others and animals. The only exception was spiders that he and Ron drove through and over.

Discussion About Post Traumatic Growth

Let’s use the diagram below to start. In a period of time after a traumatic experience for Harry, he would be further up the stress staircase. It would take less time for him to become emotionally flooded. However, as he managed over time, he went down the staircase, and it would take more time for him to become emotionally flooded.

Here’s the thing about trauma, regardless of how much you work on it, it’s always in maintenance. Re-experiencing can still happen, hopefully less overtime as you work on it. I think it’s fair to say that Harry was more on the side of post traumatic growth, but he was sprinkled with moments of post traumatic stress.

Interventions

Soothing the Stress Response. As mentioned earlier, Harry would at times be more at an anxious or vigilant state. This means, as the image below says, his survival (emotionally flooded) brain would be over developed. His amygdala is constantly, and understandably, scanning for danger. His amygdala needs to be soothed so that it will surrender it’s control. It is best to practice new skills while calmer, not while maxed. New skills like mindfulness (being present of current feelings), meditation, and taking care of basic needs such as eating, drinking water, positive socializing, and having enough sleep. They all let the brain know it is safe.

Captains of the Brain. Due to the repeated terrible and sometimes traumatic events Harry would experience, his survival brain was being over-utilized compared to the rest of his brain. Luckily Harry had two amazing friends, Ron and Hermione, that would help Harry make decisions when he was emotionally flooded. These friends were the captain of the thinking brain for Harry. This allowed Harry to still make logical decisions when he wasn’t capable independently.

Life Story. Unfortunately Harry’s aunt was not impressed with Harry’s Mom’s, her sisters, life decisions. As a result, she changed the narrative of Harry’s parents life and their death. Harry kept learning new things about his parents as he grew older that were not told to him. These all impacted his identity, knowing who he is and where he belongs. Creating a genogram, or a family history story could have greatly supported Harry’s identity as he grew up.

Space & Time. Frequently when someone is emotionally flooded, we want to pursue them, get them talking, and be with them. Harry at times would be more dangerous as he became emotionally flooded, and would spike in emotion with each attempt at reconnection. On average, it takes about 30-45 minutes for our systems to return to baseline after flooding, and with each spike during the cool down, it takes that much longer to return to baseline. It is OK to say, “I am still around and I will come check on you.” Give them a safe space the size of their bubble, and reconnect when they return to their emotion/relational brain instead of their survival brain.

Attuned Statements. Harry was frequently told he was “the chosen one.” It would be better to say things like “you were really brave being the seeker” or “you showed a lot of courage taking on that creature” or “I am impressed with how you did your homework.” These statements give specific details of what Harry does well, and can anchor his identity of what he is good at.

Closing Thoughts

Harry experienced a lot turmoil in his adolescence. His brain, at times, got stuck in survival mode – which is understandable during war times. He experienced a number of adverse childhood experiences, yet, he also had a lot of support and protective childhood experiences. This allowed him to overcome some of the side effects of those terrible experiences, to transition from a state of traumatic stress to traumatic growth. This is the important piece, healing can always happen. Healing is always possible. Healing is one persons own journey and can start when the individual is ready to heal.

There is exciting research coming out that is looking at positive or protective childhood experiences (read the full article here). It’s fascinating research because it is showing factors that impact resiliency to ongoing stress or traumatic events for children and youth. It is also important to note that this area is requiring more research, but provides a nice antidote to adverse childhood experiences (ACE’s).

Seven Protective Childhood Experiences:

1. Able to talk to family about feelings

2. Felt that family stood by in difficult times

3. Enjoy participating in community traditions

4. Felt belonging in high school

5. Felt supported by friends

6. Having atleast two nonparent adults who show genuine care

7. Felt safe and protected by an adult at home

What’s Next?

Going forward, looking at protective and positive childhood experiences of our favourite heroes and villains will be included. Especially since these factors can easily be identified as possible interventions. It will also be interesting to see how often our favourite characters experienced, or did not experience PCE’s and how that get’s portrayed.

When Logan came out in 2017, there was a increased fascination with his daughter, Laura. Or X23.

