WHAT IS PAIN?

Pain can be described as: “An uncomfortable feeling that tells you something may be wrong. It can be steady, throbbing, stabbing, aching, pinching, or described in many other ways. Sometimes, it's just a nuisance, like a mild headache. Other times it can be debilitating.”

Pain can be caused by a variety of different traumas.

Our brains shut off from high levels of stress and anxiety at a young age and they store those memories in our subconscious so that they do not cause us pain for the meantime. These memories can manifest into some horrific and debilitating diseases, such as Fybromyalgia.

Symptoms of Physiological and/or Physical Trauma, Stress & Anxiety

We all react to trauma, stress & anxiety in different ways, experiencing a wide range of physical and emotional reactions. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to think, feel, or respond, so don’t judge your own reactions or those of other people. Your responses are NORMAL reactions to ABNORMAL events.

Emotional & psychological symptoms:

Shock, denial, or disbelief
Confusion, difficulty concentrating
Anger, irritability, mood swings
Anxiety and fear
Guilt, shame, self-blame
Withdrawing from others
Feeling sad or hopeless
Feeling disconnected or numb
Physical symptoms:
Insomnia or nightmares
Fatigue
Being startled easily
Difficulty concentrating
Racing heartbeat
Edginess and agitation
Aches and pains
Muscle tension

How Trauma, Stress & Anxiety affects the body

Trauma can hit even the strongest among us with great force. Of course, physical traumas and injuries are usually visually measureable and can lead to trauma-related physical pain, but emotional trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can also have a profound effect on the human body.

Emotional trauma can cause long-lasting brain changes that may lead to addiction, depression, and a host of other concerns that can devastate lives if left untreated. When traumatic events occur, it can take a significant amount of time to get over the memories, the emotions, and the feeling of just not being able to feel safe.

When your sense of security has been shattered by an incredibly stressful event, your body can often react in different ways. Traumatic events can impact anyone. Those who are able to recover the fastest are those who have support, have learned skills to gain healing, and give therapeutic counselling a try.

Emerging Links between ACEs and Adult-Onset Pain

Over the past three decades, an emerging understanding of the links between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and negative health effects in later life (see Figure 1) has expanded to inform our approach to patients who develop chronic pain. ACEs are defined as significant negative conditions or experiences in childhood (less than 18 years of age), including physical and sexual abuse, neglect, humiliation, and parental separation, divorce, or incarceration (see “Types of ACEs” below).

Multiple studies from around the globe have shown a dose-response relationship between ACEs and later development of chronic pain.The presence of such early trauma appears to confer a two- to three-fold risk of later development of chronic pain. In a recent large German study by Brown, et al, the largest effect sizes were found for emotional abuse. Whereas physical and/or sexual abuse tended to correlate with physical pain, emotional abuse tended to correlate with diffuse pain (a phenomenon that has been observed in other studies)

Research implicates dysregulation of the central stress response system (hypothalamic pituitary adrenal [HPA] axis) among persons with a history of childhood trauma and chronic pain. Indeed, the HPA axis is designed to regulate the body’s response to stress. However, in the event of significant traumatic exposures like adverse childhood experiences, this system may be chronically activated which results in increased “wear and tear” on the body. Over time, this chronic activation can affect brain development which in turn impacts learning, behaviors, and emotional functioning. Via these mechanisms, childhood trauma and ACES can result in poor physical and mental health in adulthood – things like metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease, depression, and even chronic pain. The most extreme cases of HPA dysregulation are frequently observed among persons with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Notably, among those with increasing PTSD symptomatology, rates of musculoskeletal and other ill-defined pain conditions (eg, fibromyalgia, pelvic pain, irritable bowel) increase appreciably.

ACE / Resilience score Explained: https://acestoohigh.com/got-your-ace-score/

How different types of adverse childhood experiences can have predisposed adult pain conditions.

“Multiple studies worldwide have shown a dose-response relationship between traumatic events in childhood, such as abuse, neglect, or a dysfunctional home, and later development of chronic pain.”

W. Clay Jackson, MD, DipTH

I have personal experience with this, I have personally suffered negative childhood trauma and debilitating onset adult pain to the point I was not able to walk. I had over 1000£ on a private hospital for them to x-ray my areas of pain and my spine, for them to tell me there was no physical ailments. This lead me to trauma therapy where I re-discovered and re-lived my adverse childhood experiences. Upon learning this all my ailments started to dissipate, the more I accepted what had happened and the more I remembered about what happened the less pain I felt and the more I was able to do on a day to day basis. My appetite increased, my activity level increased my mood improved and I was able to return to work.

