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Trauma Informed Care | Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Facts | Understanding Trauma & Brain | Disorganized Attachment in Adolescents
Photos by Lloyd Wolf
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UNDERSTANDING DOMESTIC MINOR SEX TRAFFICKING (DMST)Most survivors of DMST do not self-identify, and usually believe that it is their right to do whatever they want to their bodies. Initially, they may be highly resistant to treatment and want to be left alone. They have endured years of sexual abuse at the hands of their caregivers, which results in a distorted view of what a healthy, loving relationship really looks like.
Because many of their relationships (both male and female), including with peers, have been violent, they end up with a disorganized attachment style. In social learning theory, the links between cognition, behaviors, and environment are very important. Behavior is molded by role models and external rewards and punishment THE FACTS
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Attachment, Genes, & Development
Attachment lays a foundation for how a child comes to approach the world, and a healthy attachment with caregivers starting at birth, provides a secure base from which a child can learn about themselves and others. The attachment experience is a central factor in shaping one’s development because genes (nature) and experience (nurture) interact with each other to shape the child. 
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ABC’s of Attachment
The ABC’s of attachment are the developmental sequence of attunement, balance, and coherence. Attunement - The parent aligns their own internal state with that of their child. Often accomplished by the sharing of nonverbal signals. Balance - The child attains balance of their body/emotions, and state of mind through attunement with the parent. Coherence- The sense of integration that is acquired through the parent/child relationship in which the child is able to come to feel both internally integrated and inter-personally connected to others. Patterns of Attachment
Most sex trafficking survivors come from either insecure-anxious and ambivalent, or insecure-disorganized family units. |
UNDERSTANDING TRAUMA & BRAIN
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At the moment of threat, the child is biologically “wired” to see proximity to a parent figure for safety. However, for the child who does not have a secure attachment to her/his parents, these threats are 90 percent likely to emanate from the immediate family. Thus, the very person to whom the child would instinctively turn to at the moment of danger is, in fact, the source of danger, or the source of non-protection from danger (Fisher, 2003).
This relational scenario lays the groundwork for “disorganized attachment,” and can be found in children as young as one year of age whose parents are characterized by researcher observation as “frightening” (Fisher, 2003). In this attachment paradigm, the child demonstrates truncated and ambivalent proximity-seeking responses:
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Courtesy of Prism Magazine, http://prism.wpengine.com/
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DISORGANIZED ATTACHMENT IN ADOLESCENTS
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What do Adolescents Face?
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How do Adolescents Get Trapped?
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Sex Traps of Adolescents
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Consequences of Early Sexual Activity
Early pregnancy:
Early pregnancy:
- Teenage mothers may drop out of school—forced to work with lower paying jobs, experience greater job dissatisfaction, and become dependent on government support
- Stress and frustration that leads to neglect and abuse of the child
- If they marry, marital discord
- Poor education
Disorganized Attachment: Children Easy Targets for Human Trafficking
CHILD SUFFERS:
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CURE* Unconditional love |