Trauma in the Body

You may have heard of Besel Van Der Kolk’s groundbreaking book “The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma”.  If you haven’t, the title lends itself nicely to the overall lesson of the book- trauma is stored in our bodies.  Increasingly more and more attention and awareness is being given to the interconnection of body and mind, especially when it comes to treating mental illness and trauma. 

When we experience traumatic events or chronic stress, the nature of our stress response in our bodies is such that the “memory” of that event get stored- not as a conscious thought or image in our minds- but as a feeling or response in our body.  When we experience a traumatic event, the physiological changes in our body (our survival instincts or “fight/flight/freeze response” as it’s often called) go into overdrive.  Adrenaline, cortisol, and other stress hormones flood our system and cause changes to our digestion, immune system, respiration and nervous systems in ways that can be critical to our survival in the short-term, but actually cause significant harm to use if left unchecked.

A history of childhood trauma has been associated with greater risks of asthma, cancer, COPD, kidney disease, obesity, and greater risk of serious infection.  Chronic inflammation (a physical response to stress) is linked to heart disease, diabetes, migraines and autoimmune disorders.  I often ask my clients about chronic headaches and stomach problems, as these are often physical signs of stress being held in the body. 

Toxic stress will kill you!  But- only if you don’t do anything about it. 

Engaging in effective stress management techniques is as important and life-saving as eating fruits and vegetables.  Want to start developing a more effective self-care routine? Check out my workbook 100 Days of Self-Care: A Workbook for the Most Important Person in Your Life, available on Amazon!