Laura debuted in 2003 in X-Men: Evolution, and then later in print in NYX in 2004.

What Happened?

To best understand her complex history, here is a video on her comic book origins:

Adverse Childhood Experiences

1. Psychological abuse by parents/caregivers; e.g. verbal abuse, excessive punishment
   1. YES – the sole purpose behind her creation was to recreate a killing machine.
2. Physical abuse
   1. YES – she underwent surgery without any anesthetic as a type of revenge by the director of the procedure. Subjected to radiation to trigger her mutant gene
3. Sexual abuse
   1. YES – She was exposed to teenage prostitution and intentionally inflicted physical pain to her clients.
4. Emotional neglect
   1. YES – Laura was interacted with minimally in her early years.
5. Physical neglect or malnourishment
   1. YES – Limited interactions, locked away in a cell.
6. Domestic violence
   1. YES – Her surrogate mother, and the creator of the program, Rice; were in constant dispute about how treat Laura – as an trained assassin or a child.
7. Parental alcoholism or drug use in home
   1. NO – Not disclosed
8. Loss of biological parent before age 18 (Death or absence)
   1. YES – Laura killed her own mother when exposed to the trigger sense. The same happened with her sensai. She also killed Rice, prior to Sarah, her mom’s death. And later killed her own uncle while saving her aunt and cousin. Laura also did not know her biological father until a later time.
9. Parental mental illness or depression
   1. YES – Consider the environment for a moment, which Rice is in control of. Rice forced Kinney to carry Laura. Rice then, for his own satisfaction, performed an operation that brought Laura a lot of pain. Then used Laura to kill her sensai, hired her out to perform assassinations. And then tried to have her killed on a suicide mission.
10. Household member imprisoned
    1. YES – She was. She lived in a cell. And by extension her mother was imprisoned by the program. Not to mention, her biological father, even though not exposed to as a teenager, had run-ins with the law.
11. Multiple changes in placement or primary caregiver
    1. YES – By the time she was eight, she had no primary caregiver. She found belonging amongst her aunt and then a group of homeless mutant teenagers.
12. Serious medical issue involving hospitalization?
    1. YES – Her whole early years was spent in an institution.

Discussion about ACE’s

First, I want to start with positives. Laura’s sensai and surrogate mother would sneak in positive interactions. These were able to provide a buffer to, an albeit, troubled childhood. As Laura did struggle with killing a child, this provided Sarah with hope. (Even though Laura did not learn her own name, and that Sarah was her mother until the point that Sarah died.)

When considering the ACES score, Laura is a 9/10. Her childhood and teen years did not set her up for a successful adult life.

She also struggled with connection, as she had limited contact with primary caregiver (Sarah). She spent a large amount of her early years in seclusion and isolation.

In these type of situations, the brain becomes super good at survival. The logical and rationale (frontal cortex) part of the brain, and even the hippocampus in limbic system (relational and emotional brain) is poorly developed. What’s left is the amygdala, which is scanning for danger. In this case, may be overdeveloped.

The image below may help explain. The left is a healthy, or typical brain development. The right is a brain that has experienced developmental trauma.

That being said, if the amygdala can he soothed, by a nurturing caregiver (which later happens when she meets up with Wolverine and the X-men), the brain can be healed.

Positive Psychology (PERMA)

• Positive Emotions: It’s really hard to say that an individual who has experienced life in survival has had a chance to experience any positive emotions. If she took the positivity ratio self test, it will probably end up being more negative, or even, in this case, numb.
• Engagement: Laura was never really given the chance to engage in an activity of her choice. It’s fair to say that her skillset often met, or exceeded, the challenges she faced. As for the state of flow, obviously she was in intense states of flow while completing missions, but again, not by choice. As she aged and became a teenager, she “choose” activities that she excelled in. A beneficial intervention may be identifying Laura’s strengths and finding activities she can do that she can then find a state of flow in.
• Positive Relationships: In Laura’s formative years, she had limited contact with positive relationships. When she finally escaped, she found solace in relationships with peers – something that she chose.
• Meaning: As a child, her meaning was written for her. As an adult, and after careful training, she took on the role of Wolverine.
• Achievement: This is a difficult one, because on one hand Laura was successful in her missions; but then on the other, she wasn’t really able to regulate herself and determine her own goals and destiny as a child.

