Trauma(PTSD), Anxiety, Depression and Physical Health Illness/Symptoms such as Sleeping Problems, Chronic Pain

Trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Depression, Anxiety and many other mental health challenges either cause or exacerbate physical health experiences &/or symptoms.

Trauma therapists as well as medical professionals see many clients present with physical symptoms that have personal trauma histories.

The Body Keeps the Score is real, linking trauma and physical health symptoms together. While many feelings and flashbacks are held/encoded in emotional and memory parts of the brain, the body is also more likely to develop physical illness and symptoms after trauma. You also may misinterpret trauma in the body as signs of physical illness.

So what are these illnesses and physical symptoms I’m referring to?

Trauma and Physical Health Symptoms: Sleeping problems

A personal experience of trauma decreases your body’s ability to handle perceived stress before you get the physiological chemical response we all know happens with stressful stimuli. This causes agitation, heart palpitations and sweating etc.

These chemicals break down with time. However, with the hypervigilance and anxiety/panic attacks that come with trauma there is an almost continuous chemical release.

This causes problems with relaxing and sleeping. People often get to sleep but it is a shallow sleep and includes waking up too early, not getting needed, high quality sleep. You may experience nightmares and terrors.

This is all due to central nervous system dysregulation.

Trauma and Physical Health Symptoms: Chronic pain

Chronic pain is another common issue present with a personal history of trauma.

There can be physiological/nerve damage from physical abuse, but chronic pain, often labeled as Fibromyalgia, is often still present when this physical damage is not the case.

The stress chemicals mentioned above cause muscle tension that can increase pain symptoms. I also find the body simply remembers harm caused, especially in the formative years.

It can get better with therapy and other treatments for mental health and trauma, but likely not fully resolved.

The key to the most effective treatment for trauma that addresses physical pain, in my professional opinion, must include therapeutic techniques that address the brain storing traumatic memories in the amygdala, the primitive/nonverbal part of the brain responsible for feelings.

This can be accomplished through movement, Art, Sandtray &/or EMDR therapies.

Trauma and Physical Health Symptoms: Panic attacks

Another common experience related to trauma and anxiety is panic attacks (sudden burst of feelings of terror, racing heart, sweating, tunnel vision, thinking you are dying…)  

Panic attacks are often mistaken for a heart attack with people going to emergency room departments to get assessed and treated for heart problems. It is one of the main reasons people present to emergency rooms.

If you are having a panic attack you are not at risk for a heart attack unless there is an underlying issue. Panic attacks feel awful and terrifying but your heart is beating nice and regular, safe as well. 

Trauma and Physical Health Symptoms: Gastrointestinal issues

Gastrointestinal concerns are also common as this is impacted by stress.

However, the bigger picture with trauma includes not learning proper affect regulation strategies as a child as you were being abused.

Abuse overwhelms the system, there is simply only so much stress we can take before we need to treat this trauma to decrease the symptoms we refer to as PTSD. We can’t learn affect regulation skills in abusive conditions.

This can lead to long-term stress and related issues that doctors term, Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Depression/Anxiety and related physical symptoms

Other mental health challenges include physical symptoms as a part of their presentation.

An example Depression and depressive symptoms can include system slowing, even vegetative symptoms, when you can’t get out of bed. Cognitive issues such as not being able to concentrate or focus are common as well.

Anxiety can include respiratory symptoms, difficulty breathing and heart palpitations that are often mistakenly thought to be bigger health issues.

Trauma and Physical Health Symptoms: Sexual issues

Sexual issues or even sexual dysfunction can be physiological, but shockingly, can also simply be related to trauma.

Sexual trauma can create physical sensations and body memories severe enough to make sex impossible or at least challenging. Some of these physical reactions can include flackblacks and panic if you were sexual abused or assaulted.

It can be as powerful as Vaganismus (involuntary tightening of vaginal muscles during penetration). I have had many doctors refer to our clinic as they feel their patient is experiencing sexual dysfunction ex. Erectile dysfunction, related to sexual trauma.

Sexual dysfunction can be completely unrelated to trauma, but if you have a personal history of trauma, it is a likely culprit.

This sexual trauma can be treated to mitigate sexual symptoms increasing your sexual satisfaction.

Trauma and Physical Health Symptoms: Other physical illnesses

There are also many physical illnesses that are exacerbated by the extreme stress of C-PSTD and PTSD. Examples are autoimmune and cardiovascular issues as trauma symptoms agitate the central nervous system.  

In conclusion

I would love to see many people who are plagued by chronic pain and gastro issues consider adding trauma therapy to their treatment plan.

It does not have to be a severe history of trauma either. If we come from a family where feelings were discouraged and if you are emotionally sensitive by nature, the defense mechanisms used to numb and stuff down feelings can create mental health experiences such depression and anxiety.

This can also include painful and uncomfortable physical symptoms.

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Lisa S.

Medical disclosure: all of the above information is based on my experience as a trauma specialized psychotherapist. I am not a medical doctor and the information here is only observational and anecdotal in nature. Please consult a medical professional is any of the above information resonates with you.