By Emily Pyrek, La Crosse Tribune, August 9, 2019
In the aftermath of the recent trio of gun massacres in the United States, social workers, psychologists and researchers in La Crosse and nationwide are calling attention to the effects of adverse childhood experiences, as trauma in their formative years appears to be a commonality among many mass shooters.
Lacie Ketelhut, trauma-informed care community coordinator at Gundersen Health System, has been a prominent local voice in spreading awareness about the lasting impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), with neglect and exposure to abuse or extreme family conflict making a permanent imprint on an individual’s psyche and negatively affecting their health.
Cognitive and neurobiological research has found toxic stress may have the ability to alter brain development, impairing prefrontal cortex functioning and responses to psychosocial stressors, increasing inflammation levels or causing gene modifications.
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