Post Traumatic Growth vs Post Traumatic Stress

Looking at Laura as an adult, she shows more signs of experience post traumatic growth. She has formed and built new relationships. She has found new possibilities and strength in taking on the mantel of Wolverine. For me, the moment where she experienced the greatest change, and then had a new found appreciation for life was when she tracked down her father (yes to kill him), and Logan said to her “if you want to kill me, fine, but I won’t let you kill yourself.” From this point on, while stress symptoms may have presented, she found herself on the growth track.

Interventions

Soothe the amygdala. Her amygdala has most likely been over developed. There are many different approaches that can be taken to soothe the amygdala. It is important to understand Laura’s emotional age and do creative interventions appropriate for that developmental stage. For example, if her identified age is say 5, an intervention to soothe is reading a bedtime story. This all helps lower the baseline of stress, which again soothes the amygdala.

Retrain the brain. It’s important to remember that every positive interaction helps rewire the brain – one small positive interaction at a time. Intentionally choosing new neural pathways to replace the old, and eventually the old will be pruned.

Consider this example of the backwards bike:

Care-team. Interventions for Laura, especially in her younger years, would need to be by her care-team, a group of caring adults. The experience that Laura had even by the age of eight cannot be undone by individual therapy alone. She needs to learn to trust adults.

Her care-team also needs to realize that when she is triggered, it’s not because Laura hates them, it’s that her brain has been trained and prepped to respond with anger to keep herself safe.

PACE – Her care-team should consider creating a PACE-ful. Incorporating ways to be playful, accepting, curios and empathic towards Laura.

Anger – This is a difficult one, Laura is a trained killing machine, and has been programmed to react. When she hunter down her father, he defended himself, but he also accepted her in her anger. She wasn’t someone to be afraid of. Laura has been trained that she is someone to be feared, and she may even fear herself. She needs to be accepted, and that she is human, and is experiencing the emotion of anger; she is not a monster.

Identity Development – Understandably, given her early history, Laura has struggled to form an identity. She could do such exercises as: What’s in a Name, and Character Strengths.

• What’s in Name: the goal here is to help someone understand their name. Explore the names history, family application, famous individuals with the same name, and any kind of significance. Then concluding with making an acronym such as Love, Accepting, Unique, Real, Awesome.
• Character Strengths: this exercise helps an individual learn what their signature strengths are. Then interventions can be built around what an individual is already awesome at.

Closing Thoughts

I once had an early years co-worker tell me that parents, and caregivers, need to remember that they are growing children. That line gives thought to the careful amount of nurturing over time that is required to shift a fully independent human infant to a functional adult that can experience a healthy range of emotions and have healthy and positive relationships. In between, of course, there are a lot of steps.

When considering X23, for me, it emphasizes how infants, and children, become products of their environment. Sometimes the habits we instill are intentional as parents, other times they may be accidental or survival based.

Laura learned from a young age that she couldn’t trust adults, and she needed to spend considerable amount of time with were dad in her adult years to regain that trust and re-wire her brain.

So even if our lives are difficult, healing can ALWAYS happen, it just requires some re-wiring.

After completing the Anakin Skywalker post, it was apparent that the Adverse Childhood Experiences was missing the important role that attachment plays in development.

As such, I came across an instrument used by Complex Trauma Resources, which they have given me permission to use.

Here are the areas that they consider:

1. Psychological abuse by parents/caregivers; e.g. verbal abuse, excessive punishment
2. Physical abuse
3. Sexual abuse
4. Emotional neglect
5. Physical neglect or malnourishment
6. Domestic violence
7. Parental alcoholism or drug use in home
8. Loss of biological parent before age 18 (Death or absence)
9. Parental mental illness or depression
10. Household member imprisoned
11. Multiple changes in placement or primary caregiver
12. Serious medical issue involving hospitalization?

