Episode 11: Childhood Trauma and Fibromyalgia
I have spent the last 3 days doing everything but this post. It is one that I want to write, but it hits so close to home that it is presenting an incredible personal challenge.
So why write about childhood trauma and fibromyalgia? First, because I did a poll of the subscribers and other readers of this blog and overwhelmingly said they wanted to know any role that childhood trauma plays in the emergence of fibromyalgia, and second, I want to to know more about how my childhood physical, sexual, and emotional trauma played into my diagnosis of fibromyalgia. Of course, I am not going to be able to cover ALL of this in one blog post, but we can at least get a broad understanding of how these abuses as children effect us as adults and how that plays out in our bones, our fibers, our being for the rest of our lives.
First, let us all have a common understanding about trauma and the body. I am a subscriber of the work by renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk. His book,"The Body Keeps the Score", stresses that trauma works its way into our brains and bodies; trauma leaves its imprint and will continue to cause harm to its victims until we are able to process and finally experience relief from the pain, helplessness, and rage. I believe in my core that unprocessed sexual, physical, and emotional trauma from our past lives on in our inability to concentrate, our inability to trust, our anxiety and depression, and our physical pain - our fibromyalgia and much more.
I am a survivor on many fronts: childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, rape, and date rape. This has done much to complicate my life to say the least. And although these stories are for another more in depth post, I will share that in my life, one situation groomed me for another, and for another, and for another. Until I got help, I continued to fall into patterns of behavior that ensured I would not have a healthy, nor happy outcome. This is NOT to blame myself. Perpetrators and predators are just that: perpetrators and predators. They can sniff out their victims 6000 miles away. I was groomed to be a prime target from my earliest memory to well into my late 20's and I didn't even know it. And today, let's leave it at that. I survived and I am here to write about it and that is good enough for now. But these events in my life have left me with an autonomic nervous system that is ever-changed and severely damaged.
Is it true? Could my trauma be a root cause of my fibromyalgia?
The Mayo clinic indicates that fibromyalgia often occurs after a trauma has been sustained either by significant psychological stress, physical trauma, a surgery, or in many: symptoms accumulate over a period of time. Persistent stressors stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, the system responsible for our flight, fight, or freeze response. If this system is overstimulated, as is the case with many people living with fibromyalgia, the spinal cord and brain chemistry can be changed. This change may increase the chemicals in the brain that signal pain and in the case a fibromyalgia these signals are firing too often.
Along with that, according to Rachel Levis-Weisel, in an article printed in Frontiers in Psychology , childhood sexual trauma leaves an indelible mark, an injury, which may be the cause of long- term illnesses like fibromyalgia. From her research ,"We now know that severe emotional stress, such as that caused by sexual abuse, can induce chronic brain injury," says Prof. Efrati. "These non-healing brain wounds may explain certain unremitting long-term physical and psychological disorders like fibromyalgia". A brain injury. A brain wound...
Yes indeed, and according to Dr. Todd Thatcher of the Highland Springs Specialty Clinic, in Boise Idaho, a clinic that specializes in depression, anxiety, post - traumatic stress and addiction,
"Emotional Trauma and PTSD do cause both brain and physical damage ... it can be seen that both of these traumas have a detrimental effect upon the Amygdala, the Hippocampus and the Prefrontal cortex of the brain. Meaning that Emotional Trauma or PTSD does indeed result in brain injury/damage".
This is echoed by the Levis - Weisel study which iterates, "There is evidence that [childhood sexual assault] CSA, particularly if repeated, evokes a cascade of neurohumoral and neurotransmitter effects that produce enduring deleterious alterations in brain structure and function". The brain is damaged and studies are confirming that the damage, and the injury to the brain, is brought on by childhood physical, sexual, and emotional trauma.
Still, researchers continue to ponder the connections between childhood trauma and physiological disease. Laura Kiesel, a contributing writer to the Harvard Health Blog concluded, "While the causality between childhood adversity and adult chronic illness has yet to be fully determined, researchers now have enough knowledge about the way chronic stress impacts physiological health to make some educated guesses about their potential link".It sounds like there is room to question. But Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk would argue:
"After trauma the world is experienced with a different nervous system. The survivor's energy now becomes focused on suppressing inner chaos, at the expense of spontaneous involvement in their life. These attempts to maintain control over unbearable physiological reactions can result in a a whole rage of physical symptoms, including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and other autoimmune diseases" (53).
Here is what I understand in laymen's terms:
Childhood trauma and childhood sexual assault trigger harmful neurological effects that damage the brain and can lead to fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and other physiological diseases.
And that is that.
