Trauma and Chronic Illnesses

The human brain is a complex network of 100 billion neurons that processes and organizes information from our daily lives. This organ encodes a person’s experiences and memories to simultaneously build a unique personality that is you! However, if a painful experience or memory is not dealt with properly in the brain, it may transfer that pain to various body parts to create discomfort and disease.

Truthfully, trauma is not “just in your head”; it leaves imprints on the body that changes the brain’s chemistry and interrupts normal biological processes.

It is undoubtedly easier to diagnose and treat physical trauma than emotional and psychological trauma as it is easier to identify bodily dysfunctions, infections, and toxins stored within the body. But, what happens if those symptoms are actually from a traumatic experience?

How Can Trauma Make You Sick?

The common notion that "too much stress makes you sick" is much more relevant than once thought. Because trauma is cellular and is held within the body, the molecular consequences of stress can transform into long-term disabilities like chronic illnesses, anxiety/depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Historically, humans are known to suppress emotions, attempt to move on from traumatic memories, and maintain a fast-paced lifestyle after traumatic experiences. However, without properly processing these experiences, untreated trauma can have a large impact on the future of a person’s health.

In recent years, researchers have found that there is growing evidence that traumatic experiences change neuronal morphology, neurochemistry, and the ability of the brain to adapt and respond to future stressors. When a person undergoes a traumatic experience, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (the major stress responsive endocrine system) turns on the body’s fight-or-flight response which creates an emotional and physical state of survival. If a person is unable to calm the body’s fight-or-flight response, the heightened stress can manifest into physical pain, increase the risk for cardiovascular issues, and enable bacterial infections, viruses, and toxins to easily invade the body.

What Happens First When a Person Experiences Trauma?

Biologically, the brain structure responsible for emotion and memory, the hippocampus shrinks. In addition, the structure responsible for rumination and creativity, the amygdala, increases its function, while the prefrontal and anterior cortex function decreases. These three processes create spaces where trauma can be stored. When this trauma is stored without being properly processed, it becomes trapped within the body while creating physical manifestations of emotional pain.

These structures are a part of the limbic system which is a group of tightly interconnected brain areas that facilitate memory storage/retrieval, regulate emotional responses, control behavior, and regulate endocrine functions.

The Role of the HPA Axis in Processing Trauma

The HPA axis plays a major role in maintaining homeostasis within the body, including adjusting levels of specific neurotransmitters and hormones in the brain. In fearful situations, the pituitary gland signals for cortisol, the primary stress hormone, to be released by the adrenal glands through the delivery of the pituitary peptide adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). When cortisol circulates within the body, it signals it to exert metabolic functions that assist in the reconsolidation and retrieval of traumatic memories. Once the released cortisol reaches the cells, it is mediated by the glucocorticoid receptors (GR) that transports to the nucleus and regulates gene transcription.

When the body is in a constant “fight or flight” mode, it is solely focused on survival. This is an autonomic physiological reaction that can contribute to adrenaline and cortisol imbalances which signal the body to slow down bodily functions such as: digestion, metabolism, hormone production, and reproduction. Since these are non-survival functions, they are not prioritized when the body perceives danger.

Essentially, this stress response is what catalyzes the process of storing trauma. If this response is in constant use due to high levels of stress, a person may experience “burn-out,” total exhaustion, high blood pressure, mitochondrial dysfunction, systemic inflammation, immunosuppression, the formation of debilitating symptoms, and diseases. Due to the disruption of the immune system, this also makes it easier for opportunistic infections to invade the body. This includes Lyme Disease and mold toxicities.

How Childhood Trauma can Affect Chronic Illnesses:

Childhood traumatic stress or ACEs (adverse childhood events) increases the likelihood of being hospitalized for an autoimmune disease by 80%. These diseases include: Crohn's Disease, Grave’s Disease, Sjogren Disease, rheumatoid arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and multiple sclerosis. Recent studies are finding connections between the role of childhood trauma in relation to how the major-stress hormones create autoimmune symptoms by triggering neuroendocrine hormones that lead to the dysregulation of the immune system. This results in the alteration of cytokine production, a process that regulates stress and the body’s response to disease and infections as well as assisting in normal cellular processes. Continuous stress can also be a cause for the development for autoimmune symptoms.

Researchers state that since “ACEs rarely occur in isolation, the cumulative effect of multiple ACEs shown in our study may have an even more powerful negative effect on a young child's developing brain via repeated activation of the stress response.” These effects can also lead to psychiatric disorders such as: depression, anxiety disorder, and bipolar disorder.

Check out our article on the long term effects of trauma here!

Can Trauma be Passed Down Through Generations?

Yes, this concept is known as epigenetics. Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression. According to the CDC, epigenetics is how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work. Trauma is interconnected to genetics and may predispose a person to autoimmune diseases.

Researchers found that the “biological mechanism of epigenetic modification most often involves methylation of cytosine within a gene, which typically produces decreased transcription of that segment of DNA into RNA to reduce gene expression.” This is similar to how the body responds to trauma and stress.

Here is an example of how epigenetics may influence the future health of a child:

Epigenetic mechanisms have been found to influence the intrauterine environment. Third-trimester pregnant mothers that developed PTSD due to the exposure to the World Trade Center attacks of 9/11/2001, birthed infants with lower salivary cortisol levels. This alteration may occur from the hormonal responses to stress to the fetus in utero. This leads to the reprogramming of glucocorticoid responses in the offspring.

The Gut-Brain Connection

The brain and gut are connected through various pathways including the vagus nerve, enteric nervous system (ENS), immune system, and the metabolic processes of gut microorganisms. The gastrointestinal tract is co-dominated by the autonomic nervous system which controls digestion, heart rate, pupillary responses, etc. After a person experiences trauma, the gut and brain communicate by slowing down digestion, increasing inflammation, and allowing the gut to be susceptible to bacterial/viral/mycotoxin infections.

Following a traumatic experience, the microbiome changes. The amount of "bad" bacteria in the gut increases while the amount of “good” bacteria decreases. This directly affects over 100 million neurons that produce GABA, serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and endorphins which are crucial for mental clarity, reduction of anxiety, and stress management. This creates a perfect environment to create gut disorders and food sensitivities.

How Mindset Affects Healing

The good news is that trauma does not have to define or hinder your life. Thankfully, there are many methods to process and unlock trauma that allows the brain and body to heal. Some examples of healing modalities for psychological trauma include: therapy, hypnotherapy, DNRS, EFT/MFT, and meditation.

It is difficult to stay positive when dealing with chronic illnesses, but it is important to acknowledge the power of the mind. When humans think positive thoughts, the brain creates neurochemicals and rewires the brain through neuroplasticity. Endocannabinoids, dopamine, and serotonin are created and released when the brain recognizes positive thoughts. These hormones and receptors help heal the gut as the gut-brain connection is strong.

Retraining the brain requires awareness and daily effort through affirmations. So, the phrase “fake it until you make it” may serve in a person’s favor when recovering from a debilitating past. Overall, acknowledging trauma and chronic stress is the first step towards full health. It is a journey that is unique to everyone and may be the missing piece in your healing journey. Healing is possible!

If you believe you are dealing with chronic illness, please contact a functional provider. Dr. Jaban Moore, a functional medicine provider, can help you if you are experiencing chronic symptoms.

Please reach out if you are interested in taking your health back! You can give our office a call at (816) 889-9801.

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