Notice that the wording is simpler, and now instead of 10 items, there are 12. The two additional areas being considered are: changes in caregiving; and serious medical issues that would take a child away from their primary caregiver.

In future posts, I will be using this alignment, noting that items 1-10 go towards the ACE’s total score; while 11 & 12 are attachment related.

I’ve wanted to include attachment because it is a buffer to the impacts of developmental trauma. Below are some of the impacts of adverse childhood experiences can have on an individual in their youth and adult years.

Don’t lose hope. This video clip, while lengthy, explains that even if ACE’s happen, healing can occur through a healthy attachment:

 

Anakin Skywalker (aka Darth Vader) was the most “googled” Star Wars character in 2017. His history has fascinated individuals since 1977. To understand Darth Vader’s early years and the subsequent outcomes of his life these will be the sources:

• Star Wars 1-2*,3-6
• Star Wars: Obi-Wan & Anakin (2016)*
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series
• Star Wars: Darth Vader comic (2015-2016)

*= is when Anakin is a child/youth and will be used for his ACES. Other media will be used to look at the outcome.

What Happened

Anakin was miraculously conceived by midi-chlorians and born to his slave mother Shmi Skywalker on Tatooine. At age three, after his master lost a bet in pod racing, his mother and he were owned by Watto.

Anakin was talented at a young age, he was a pilot, he built a droid, and he repaired pod racers.

When Anakin was nine he met a stranded trio: Jar Jar, Padme, and Qui-Gonn. He was quite mesmerized by the 14 year old Padme and inquired if she was an angel.

Anakin would help the trio by racing his pod, risking his own life. Qui-Gonn would make a deal with Watto to split the winnings 50/50, including the freeing of Anakin – but not his mother. Only sustaining a cut on his arm, Anakin won the pod race, essentially freeing himself and acquiring the part needed to get Jar Jar, Padme, and Qui-Gonn off the planet.

Now free, Anakin would accompany Qui-Gonn, and his friend Obi-Wan, to Coruscant with the goal of becoming a Jedi, leaving behind his mother.

Anakin fought in the Naboo space battle, single-handedly destroying the droid control ship. While he fought, his mentor Qui-Gonn would die in a lightsaber duel. At Qui-Gonn’s funeral Obi-Wan promised to fulfill Qui-Gonn’s wish for Anakin to become a Jedi.

At age 12, Anakin’s natural abilities made him arrogant amongst his peers, but he still followed and idolized Obi-Wan. Anakin also made a new relationship with Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who saw Anakin’s potential.

Anakin became uncomfortable with his life being decided for him, giving his lightsaber to Obi-wan, he also expressed his desire to leave the Jedi Order.

Obi-Wan and Anakin were sent on a rescue mission to Carnelion IV, where Anakin would be abducted by two locals. Anakin would work with the locals as he tried to reunite with and rescue Obi-Wan, which he did. He then decided to remain a part of the Jedi Order.

At age 19 Anakin would pursue his relationship with Padme further, eventually leading to marriage. Even though marriage was forbidden for Jedi.

Anakin would also return to his home planet in search of his mother. He would find her, moments before she died. In anger and grief, he would then destroy the whole Tusken village – men, women and children. As he buried his mom he desired to become so powerful in the force that he would stop his loved ones from dying.

The Clone Wars started shortly after, when Anakin was still 19.

