The past is useful to understand if it’s negatively impacting your present. The Adverse Childhood Experiences Quiz (ACE) explains the extent to which we may be affected by past difficulties in the areas of abuse, neglect or family dysfunction. Physical or sexual abuse is a common culprit for high ACE scores, but experiencing neglect or witnessing family dysfunction can result in similar physical and mental health risks.
There is hope if you have a high ACE score, and developing positive relationships is very important. Jack Shonkoff, a pediatrician and director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University commenting on the ACE in the NPR blog below: Resilience, he says, builds throughout life, and close relationships are key.