A Trauma Therapist Explains the Link Between Trauma and Chronic Illness (& 3 Ways to Regain Balance and Heal)
A Trauma Therapist Explains the Link Between Trauma and Chronic Illness (& 3 Ways to Regain Balance and Heal)
Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC
You've been on this journey for so long now, treating your chronic disease, and the more you read about it, the more you recognize the overlap between trauma and chronic illness. When you look back on your experiences, you can see the connections.
You start to realize that some of it may be true for you and that trauma might have directly influenced not only your emotional well-being but your physical health as well. For example, if you frequently faced physical punishment as a child or often witnessed domestic violence or abuse, experiences can trigger chronic stress. Over time, this ongoing stress can lead to long-term health problems such as high blood pressure, heart issues, digestive disorders, autoimmune diseases, and chronic pain.
Our trauma therapists at Mindful Living Counseling Orlando, often see clients recovering from trauma who experience various chronic illnesses. So, as an Orlando therapist, I would like to help you understand the overlap between trauma and chronic disease. Allow me to explain how trauma affects your physical health and how to break this cycle.
The Overlap Between Chronic Illness and Trauma: Understanding the Mind-Body Connection
Chronic illness is not just a medical challenge. Anyone who experiences chronic health issues knows that feeling physically unwell for a long time affects both mental and emotional well-being. A holistic approach to healing acknowledges this deep connection between the mind and body, recognizing that trauma is often stored in the nervous system and can manifest physically.
Therefore, healing from chronic illness isn't just about treating symptoms—it's about understanding how past experiences influence your health and taking steps to regulate your body's response to stress.
How Trauma Manifests in the Body
Trauma is an emotional and physiological response to overwhelming experiences that surpass our ability to cope and undermine our sense of safety and well-being. Unprocessed trauma keeps your body stuck in survival mode, causing you to feel immobilized, tense, and detached from your experiences and the world around you. Over time, this stress response may contribute to chronic pain conditions, chronic fatigue, digestive issues, and autoimmune disorders.
How Stress Triggers Chronic Conditions
Trauma affects the immune system, nervous system, and hormonal balance, which can increase vulnerability to chronic illness. Research shows that stress, mainly when prolonged or unresolved, triggers persistent inflammation, which is a key factor in many chronic health conditions. When your body remains in a state of high alert for a long time, the immune function becomes either overactive (which can lead to autoimmune disorders) or suppressed (making it harder to fight infections and heal properly).
The Nervous System's Role: Why Trauma Keeps the Body in Survival Mode
When we experience trauma, our autonomic nervous system triggers an instant fight, flight, or freeze response to protect us. While this reaction is biologically programmed for survival, it can dysregulate the nervous system and contribute to long-term health issues.
How? Trauma keeps the system in a prolonged state of hyperarousal or shutdown, which can impair the body's ability to regulate stress. This chronic activation of the stress response leads to elevated cortisol and adrenaline levels. Over time, this contributes to chronic inflammation, immune system dysfunction, and hormonal imbalances.
Research suggests a link between unresolved childhood trauma and chronic illnesses such as heart disease, autoimmune disorders, digestive issues, and chronic pain conditions. Because trauma is stored in the body, reminders of past traumatic experiences can trigger a continuous release of stress chemicals, further straining the heart, nervous system, and immune function.
How to Break the Cycle According to an Orlando Therapist: 3 Steps Toward Healing
1. Regulating Your Nervous System
When trauma keeps the nervous system stuck in survival mode, it can feel impossible to relax or feel safe in your body. When something reminds you of a past trauma, it can bring back painful memories. These memories may cause your heart to race, your breathing to become shallow, and you may feel physical pain or discomfort, even though you are safe now.
Practicing deep breathing, grounding techniques, and gentle movement can help shift your body out of this heightened state and into a sense of calm and safety. Simple practices like box breathing or progressive muscle relaxation signal to your nervous system that it's safe to relax. Stimulating the vagus nerve—a long cranial nerve that regulates the body's stress response by connecting the brain to vital organs—with exercises such as deep breathing can further support emotional regulation and restore a sense of safety after trauma.
2. Self-Care Strategies for Physical and Emotional Healing
When your body has been through prolonged stress, it needs nurturing and patience. Rest frequently, eat nutritious food, and engage in light exercises and mindfulness meditation. Listen to your body and do what feels good rather than pushing through harsh workouts.
Set boundaries around personal and professional commitments to avoid burnout. Learning to say no without guilt will drastically reduce stress and allow your nervous system to return to a more balanced state.
Finally, lean into your social support, as positive relationships with supportive people play a vital role in long-term healing. When you connect with people who validate your experience and provide a sense of emotional safety, it can help your nervous system shift out of isolation and hypervigilance.
3. Trauma Therapy for Nervous System Healing
Do you feel stuck and overwhelmed by intense emotions, chronic stress, and physical symptoms? This is how unresolved trauma can feel—like it's trapped in the body, causing both emotional and physical challenges. While effective in many ways, traditional talk therapy alone may not be enough to release these deeply stored experiences.
Trauma-focused therapies, such as sensorimotor therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) at Mindful Living Counseling, can help your nervous system reprocess past trauma and restore a sense of balance. These therapies go beyond talking by addressing how trauma is stored in the body. Once you begin to understand how your body has been stuck in past trauma and learn techniques to reprocess distressing memories, you'll be able to release tension and heal.
The Route of Your Trauma Healing Is a Path to Your Holistic Health
While you may not be able to change the past, you can change how your body responds to stress in the present and break free from the cycle of chronic stress and illness. Understanding this mind-body connection is key to holistic healing, as addressing both trauma and physical health can help restore nervous system balance, reduce symptoms, and improve overall well-being.
Interested in How Trauma Therapy Helps?
Looking to rebuild a sense of safety, feel more in control of your emotions, and less overwhelmed by physical symptoms? Contact us today to learn how our Mindful Living Counseling Orlando therapist can help.
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Not Ready for Trauma Therapy Orlando?
At Mindful Living Counseling, we have a team of specialized trauma therapists who are always ready to help. We understand that you may not be ready to seek help right now. If you're interested in learning more about trauma therapy, we recommend checking out the articles provided below.
Trauma Therapy Orlando Resources
Anxiety Therapist Shares The Impact of Stress and Trauma on Our Reactions
Orlando Therapist Explores the Difference between Physical Trauma & Attachment Trauma
Trauma Therapist: Understanding the Window of Tolerance
Types of Counseling: Trauma Counseling
Orlando Therapist: Understanding Therapy Jargon
5 Signs You’re Healing from Trauma
Other Therapy Services Offered at Mindful Living Counseling in Orlando
Mindful Living Counseling offers a range of therapy services, including Anxiety Therapy, Toxic Relationships, EMDR Therapy, and Teen Therapy, as well as Guided Meditations.
Trauma Therapist Spotlight: Lauran Hahn
Lauran Hahn, LMHC an Orlando trauma-based therapist who specializes in helping clients who are struggling with anxiety and trauma with her EMDR Intensives. She is a Certified Sensorimotor Psychotherapist, a Certified EMDR Therapist, and an EMDRIA Approved Consultant.