It is well understood that traumatic experiences can impact our mental and emotional health. What is sometimes less recognized is that trauma can also have profound effects on physical health. Why is that and what does it mean for those of us who have experienced trauma?

What Are the Physical Health Risks?

According to the UCSF Center to Advance Trauma Informed Health Care, research is increasingly demonstrating that untreated trauma underlies much illness, disability, and premature death. It is correlated with 8 of the 10 leading causes of death, including heart disease, lung disease, kidney disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, suicide, and accidental overdose.

Much of what we know about the link between traumatic experiences and health outcomes comes from the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study conducted by the CDC and Kaiser Permanente in the late 90s. This study identified 10 types of ACEs:

• Emotional abuse

• Physical abuse

• Sexual abuse

• Emotional neglect

• Physical neglect

• Intimate partner violence in the household

• Mental illness in the household

• Substance abuse in the household

• Parental separation or divorce

• Incarceration of a household member

The study found that ACEs were common, with two-thirds of participants reporting at least one ACE and over a fifth of participants reporting 3+ ACEs. The study also determined that the more ACEs a person is exposed to, the more their risk of negative health outcomes increases.

A 2013 study conducted in Philadelphia sought to understand ACEs in a more racially and socio-economically diverse population. This study identified additional categories of ACEs, including witnessing violence, experiencing discrimination, feeling unsafe in one’s neighborhood, experiencing bullying, and being in foster care. Its findings were even more sobering: 70% of participants had experienced at least one ACE and 40% had experienced four or more.

Why Trauma Impacts Physical Health

Why does exposure to traumatic stressors have the potential to impact physical health in such serious ways? The reasons appear to be multiple, and research is ongoing to gain more knowledge about these pathways.

One factor is that repeated exposure to trauma can lead to a “toxic stress response” whereby the body’s stress response system is chronically activated, even in situations where no threat is present. A consequence of this can be impaired development of the brain and other organ systems, particularly when the toxic stress occurs within critical development windows in childhood. This puts a person at increased risk of developmental delay, disease, and cognitive issues.

Further, over-activation of the stress response is just generally hard on the body and leads to “wear and tear” over time. This depletion makes us more vulnerable to disease.

Finally, efforts to escape the deep emotional pain that tends to result from traumatic experiences can lead to the development of coping mechanisms that increase the likelihood of physical and mental illness over time, like overuse of substances, smoking, and high-risk sexual behavior.

Implications for Trauma Survivors

This information can be scary to individuals who have been exposed to trauma. One important thing to note is that it is not the experience of trauma alone that results in the increased risk of negative health outcomes. It is the experience of trauma plus a lack of protective relationships that amplifies risk. Even in the case of significant trauma, having the support of a safe and caring adult at the time of the trauma(s) lessens the risk of poor health later in life.

Further, effective trauma therapy, such as EMDR, can reset the body’s stress response such that it only activates when it is appropriate and necessary. This alleviates excess strain on the body and can eliminate the need for health-impeding coping behaviors. Thus, addressing past trauma can improve health and wellbeing across all dimensions. Interested in moving forward? Contact me today to start your healing work.