380. The 7 Childhood Experiences That Shape Every Relationship You'll Ever Have

380. The 7 Childhood Experiences That Shape Every Relationship You'll Ever Have

From Relationships Made Easy by Dr. Abby Medcalf

April 27, 2026 · 37 min · Season 380 · Episode 8

About this episode

This episode explores the seven positive childhood experiences that can mitigate the effects of adverse childhood experiences on adult relationships and health.

You probably know what an ACE is. Adverse Childhood Experience. Trauma, instability, the things that happened to you that you didn't deserve and couldn't control. Researchers have spent decades documenting how those early experiences affect your brain, your nervous system, your relationships, and your health decades later. But there's a side of that research that almost nobody talks about, and it may be the most hopeful thing I've ever read: the science of what protected you. Or would have. Or still can. There are seven specific childhood experiences, what researchers now call Positive Childhood Experiences or PCEs, that have been found to dramatically reduce the lifelong impact of adversity, even severe adversity. And the most important finding isn't just about kids. It's about you, right now . In this episode, you're going to learn what those seven experiences are, how to figure out which ones were missing from your childhood, and most importantly, the research-backed ways adults can actually build what they didn't get. ____________________________ Full blog and show notes: https://abbymedcalf.com/positive-childhood-experiences-healing-adults Download the My PCE Profile , a…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Abby Medcalf

Topics covered

  • childhood experiences
  • relationships
  • adverse childhood experiences
  • positive childhood experiences
  • self-improvement
  • mental health

Keywords

  • ACE
  • PCE
  • trauma
  • relationships
  • self-assessment
  • mental health
  • childhood trauma
  • adversity
  • healing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: One Love Collective, Substack, My PCE Profile, Positive Childhood Experiences

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