I set out to learn, or actually confirm for myself, if indeed my fibromyalgia diagnosis was a result of childhood abuse and sexual trauma. I discovered, if trauma is not a not the cause, it is definitely a contributing factor. With the autonomic nervous system, particularly the sympathetic nervous system continuously firing injurious neural chemicals and stress hormones, the brain is altered in a way that brings about disorders like fibromyalgia and other diseases.
This is not the end of my quest. As I seek to understand the role childhood trauma plays in the emergence of fibromyalgia, chronic pain and other disorders, I will dig deeper and be more specific about my target. Today, my goal was to get a broad understanding about childhood trauma and it's relationship to fibromyalgia.
A Final Note:
In this post I failed to mention Adverse Childhood Experiences, or A.C.E.s, scores which play a huge role in how childhood trauma shows up in adults later in life. That is for upcoming post. However, today, the truth is that recognizing the effects of trauma is a challenging process, but it is a necessary and important step in the healing journey. It can bring a sense of relief, understanding and even empowerment when you begin to make sense of the traumatic experiences in your life and how it may have led to a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. But it is important to understand that this may also evoke difficult emotions and memories or other chronic illness. If you do not already have support, linked below are resources that may offer you support to manage your feelings. With proper support, understanding your trauma can help create a path towards healing and recovery.
If you enjoyed this post, share it with your friends and colleagues, and consider becoming a subscriber. If you have any tips or suggestions about how to better cope with chronic pain, leave a comment. I would love to hear from you!
Karen Palmen, EdD is a veteran educator in Saint Paul, Mn. She teaches Dance and English at Saint Paul Central High School. She has an active TikTok page that features humorous, political, mental health, and educational content (kickin it with karen). And a a dormant YOUTUBE channel with the same name, featuring fermented foods and other cooking oddities.
DISCLAIMER: THIS BLOG DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE
The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this blog.
Resources for Support:
National Fibromyalgia Association: "We are Pleased to Support the Fibromyalgia Community, and Offer a Very Large Library of Information for You!"https://www.fmaware.org/
SUPPORT FIBROMYALGIA: "We are a patient-centered national nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and inspiring the fibromyalgia community. The Support Fibromyalgia Network is built by a group of patients to foster collaborative relationships with the patient community, providers, and researchers #SupportFibro!" https://supportfibromyalgia.org/
Adult Survivors of Child Abuse: "ASCA is an innovative and effective support program designed specifically for adult survivors of physical, sexual, or emotional child abuse or neglect. " https://www.ascasupport.org/
HAVOCA – Help for Adult Victims Of Child Abuse: "Every Survivor has the right to become a Thriver. HAVOCA is run by survivors for adult survivors of child abuse. We provide support, friendship and advice for any adult whose life has been affected by childhood abuse." https://www.havoca.org/
National Institute for Mental Health: "NIMH is the lead federal agency for research on mental disorders" https://www.nimh.nih.gov/
RAINN (Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network) The nations largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN offers victims services, public education, training and consulting and more. RAINN support survivors, inform and educate the public, and improve sexual violence laws and policies. https://www.rainn.org/about-rainn
If you enjoyed this post, share it with your friends and colleagues, and consider becoming a subscriber. If you have any tips or suggestions about how to better cope with chronic pain, leave a comment. I would love to hear from you!
Karen Palmen, EdD is a veteran educator in Saint Paul, Mn. She teaches Dance and English at Saint Paul Central High School. She has an active TikTok page that features humorous, political, mental health, and educational content (kickin it with karen). And a a dormant YOUTUBE channel with the same name, featuring fermented foods and other cooking oddities.
DISCLAIMER: THIS BLOG DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE
The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this blog.
Sources:
Kiesel, Laura. “Chronic Pain and Childhood Trauma.” Harvard Health Blog, Harvard Health
Publishing, 2 Apr. 2018, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/chronic-pain-and-childhood-trauma-2018033012768.
Lev-Wiesel, Rachel, et al. “Brain and Mind Integration: Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors
Experiencing Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment and Psychotherapy Concurrently.” Frontiers in Psychology, Frontiers Media S.A., 27 Nov. 2018, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02535/full.
Mayo Clinic Staff. “Fibromyalgia.” Mayo Clinic Patient Care and Health Information, Mayo
Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 26 Oct. 2021, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/fibromyalgia/symptoms-causes/syc-20354780#:~:text=Widespread%20pain.,above%20and%20below%20your%20waist.
Thatcher, Todd. “Can Emotional Trauma Cause Brain Damage?” Highland Springs, Highland
Spring Specialty Clinic, 3 Nov. 2022, https://highlandspringsclinic.org/can-emotional-trauma-cause-brain-damage/.
Van der Kolk, Bessel A. “Running for Your Life: The Anatomy of Survival.” The Body Keeps
the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma, Penguin Books, New York, NY, 2015, pp. 53–53.