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It’s becoming increasingly clear that trauma doesn’t just affect the mind — it can reshape the body on a cellular, hormonal, and immune level. More and more research is showing that there’s a powerful link between unresolved trauma and chronic physical health conditions, including autoimmune disorders.
Many people living with conditions like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or lupus also report a history of trauma — whether it’s childhood abuse, neglect, systemic oppression, or chronic stress. And yet, these connections are often overlooked in medical care, leaving patients feeling invalidated, misunderstood, or dismissed.
This article explores how trauma influences long-term health and what it means to integrate trauma-informed care into our understanding of chronic illness.
Trauma as a Whole-Body Experience
When we experience trauma, the body’s stress response system kicks into overdrive — releasing hormones like cortisol and adrenaline to help us survive. In the short term, this system is life-saving. But when trauma is chronic or unresolved, the nervous system remains in a prolonged state of activation.
Over time, this can lead to:
Chronic inflammation
Immune dysregulation
Digestive disruption
Sleep disturbances
Hormonal imbalance
The body stays on high alert, even when the danger is over. This wears down the body’s ability to repair itself and fight illness, leading to greater susceptibility to long-term physical health problems.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Health Outcomes
The ACE Study (Adverse Childhood Experiences), one of the most influential public health studies in recent history, found a direct correlation between early life trauma and later physical illness. The more ACEs a person had (such as abuse, neglect, parental substance use, or household violence), the higher their risk of:
Heart disease
Autoimmune conditions
Diabetes
Chronic pain
Depression and anxiety
Early death
These findings highlighted that trauma doesn’t just live in memory — it lives in the body’s systems, often showing up decades later.
Autoimmune Disorders and Trauma
Autoimmune disorders occur when the body’s immune system begins attacking its own tissues. While the exact causes are still being researched, there’s increasing recognition of the psycho-neuro-immunological connection — the way psychological stress, nervous system dysregulation, and immune response are all intertwined.
Trauma may contribute to autoimmune disease through:
Chronic inflammation caused by prolonged stress response
Disrupted cortisol levels (too high or too low)
Gut dysbiosis, often called the “second brain,” which plays a role in both immunity and mood
Increased oxidative stress and cellular aging
A nervous system that becomes hypersensitive to perceived threat — even within the body itself
People with autoimmune conditions often describe their body as “turning against them,” but it’s more accurate to say that the body is trying to protect itself, based on signals of long-term stress and dysregulation.
The Emotional Toll of Chronic Illness
Living with a chronic illness can be traumatizing in and of itself. The loss of control, the grief over one’s body changing, the frustration of being disbelieved by providers — all of this adds a psychological burden that can compound physical symptoms.
This is especially true for those in marginalized communities. BIPOC, queer, trans, and disabled individuals often face systemic dismissal, medical racism, or gaslighting when trying to get care — reinforcing both physical and emotional harm.
Trauma-Informed Chronic Illness Care
Healing chronic illness is complex and multifaceted. Trauma-informed care doesn’t suggest that trauma “causes” all illness, but that it’s a piece of the puzzle worth acknowledging. Trauma-informed chronic illness care includes:
Validation: Believing patients when they describe their pain and experiences
Regulation tools: Teaching nervous system regulation (e.g., breathwork, grounding, somatic therapy)
Integrative treatment: Including both medical and mental health support
Body compassion: Supporting patients in rebuilding trust with their body, rather than seeing it as the enemy
Narrative reclamation: Helping patients understand how their history, identity, and body intersect
Final Thoughts
The link between trauma and chronic illness isn’t about blame — it’s about context and compassion. Understanding how trauma shapes the body allows us to offer care that is not just symptom-focused, but rooted in safety, dignity, and healing.
Our bodies are not broken. They are doing their best to adapt, survive, and signal when something is out of balance. When we listen to the body’s story with care, we open the door to deeper, more holistic healing.
Grishma Dahal is a Registered Psychotherapist at Catharsis Psychology and Psychotherapy.
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