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Trauma – a guide to understanding what your body experienced, and the impact it had



Firstly, I need to state that by no means am I an expert in this subject. My only qualifications are having experienced trauma personally, as well as having open discussions with others that have had similar experiences. As a result, it has encouraged a more explorative way of thinking, considering alternative possibilities in an area that I will touch upon in this blog.

Trauma is a psychological process within the body; it is very real and is experienced by every single one of us in some form or another. The impact of trauma can be felt at any point of our lives, including early childhood, adolescence or our adult years. It can be a result of different traumatic events, such as a close loss, adverse childhood experiences, violent relationships or a physically/mentally traumatic experience, affecting us individually in various ways. The lasting effects it has on our bodies can inhibit our ability to repair and move on.


I pride myself on being fit and healthy. I’ve rarely experienced any major diseases or illnesses bar a few bad bouts of the flu and a Hiatus Hernia in my life. However, I recently went through one of the most traumatic experiences you can go through as a young adult. The loss of my Dad. Not everyone has amazing relationships with their parents, but for those that do, and lose them suddenly – it can be very damaging to your bodies and nervous system.

My mental and physical body seemed to just break down, there and then, and it’s taken a long time to attempt to not only understand, but rebuild in the wake of the experience. My whole body ached for months, I began to develop injuries in places that had always been very strong and stable, I put on weight, I got ill regularly and struggled to sleep; often lying awake for hours in anxiety ridden sweats. I still haven’t fully stopped suffering from these symptoms 8 months on and suspect I won’t for a long time yet. I want to explore the avenues we venture down when experiencing trauma and how those can leave lasting effects on our bodies and genetic DNA.


Our Immune systems have different functions which are activated at different times in our lives and day to day experiences. When we are calm and rested, we are usually within our parasympathetic nervous system. When we are stressed or fearful, we are in our sympathetic nervous system. This is where our ‘stress hormones’ are activated to respond to the stressors we are being faced with. When faced with a trauma, your sympathetic nervous system can get stuck on overdrive and even in normal non-stressful situations, can leave you feeling anxious and agitated. This is due to being flooded with stress hormones at that time.

Adrenaline is the front-line stress response hormone (fight or flight). It gives you a surge of energy, increasing your heart rate. Norepinephrine is your second, very similar, stress hormone. It arouses you to be more awake, alert and switched on in the face of the stressful situation. Finally, Cortisol is a steroid hormone and is related to dealing with stress in the body. It helps to maintain fluid balance and blood pressure, while regulating some body functions that aren't crucial in the moment, like reproductive drive, immunity, digestion and growth. But, if you’re continuously releasing Cortisol as a result of your sympathetic nervous system being stuck on ‘overdrive’ post trauma, it can lead to issues within the body that we experience. Too much cortisol can suppress the immune system, increase blood pressure and sugar, decrease libido, produce acne, contribute to obesity and more[1].


Initially it seems we see the mental side effects of trauma. The initial stages of grief; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance; get stuck on a loop in your body. A constant flow of stress hormones, heightened senses and very dark days. This sits hand in hand with rapid emotional variations. One minute being happy and thanking your lucky stars for the life you have, and then almost instantly dropping back into a black pit of despair.

Physical side effects start straight away, but I think aren’t noticed until later on when some of the mental/emotional episodes begin to subside.

Weight fluctuation is a very common side effect – high cortisol in the bloodstream and little to no output for the sugars it releases, means they are then stored within your fat cells. Exercising daily, as is my ritual, I still experienced manic weight fluctuations; firstly, drastically dropping weight due to decreased appetite and high heart rate; meaning I was constantly burning calories and lost fat and muscle as a result, and then piling weight back on as I began to enter the emotional eating stage (my coping mechanism). It is much more complicated than it seems, but stress hormones being out of synch can lead to an increase in appetite; your hunger signalling chemicals are triggered on the crash down from a hormone high. Decreased appetite can occur whilst your system is flooded with stress hormones, and once they eventually subside, those hunger cravings kick in and binges occur.

Prolonged persistence of these symptoms can lead to stomach irritations, conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Intolerances and I suspect many others that haven’t yet been supported by the research into trauma related issues.


Post-traumatic stress disorder, more commonly known as PTSD, is common and can stem from any type of trauma. According to the National Institute for Mental Health, PTSD is a disorder that develops after a victim experiences something shocking, scary, or dangerous. Following an event such as this, the person may experience feelings of fright or anxiety, even if they are not in a dangerous situation. Certain sounds, sights, or smells may trigger a flashback to the traumatic event, causing the person to react as though it was happening again[2]. PTSD is something I personally struggled with. Constantly feeling like the phone was about to ring to inform me someone else I love had died. Whenever it did ring, I’d get palpitations, my palms & underarms would sweat, I was genuinely scared and believed it was happening again. It sent my brain right back to the original moment on the phone hearing my mum say those words. I would go through this multiple times a day, it was triggered by anything at all that reminded me of my dad and lasted for 4-5 months afterwards, reducing me to a hysterical state.


