“10 Childhood Traumas That Secretly Damage Your Health as an Adult”

 “10 Childhood Traumas That Secretly Damage Your Health as an Adult”

A Doctor explains how childhood trauma impacts your whole body

Most people think trauma leaves only emotional scars.

But the truth is far more complex — and far more physical.

The body keeps score.

Not just in vague emotional ways, but in the very cells of your body. In your immune system. In your metabolism. Even in how your brain develops and how your hormones function.

I should know — I lived it.

My Story: When the Body Starts to Break Without a Clear Reason

By the time I was seven, I already felt like something was "off" in my body. I struggled with my weight, even though I was active and ate just like every other kid in the '90s — boxed cereal, school lunches, lots of movement, no soda in the house.

But still… nothing worked. And by age 12, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis — an autoimmune disorder that causes your body to attack its own thyroid gland.

Doctors prescribed medication. I changed my diet. I exercised. I followed all the rules. And yet, my health kept declining in confusing ways.

It wasn’t until my late twenties, when I began intensive trauma therapy, that the full picture finally started to make sense.

Because my body wasn’t just malfunctioning. It was reacting. It was protecting me from a world that — for many years — didn’t feel safe.

Childhood Trauma Isn’t Just Mental — It’s Deeply Physical

One of the biggest blind spots in modern medicine is how it ignores childhood trauma.

Your doctor will ask if you smoke. If you drink. If diabetes runs in the family.

But they probably won’t ask if you were ever neglected.

Or if your dad hit you.

Or if your mom constantly made you feel like you weren’t enough.

Yet science is crystal clear: those things matter. A lot.

The ACE Study: The Link Between Trauma and Lifelong Health

In the late 1990s, a landmark study called the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study changed everything.

Researchers asked over 17,000 adults about 10 types of childhood trauma, including:

• Physical abuse

• Emotional abuse

• Sexual abuse

• Physical neglect

• Emotional neglect

• Witnessing domestic violence

• Living with a parent who had mental illness

• Living with a substance-abusing parent

• Parents separating or divorcing

• Having a household member incarcerated

The results were shocking.

People who had 4 or more ACEs were:

• 2 to 4 times more likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

• 2.2 times more likely to experience heart disease

• 3 times more likely to suffer from depression

• And up to 12 times more likely to attempt suicide

Why Trauma Makes You Sick — Even Years Later

To understand this connection, you need to understand how trauma changes your nervous system.

When you’re young and experience consistent stress, abuse, or fear, your body enters a prolonged “fight, flight, or freeze” state. Your brain releases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.

These are useful in short bursts. But when your body lives in survival mode for years?

• Your immune system weakens

• Your gut lining becomes damaged (hello, leaky gut)

• Inflammation goes through the roof

• Hormones become unbalanced

• Your brain structure — especially in areas related to memory and emotion — literally changes shape

It’s not just “all in your head.” Trauma rewires your entire physiology.

And unless that trauma is processed and healed, the body continues reacting to perceived threats — even long after the real danger has passed.

10 Common Childhood Traumas That Can Affect Adult Health

Let’s look again at those 10 ACEs. These experiences, while common, are far from harmless.

• Physical abuse – Often normalized, this changes pain thresholds and stress responses.

• Emotional abuse – Can create lifelong anxiety and poor self-regulation.

• Sexual abuse – Linked to chronic illness, PTSD, and reproductive issues.

• Physical neglect – Teaches your body it may not be taken care of.

• Emotional neglect – One of the most invisible, yet deeply damaging traumas.

• Witnessing violence – Especially between parents, disrupts attachment and trust.

• Substance abuse in the home – Creates chronic unpredictability and survival stress.

• Mental illness in a parent – Often leads to role reversal (becoming the caretaker).

• Parental separation or divorce – Triggers attachment ruptures and identity issues.

Incarcerated family member – Introduces stigma and abandonment trauma.

Even one or two of these can create long-term health consequences. But most people with trauma carry several, often without realizing it.

So, What Can You Do About It?

This isn’t about blaming your past. It’s about understanding your present.

If you’ve struggled with chronic illness, unexplained symptoms, or persistent anxiety — and nothing seems to work — you may be trying to treat physical symptoms of an emotional wound.

Here’s what helped me, and what might help you:




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1. Get a trauma-informed therapist

Not all therapists understand the body-mind connection. Seek one who specializes in developmental or complex trauma.

2. Explore somatic therapies

Talk therapy is great — but trauma is stored in the body. Modalities like EMDR, IFS, Somatic Experiencing, or trauma-informed yoga can help process it on a physical level.

3. Build safety, not discipline

Instead of forcing yourself into harsh routines, ask: Does this feel safe?

Feeling safe — in your home, in your body, in your relationships — is essential for healing.

4. Reduce inflammation naturally

Focus on gentle movement, real food, adequate sleep, and stress reduction. You don’t have to biohack your way out — you just need to stop flooding your system with stress hormones.

5. Be curious, not critical

When your body reacts in a confusing way, pause and ask: What is this reaction protecting me from?

That curiosity alone can change everything.

Final Thoughts: Your Body Remembers — But It Can Also Heal

If you endured these traumas, you’re not broken.

You’re not doomed.

You’re not weak.

You’re wired for survival — and you made it.

Yes, you may be more likely to face health challenges. But you’re also more likely to be deeply intuitive, empathetic, and resilient.

The first step to healing is naming what happened. The second is understanding how your body responds. The third is choosing to treat yourself — not with more punishment or restriction, but with compassion.

Because the truth is, your body hasn’t been failing you.

It’s been protecting you all along.