I had absolutely 0 idea about what was causing my pain and I had to spend a lot of time and mental capacity in order to fix what was wrong with me and when you get started it is hard, you learn a lot about yourself, you have to be prepared to change and accept help In order to process this very horrible information.

My personal experience was extremely challenging to the point I nearly took my own life. However, in the same breath I will say that I was the singular best experience of my life. Finding out why I acted the way I did (and for so long) at such a young age and this is important for you parents as well if your child is acting up in severe ways it might be a good idea to look at what is going on in their lives, there are so many different kinds of abuse it isn't just sexual.

Physical, mental, sexual, financial, web abuse and so many more could have an adverse affect on any child. For me I was very violent towards my parents and that was because I knew at the age of 3 that they were not protecting me in the way that they should because they were sending me to the abuser however due to the corrosive control of the abuser (which was a close family member at a time) and they led me to believe (because I was so young) that they were the ones who were in the wrong rather than the abuser.

How Children react to different traumas, Stress & Anxiety

NOT ONLY DO CHILDREN GET THIS BUT ADULTS DO TO AND THEIR WAY OF CONFORMING / SURVIVING IS EXACTLY THE SAME.

Adults get these conditions however we as a species have come to the conclusion that when your an adult you “just get on with it” or “grow out of it” and most people don’t, what tends to happen is you bury these emotions and feelings, then in 5-10-15-20 (however many it takes) years the memories might come back around by a method called “suppression or dissociation” and by this I mean that something has triggered these emotion and feelings, it could be something as insignificant as a smell or a certain noise but to you and what you associate that with could lead you to remember these horrific child hood experiences without the need for any help. (this is common however generally people then think “Oh I remember and its ok so I don’t need to know any more” this can then sometimes be more damaging because you put your trauma on to your family member and those around them, chances are if you have had a negative childhood experience your brother / sister, mother or father might have been abused them selves. It is possible that they cant rememberer being the abuser themselves, vise-versa they might not have known it was abuse because it was done to them they think it is ok to do to other people.

Due to the lack of acceptance for such a prolonged period of time the human brain does what it needs to do to survive the memories, emotions and feelings that was once put onto themselves. The best way to survive something you've been ignoring for years or even decades is to keep ignoring it and hope the feelings don’t come around again however, they always do.

Abuse can come from the closest relatives.

Nobody wants to think that a close, trusted family member, relative or close friend could abuse a child in anyway shape or form however 9/10 this is the case. This was the case for me. This can cause a lot of family issues of course and this is why it is often “brushed under the rug” or not delt with properly as they want to get away with it. Don t let them. However hard it may be you must go to the authorities about any possible child abuse, recent or historic. When I contacted the police it was around 14 years after it happened, and they were still hopeful about legal action.

Tackling these memories head on and making as much sense out them as possible is the way forward we need to uncover what you have buried for so long in order to bring about emotional and physical betterment.

CHILDREN ARE BETTER AT SOOTHING AND SELF REGULATING THAN ADULTS BECAUSE IT IS AN AUTOMATIC RESPONSE THAT THE BODY IS TRYING TO DO.

These memories and emotions can build up deadly diseases and cancers throughout the body which can be debilitating or possibly even deadly. The best and only way you can fix these kinds of traumas (in my opinion) is to go through trauma therapy and dive into your subconscious mind to find what a previous version of yourself buried.

Regression. Many children need to return to an earlier stage where they felt safer. Younger children may wet the bed or want a bottle; older children may fear being alone. It’s important to be understanding, patient and comforting if your child responds this way.
Thinking the event is their fault. Children younger than 8 tend to think that if something goes wrong, it must be their fault. Be sure your child understands that he or she did not cause the event.
Sleep disorders. Some children have difficulty falling asleep; others wake frequently or have troubling dreams. Give your child a stuffed animal, soft blanket, or flash light to take to bed. Try spending extra time together in the evening, doing quiet activities or reading. Be patient. It may take a while before your child can sleep through the night again.
Feeling helpless. Being active in a campaign to prevent an event from happening again, writing thank you letters to people who have helped, and caring for others can bring a sense of hope and control to everyone in the family.

Trauma can have a significant impact on our mind and body.

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Here, you can discover how previous trauma may be impacting your mind and body and by addressing it, get back to being your best you.