Sleep deprivation is also prominent after experiencing a trauma. Overstimulation of the brain can disrupt your regular sleep cycle. What’s interesting is the effects the lack of sleep then has on your body. Lack of sleep drains your energy systems, but this turns into a vicious cycle when you can’t fall asleep due to those stress hormones still pumping into your body. My personal environment for sleep had been disrupted, it was 3am and dark when my trauma occurred; I associated that with the experience and expected it to repeat in that environment. So, I mainly napped during the day when I felt safer; but your sleep cycles are not adequately satiated in that scenario. I was going against my natural circadian rhythm (that of which you wake and fall asleep at night following the light & dark phases of day and your own personal circadin cycle). I went on then to attempt sleep using alcohol as a sedation method.


Alcohol Abuse can be seen as a side effect but also a serious cause for other issues within the body. I used alcohol as a crutch for the months following my dad’s death. Taking the edge off my anxiety and helping me to slip into some sort of version of sleep. I’m not saying I was dependent on alcohol, but I regularly used it as an aid. Alcohol; a depressant; needs to be immediately metabolised within the body as it is seen as a toxin. It has no nutrients of value, it has nowhere to be stored, and whilst being metabolised, signals the body to stop burning fat. Hence linking with the earlier mentioned issues of weight gain. I’ve recently learned that alcohol, when used alongside weight & resistance training can have very detrimental effects on the body. The way the alcohol is metabolised and excreted can reduce muscle protein synthesis, impairing muscle growth[3]. So, as I continued my training throughout for my mental health & regulation, it was having detrimental effects on my body & tissues.


Immuno-suppression is another side effect of trauma. When we are triggered, the immune system’s ability to fight off antigens is reduced. We become more susceptible to infections and inflammation. The stress hormone corticosteroid can suppress the effectiveness of the immune system, and even normally occurring bacteria in the mouth, can trigger the development of an infection, which wouldn’t have if your immune system was working effectively. I regularly developed an ulcerated mouth, had stomach issues, felt like I had a cold in the middle of summer and was just generally weaker. You are more prone to developing an illness when withstanding the effects of trauma, and most minor illnesses can be explained by this, it’s the development of more major illnesses, infections and diseases that needs to be explored. If it can weaken our immune system, causing flu like systems, can it then go on to cause severe conditions such as neurodegenerative disease long term?


Muscles contract deeply when a trauma occurs. Physical or mental trauma, the body reacts the same despite the actual risk to us at that time. It’s a primal instinct to increase our survival rate. Unfortunately, society today doesn’t allow us to then dissipate those muscle contractions. Our environments are continually stressful, and this is why we end up in that overstimulated stress hormone response state. Work commitments, social guilt, fast paced lives in a modern society, but the existence of a primal response system ensure your stress thrives. The hormones released almost ‘stun’ our muscles and tissue and we then hold tension in areas that were once open. I experienced aches, pains and injuries that were so prominent in comparison to anything I’ve felt before. My knees became injured, crackly & sore, my back ached, hips became so tight and shoulders rounded forward. A perfect representation of ‘dis-ease’ caused by the stress on my body. I’d stretch to say that any of these things I experienced, despite me continuing to exercise, were directly caused from the stress itself. I had physiotherapy to attempt to alleviate the issues and felt a surge of emotional release throughout. The body holds emotion in its organs, tissues, muscles and joints as a coping mechanism. Heart Problems can also be triggered by trauma. Shortness of breath, chest pains and even ‘takotsubo cardiomyopathy’ or ‘broken heart syndrome’ can be induced by an excess of stress related hormones. Issues with your heart are amongst the most serious issues and need to be dealt with by a doctor or professional if they persist.



I’m confident that the activities I’ve been implementing into my life more recently have helped to alleviate the symptoms that I endured post-trauma.


Noticing is step one. Being able to consciously understand these signs and symptoms and relate them to the experiences you’ve had is the first progression. Trauma isn’t simple and can sometimes be suppressed by the body if our minds feel we are unable to cope with it there and then. But they can come back to haunt us in later life if not accepted and dealt with. Seeking out professional help might be needed if you’re experiencing any of the above symptoms regularly but are unsure on how to begin resolving them.

Exercise is an obvious one, but it’s still the most underutilised mental and physical health tool there is. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Go for a walk outside in nature; I’d argue that’s better for you than running on a treadmill.


Regular yoga practice has allowed me to, if not anything else, take control of my own mind again for an hour a day. Consciously shifting into my para sympathetic nervous system, learning how to effectively breathe throughout a flow of movement and as a result, regulating my hormone balance within my body. Yoga is for everyone; I’d urge you to try a yoga class and learn about what your body is capable of on the mat.

Breathing is vital. I know that sounds like a very idiotic statement. But it’s true. It’s our life force. What keeps us existing. Learning how to control and regulate your breathing in a high stress situation can be very useful. One I particular enjoyed implementing was the Wim Hof method[4].


Finally, but possibly most importantly, educate yourself on nutrition. Optimal health and homeostasis within the body is only obtained when good nutrition is put into place. Look into protein, carbohydrates and fats. Ignore ridiculous fads and learn the real basics. Put good into your body, and it’ll create a much better internal environment for your consciousness to be in.


As a final note, if you’re not ok and going through a trauma right now, please reach out. If we don’t know each other, I’ll absolutely lend an ear to listen and a shoulder to lean on if you don’t want to talk to someone you know. Just don’t do it alone. Humans aren’t designed to be isolated or separated. And trust me, the whole healing process is much better with somebody by your side.


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