Connecting Trauma Stress and Chronic Pain (Informational Brochure)
Submitted by tomrue on
Old Traumas Add To Present Pain
Many women, and more men than might be generally assumed, who suffer chronic physical pain were sexually abused as children. Many others of both genders experienced physical or verbal abuse during their youth.
There can be little doubt that traumatic experiences in childhood invite chronic pain during later life. Childhood trauma can lead to lasting depression or anxiety, sometimes including flashbacks to the original experience, a condition known as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, or other complications.
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Ties between physical pain and psychiatric conditions – including PTSD, mood and anxiety disorders, or intimacy problems – caused by abuse are close. The appearance of pain, even decades after the abuse, may be accompanied by flashbacks and nightmares, emotional numbness, or an impaired body image.
Thoughts > Beliefs > Perceptions > Experience
Childhood abuse may contribute to multiple chronic physical complaints or sexual problems in adulthood. Grown children who experienced trauma may undergo depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, made worse by a vicious cycle of negative thoughts, self-talk, and beliefs. Changing these thought patterns and perceptions can lead to shifts that are both subtle and radical in how one experiences the world and relationships. Life can improve!
Everyone feels pain differently. Some can readily cope with a degree of discomfort that others may find unbearably severe. It comes down to learning.
