Circumcision and Trauma

[cgannon64]

I've heard it argued that circumcision should be outlawed, or at the very least not practiced, because the painful procedure can cause lasting trauma in a child. Circumcised adults don't seem to have any more repressed trauma than non-circumcised ones, however. And, it seems pretty clear that nothing is remembered from those first few months and years of life.

That got me wondering: How much trauma can you inflict on a baby before it has an effect on its adulthood? If a baby is traumatized and the adult is clearly pyschologically damaged by it, are pyschologists or doctors or anyone able to figure out why? Can they actually form memories, or repressed memories, from a period that far back, or do they just feel damaged without knowing the cause?

 

[ComradeDavo]

I had mine done for medical reasons. No trauma.

 

[cgannon64]

How old were you?

 

[Narz]

Circumcised adults don't seem to have any more repressed trauma than non-circumcised ones, however. And, it seems pretty clear that nothing is remembered from those first few months and years of life.

Maybe not consciously. It's been proven that people can remember all sorts of things when under hypnosis (verifyable things).

That got me wondering: How much trauma can you inflict on a baby before it has an effect on its adulthood? If a baby is traumatized and the adult is clearly pyschologically damaged by it, are pyschologists or doctors or anyone able to figure out why? Can they actually form memories, or repressed memories, from a period that far back, or do they just feel damaged without knowing the cause?

I think it's mostly emotional but it definitely goes into the emotional memory bank. That I'm pretty certain of. People remember and absorb everything, always, even when under anisthesia and supposedly as good as dead (temporarily). I don't think we should be cutting up our sons simply so they have handsomer penises.

Note : I'm circumsized and kind of happy with it (I think uncircumsized wangs are kind of ugly). However, I do think it's a somewhat barbaric practice and I'm not going to do it to my sons.

 

[luiz]

There is obviously no trauma caused by circumcision, but it's a pretty pointless procedure as well(unless when done for medical reasons)

 

[cgannon64]

I know that people can remember plenty of things pretty far back, but there has to be a limit. If you could remember being circumcised under hypnosis you could conceivably remember your last few days in the womb, couldn't you?

 

[nonconformist]

It's odd how common circumcision is in America. I don't think I actually know any circumcised guys; in Europe, it's a purely religious or medical matter.

 

[Narz]

There is obviously no trauma caused by circumcision, but it's a pretty pointless procedure as well(unless when done for medical reasons)

I don't see how that's obvious.

I know that people can remember plenty of things pretty far back, but there has to be a limit. If you could remember being circumcised under hypnosis you could conceivably remember your last few days in the womb, couldn't you?

Probably. It's pretty obvious that a mother's habits during gestation effect the baby/child/adult later in life.

 

[Narz]

I wonder if there is a positive coorelation between circumsizion and sex crimes...

 

[cgannon64]

Probably. It's pretty obvious that a mother's habits during gestation effect the baby/child/adult later in life.

Well, I don't beleive that.

I have a friend who claims to remember being on a boat when he was two months old; I don't beleive him either. If he could remember that he'd surely remember getting part of his penis cut off!

 

[Dann]

Circumcision is the rule here in Southeast Asia, more probably for cultural rather than religious reasons, since it's equally standard in both Christian Philippines and Muslim Malaysia + Indonesia. It was sort of a 'rite of passage' for boys. Among Muslims the little boys even have a small parade around town while on the way to the 'ceremony'.

I had mine done when I was 11 or 12. No trauma at all. The trauma was from teasing from other kids (who had theirs done earlier) during the years BEFORE the procedure.

Of course, later on it became SOP for male babies to have it done soon after birth. Thus sparing (and denying) them an opportunity for peer psychological hazing later.

 

[Narz]

Well, I don't beleive that.

I have a friend who claims to remember being on a boat when he was two months old; I don't beleive him either. If he could remember that he'd surely remember getting part of his penis cut off!

Smoking affects babies (and unborn babies), unhealthy eating (of the mother) affects the unborn baby. Emotional turmoil may cause more psysiological damage than either. You're friend may be pulling your leg but still, I believe that every experience of pain and/or pleasure in childhood ultimately affects our current outlook, whether or not we can remember it.

 

[ComradeDavo]

How old were you?

Very young. Maybe 1?

 

[nonconformist]

What is the actual process? And what sort of proportion is taken off?
I'd google, but on my parent's computer, the History might make them suspicious.

 

[Perfection]

I know that people can remember plenty of things pretty far back, but there has to be a limit. If you could remember being circumcised under hypnosis you could conceivably remember your last few days in the womb, couldn't you?

Hypnosis of recovered memories that early is psuedoscientific. Most "recovered memories" during that time are merely amalgams of hpynotic suggestion, informtation abstracted from different sources, and imagination.

I wonder if any studies have been done on the topic? I'd need somehard statistical evidence to believe that such early and brief truama can have significant effect on devlopment.

 

[aneeshm]

Maybe not consciously. It's been proven that people can remember all sorts of things when under hypnosis (verifyable things).


I think it's mostly emotional but it definitely goes into the emotional memory bank. That I'm pretty certain of. People remember and absorb everything, always, even when under anisthesia and supposedly as good as dead (temporarily). I don't think we should be cutting up our sons simply so they have handsomer penises.

Note : I'm circumsized and kind of happy with it (I think uncircumsized wangs are kind of ugly). However, I do think it's a somewhat barbaric practice and I'm not going to do it to my sons.

Actually , it is a good practice if done right . You snip off the part of the foreskin which prevents it from being retracted . So hygeine is improved , because the foreskin can be retracted ( and the head exposed ) when cleaning is required , but the benefits ( more sensitivity during intercourse ) remain ( because the foreskin is covering the sensitive areas during the rest of the day ) .

It also lowers the risk of some diseased ( because cleaning is better ) , and protects you better against some others ( unprotected sex is less likely to get you infected , though it is still a no-no ) .

 

[Rambuchan]

Hey, I was circumcised at a young age and it was no skin off my nose.

 

[Neonanocyborgasm]

I've heard it argued that circumcision should be outlawed, or at the very least not practiced, because the painful procedure can cause lasting trauma in a child. Circumcised adults don't seem to have any more repressed trauma than non-circumcised ones, however. And, it seems pretty clear that nothing is remembered from those first few months and years of life.

That got me wondering: How much trauma can you inflict on a baby before it has an effect on its adulthood? If a baby is traumatized and the adult is clearly pyschologically damaged by it, are pyschologists or doctors or anyone able to figure out why? Can they actually form memories, or repressed memories, from a period that far back, or do they just feel damaged without knowing the cause?

Recent evidence suggests that there's no such things as repressed memories. Many of the scandals that took place because of such memories often turned out to be bogus. Later investigation revealed that the psychologist was leading the subject to remember things that never happened. The belief that such memories could exist appears to come from the psychoanalysis shool of psychiatry, which has been thoroughly debunked and discredited long ago. (although you will still see it mentioned for historical purposes)

I find it hard to believe that one can feel psychologically traumatized by something without knowing what that is.

PS. I am circumcized and feel no sense of psychological trauma as a result, even though I was 7 years old at the time.

 

[Truronian]

Same as many other people posting: No foreskin; no trauma.

 

[cgannon64]

My question was a bit more general. I anticipated that many people here are circumcised and have no traumatic psychological effects.

My question is: What amount of trauma can a baby endure before it affects the adult's pyschological disposition?