The Hidden (And Most Common) Result of Childhood Trauma
Depression, Anxiety, Relationship Problems, Stress, Behavior Problems:
These are all common symptoms of childhood trauma. Actually, these are all signs of trauma that can occur anytime in life. (See image below) However, it is common for the symptoms to be magnified when they occur in childhood. Trauma changes the structure of physiological properties of the brain. This leads to the symptoms mentioned above.
HOWEVER, there is a much less known byproduct of trauma: Chronic Physical Pain.
Fact: Over 90% of non-cancer subacute and chronic pain have nothing to do with structure, (Herniated disc, bulging disc, fibromyalgia etc) but are actually caused by how you…
process traumatic events. For those that aren’t willing to label these events traumatic, let’s consider them Significant Emotional Events (SEE.) As quoted in the image above: “The initial trauma of a young child (or adult) may go underground but it will return to haunt us.”
What very few professionals understand is that in order to cope, or manage the emotions tied to these events, our unconscious mind often represses the emotions. These emotions are deemed too dangerous or unbearable so they are repressed. It’s as if the emotions don’t exist.
As stated in the quote above, they will return to haunt us. Since 2 out of 3 people suffer chronic pain, and since over 90% of non-cancer chronic pain is actually caused by repressed emotions, we can say that chronic pain is the most common result of both childhood and non-childhood trauma.
This is also why pain management in general, and fusion, opioids, physical therapy and other evidence-based pain relief options are proven failures. Treating structure as the cause of pain is managing symptoms, managing pain – pain management.
This is costing payers and employers hundreds of billions of dollars every year in medical costs with little return on the investment. In addition there are also the ancillary costs such as absenteeism, light duty, training and additional supervisory expenses.
Unless we eradicate the cause of the pain: repressed emotions, you, your employee or your insured will be left with recurring pain.
So what happens with these repressed emotions that leads to your pain?
Repressed emotions create stress, tension, anxiety and they also create a physiological change in the autonomic nervous system.
Blood vessels constrict. This slightly reduces blood flow. Since blood carries oxygen, lower blood flow means less oxygen. That’s the final step before pain, tingling, burning, numbness and/or weakness.
So fusion, opioids and other pain management techniques will never eliminate the repressed emotions that begin the process, or what I call The Path To Pain. They typically provide temporary relief at best.
The problem is not medical. That’s why your doctor hasn’t been able to eliminate your pain.
THINK SOLUTION. The solution exists. It exists today.
Adam Heller