Trauma, longevity and health

Recently Andrew Pelequin wrote this interesting article in the Longevity Journal. I may not agree that this is true in all cases as I have experienced many of the childhood traumas mentioned in the article and have not suffered from the many consequences...HOWEVER, I have had extensive work in the trauma release department through energy balancing, counseling, meditation and lots of deep internal work to let go and heal these traumas as I am so very grateful that I chose to go on the healing journey and dive deeply into what and why I think, act, speak and behave the way that I do.

I investigate every response or trigger I experience and see it as an opportunity to heal.

I am by no means perfect as I believe healing is still part of my journey within and health is what I chose on a daily basis. Some days I hit the goal and some days I miss and on those days I give myself grace and kindness.

I hope you find this article as interesting and thought provoking as I did.

Seek help when you need it. IT is NOT a sign of weakness. It is a sign of immense courage and it is a BIG step in taking your power back and choosing health and wellbeing for yourself and your circle of life. 

In one study conducted by the CDC of nearly 14,000 adults [1], more than 50% had at least one type of childhood trauma (or Adverse Childhood Experience, a.k.a. ACE), while more than 25% reported more than two types of trauma.

According to the study, there were seven types of trauma:

1. Physical abuse
2. Sexual abuse
3. Psychological abuse
4. Living with members of the household who were drug addicts, alcoholics, or substance abusers
5. Witnesses violence against their mother
6. Living with members of the household who were ever incarcerated
7. Living with members of the household who suffered from mental illness or were suicidal

People who had experience multiple types of traumas during their childhood experienced a number of seriously negative long-term effects, including:

• Higher alcoholism risks
• Higher drug abuse risks
• Higher depression rates
• Higher suicide attempt rates
• Higher rates of STDs
• Severe obesity and reduction in physical activity
• Higher rates of adult diseases, including liver disease, chronic lung disease, cancer, skeletal fractures, and heart disease

All of these contribute to accelerated biological aging, leading to the breakdown of the body at a much faster rate than would be expected of the chronological age of those in the study.

Another meta-analysis from 2020 [2] further reinforced the theory that “early life adversity” (in the form of those types of trauma listed above) led to accelerated biological aging.

Combing through data from more than 50 studies, the meta-analysis examined various aspects of biological aging that were caused by trauma, including:

• Telomere shortening
• Increased DNA methylation age
• Cortical thinning
• Reduced functional connectivity between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex
• Accelerated pubertal timing (among children going through puberty)

These are concrete biomarkers that prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that trauma can contribute to increased biological aging.

It’s important to understand that many of these things begin to show up during adolescence and young adulthood, sometimes even as early as childhood. As the study’s senior author said in an interview [3], “The fact that we see such consistent evidence for faster aging at such a young age suggests that the biological mechanisms that contribute to health disparities are set in motion very early in life. This means that efforts to prevent these health disparities must also begin during childhood.”

How to Deal With Your Trauma

The American Psychological Association [4] offers some effective strategies for helping you (and your children, if they have been exposed to adverse childhood experiences) cope with trauma you may have suffered in response to traumatic events.

Be patient. Your body can’t heal from mental or psychological wounds any faster than from physical wounds. On the contrary, traumatic events may taken even longer to heal from. Give yourself time and space to recover, and be patient if recovery doesn’t happen overnight.

Face what you’re feeling. Hiding from or ignoring the feelings won’t make them go away; you’ll just end up leaning on unhealthy coping and ignoring mechanisms. A bit of avoidance is normal, but don’t let it go on too long or it will begin to affect your life in far greater ways than the trauma itself.

Get help. Whatever you’re going through, you need to know you can’t heal alone. Just like you’d go to a doctor for a physical wound, you need to seek professional help for the wound to your psyche. Talk to a therapist, counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist.

Lean on your friends and family. Fight the urge to withdraw and isolate; that’ll only make things worse. Instead, rely on your social connections for support during the difficult time.

Traumatic events don’t have to affect your longevity or ruin your life. The damage they cause can be temporary; it’s up to you to take the steps that will lead you down the path forward to recovery, both in body and mind.