 Adverse Childhood Experiences

1. Did a parent or other adult in the household often Swear at you, insult you, put you down, or humiliate you? OR Act in a way that made you afraid that you might be physically hurt?
   • NO – It was not reported that with his mom Shmi, or in the care of the Jedi Council that he was. However, he did grow up as a slave, and in care.
2. Did a parent or other adult in the household often Push, grab, slap, or throw something at you? OR Ever hit you so hard that you had marks or were injured?
   • YES – This is a difficult one. In his house no, by his owners it is unclear in the movies. It could also be argued that his lightsaber duel with Obi-Wan would count, but that was after age 19. In the accompanying book for episode two, Anakin does reflect on his master Watto hitting him.
3. Did an adult or person at least 5 years older than you ever Touch or fondle you or have you touch their body in a sexual way? OR Try to or actually have oral, anal, or vaginal sex with you?
   • NO – This was not reported. However, Padme is five years older than Anakin, and they were married when he was 19.
4. Did you often feel that No one in your family loved you or thought you were important or special? OR Your family didn’t look out for each other, feel close to each other, or support each other?
   • NO – If not, the opposite was true when he went into care with the Jedi, he was the chosen one.
5. Did you often feel that You didn’t have enough to eat, had to wear dirty clothes, and had no one to protect you? OR Your parents were too drunk or high to take care of you or take you to the doctor if you needed it?
   • YES – We can see by his clothing in Episode One that Anakin was poorly taken care of, he was a slave until age nine.
6. Were your parents ever separated or divorced?
   • NO – He never had parents. His mom conceived and birthed him alone.
7. Did your mother or stepmother: Often pushed, grabbed, slapped, or had something thrown at her? OR Sometimes or often kicked, bitten, hit with a fist, or hit with something hard? OR Ever repeatedly hit over at least a few minutes or threatened with a gun or knife?
   • MAYBE? – We know very little about what the conditions were like for Anakin and his mother as a slave. At the same time, at their last meeting, Shmi died from her wounds from being a slave.
8. Did you live with anyone who was a problem drinker or alcoholic or who used street drugs?
   • NO – This was not reported.
9. Was a household member depressed or mentally ill or did a household member attempt suicide?
   • MAYBE? – To me, Shmi presented in a discouraged (yet at times optimistic) manner. We know very little about her story – and grief of being a slave may be more appropriate than saying she was depressed or mentally ill.
10. Did a household member go to prison?
    • NO – This was not reported.

Discussion about ACE’s

Anakin has a score of 2, with the potential of four. A lot of what ACE’s measure is, as the title suggests, experiences directed toward the child/youth in their family system; very little has to do with the larger environment. For example, being a slave, being raised in poverty, growing up in care, and growing up in a war time. A lot of factors that may have contributed to Anakin’s development are not included.

Also, these experiences are external, not internal – how did Anakin perceive his childhood/youth. We can see that at age 12 he was questioning how he was being raised. By 19, he made a commitment to himself as his mother died in his arms.

ACE’s doesn’t include how a mentor, such as Palpatine, can impact ones life.

While ACE’s intentionally covers early family life experiences, it then seems to invalidate impactful experiences had later in life, such as was the case with Anakin.

Current Mental State

(Spoiler) Anakin is now deceased, but during his life he displayed characteristics and traits that could result in a mental health diagnosis (for in-depth diagnosis go here). He met criteria in his later years for narcissistic personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, and borderline personality disorder.

One could argue that due to his traumatic events in his younger years being left untreated created the foundation for personality disorders to develop (specifically borderline).

Positive Psychology (PERMA)

• Positive Emotions – Anakin (Vader), discusses a lot about his anger, hate and fear. He may experience confidence and pride in his abilities as a Sith Lord. But overall, his positivity ratio would be below the recommended three positives for every one negative emotion.
• Engagement – Let’s discuss flow here. Flow in it’s simplest terms is when one becomes lost in their own work. It is a balance between the challenge presented and the abilities one has. For Anakin, in his younger years, he felt that his abilities were not being used to their full potential, and would experience boredom and frustration with the lack of challenges. As Anakin grew, he became more and more comfortable using his abilities in challenging situations. Even until his death, it could be said, that Anakin was often in a state of flow.
• Positive Relationships – Anakin, before becoming Vader, had developed successful relationships with Padme, Obi-Wan, and his padawan Ahsoka. He also valued his relationship with Palpatine, as Palpatine often met and validated Anakin’s emotional needs. After becoming Vader, he struggled to maintain positive relationships, often using his power and abilities to have control in relationships. It’s hard to say that Vader’s relationship with Palpatine was positive, many times Vader made plans to usurp his master. The only positive relationship worth noting is Doctor Aphra, they developed an interesting and unique bond.
• Meaning – Anakin’s motivation for joining the dark side of the force was so that he could learn the power to prevent suffering. When looking at Paul Wong’s PURE Meaning Model Anakin accomplished steps one and two: finding purpose and life goals; and understanding the requirements for the life goals. However, he struggled in the next two steps: responsible actions that are reflective of the purpose and life goals; and evaluation of your life for consistency with life goals. It could be said that his purpose changed, where he wanted to become the Sith Master, but was unable to dethrone Palpatine.
• Achievement – Anakin did achieve his goal of becoming successful with the force, building a reputation as a Sith Lord that spread through an entire galaxy. However, he did not learn the desired ability, to prevent suffering and death. He accomplished his short and mid-length goals, but not his long term.

