How Trauma Can Create Chronic Pain: A Mind-Body Perspective

Your Pain Might Be Telling a Deeper Story

Chronic pain is often treated like a mechanical issue, something to medicate, stretch, or surgically remove. But what if pain is a signal from your nervous system, not just your body?

As a trauma-informed therapist specializing in chronic illness, I help clients explore how unresolved trauma can literally rewire the brain and body for pain.

How Trauma Shows Up as Pain

Unprocessed trauma keeps the body stuck in survival mode often recognized as, fight, flight, or freeze. Over time, this dysregulates the nervous system, which may lead to:

• Tension and inflammation

• Heightened pain sensitivity (central sensitization)

• Chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia-like symptoms

Even early-life trauma (like emotional neglect or loss) can lay the foundation for how pain is stored and perceived later in life.

Chronic Pain as a Nervous System Pattern

Pain isn’t just in the body, it’s also in the brain’s interpretation of safety and danger.

“When the brain perceives a threat, it turns up the pain volume, whether or not there’s actual tissue damage.”

Trauma wires the body to be hyper-alert. EMDR, somatic therapy, and mind-body work can help teach the brain and body that it’s safe again.

A New Approach to Healing

You don’t need to “think positive” or pretend your pain doesn’t exist.

Instead through EMDR and other therapeutic practices we will:

• Acknowledge your story / life / traumas / pains

• Build safety in your nervous system

• Help reprocess old survival patterns that no longer serve you

Ready to Heal From the Inside Out?

If you’ve tried everything and still feel stuck, the missing piece may be trauma your body is still holding.

Schedule a free consultation below!

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