Addressing one’s mental health problems begins with a thorough assessment. The ACE quiz is a crucial foundational tool because it helps reveal any early trauma that may have occurred.
At Goodsky, we view trauma as an injury that requires healing and understanding to prevent further harm. Childhood trauma, especially early childhood trauma, needs a different approach compared to trauma acquired in adulthood.
In a nutshell, the mainstream approach of CBT or talk therapy is top-down, where you use your mind to verbalize feelings. But what if the trauma was experienced before you had the ability to verbalize?
Even in cases of adult-acquired trauma, somatic therapy—a bottom-up approach where the body is used to heal the mind—can be incredibly valuable. While not as common in Australia, this approach is widely used overseas and is gaining popularity here due to its effectiveness. We find it extremely valuable and it is a key difference between our successful treatments and mainstream methods.
So, why take the ACE quiz? Because it will help reveal the extent to which your trauma (if any) was acquired in childhood, and may explain why mainstream CBT or top-down approaches haven’t worked for you.