Post Traumatic Growth vs Post Traumatic Stress

Depending if you are a Jedi or a Sith will determine the outcome of this question. Becoming a well-known, and admired leader of a galactic government that emerged from slavery sounds like post traumatic growth, or benefit finding. Yet becoming the leader of an empire that has caused death and destruction, sacrificing all relationships in pursuit of domination, sounds like post traumatic stress.

Let’s look specifically look at traits of PTS and PTG.

• Post Traumatic Stress:
  • Re-experiencing: Yes. He would experience intrusive dreams and visions of losing his mother and his wife.
  • Avoidance: No. According to Rogue One he built his castle on Mustafar, and he did return to Tatooine in search of a mysterious pilot.
  • Numbing: Maybe? It’s important to remember that Anakin became “more robot than man”
  • Hyperarousal: Yes. He was easily triggered to anger, even amongst co-workers.
• Post Traumatic Growth:
  • Relationships: No. He did not develop or maintain new positive relationships.
  • New Possibilities: Yes. His life story led to the possibility of becoming a Sith Lord.
  • Personal Strength: Yes, in away. His abilities with the force led to him becoming the second, if not the most powerful person in the galaxy.
  • Spiritual Change: Yes. He changed from the Jedi religion to the Sith.
  • Appreciation for Life: No. It is hard to say that a man who helped create a weapon that could destroy whole planets appreciated life.

Can you experience both? It definitely seems that Anakin experienced both stress and growth at times during his adult years. It is important to remember that this isn’t an either or type situation. PTSD can be experienced and then develop into PTG; and vice-versa.

Interventions

Keep in mind that these are only a couple recommended interventions, there could be many helpful approaches.

Empathy, Validation, and Connection. Anakin really needed emotional validation. A lot of his struggles originated from not having his experiences validated by Yoda and the Jedi Council. He was also seeking for a male role model, or father figure. The lack of validation and a father figure, made Anakin vulnerable to Palpatine.

Slower transition to Coruscant. Being removed from his mother happened so quickly. It was a couple days, at most, Qui-Gonn went from being a complete stranger to “foster dad”. This transition needed to take longer, and could have fostered more open communication, but as were the traditions of the Jedi that they did not allow visits to family. Anakin being removed at such an older age compared to the other younglings, had already developed an attachment and a bond with his mother.

Self Concept. Anakin could have benefited from a life-story or as it is called by Signs of Safety, words and pictures, explaining in age-appropriate terms why he was now living with the Jedi on Coruscant, and why he needed to leave his mother. It would have helped provide context and meaning, while also nurturing his self-concept.

Grief. Anakin needed to express his grief. He left his mother behind, his first mentor was killed in a light saber duel, and he was kidnapped. He needed a moment to grieve, instead he was frequently told to not feel.

Anger is OK. Anakin was often taught that anger was bad. He never learned how to manage any emotions, in particular the weight of anger, and instead expressed it in unhelpful ways. As noted with grief, he needed to express his emotions in helpful and healthy ways.

Closing Thoughts

Anakin, as is anyone, is a complex individual, showing that ACE’s, while beneficial, is not the sole predictor for outcomes in life. Anakin’s tale, from my perspective, is one of people who were trying to be helpful but did not take time to get to know and understand him which lead to him being vulnerable to the dark side of the force. While his early experiences did impact him, it was more his formative 20’s where his greatest impacts where had.