The Connection Between Childhood Trauma and Chronic Pain

Could the chronic pain you experience today be rooted in the experiences you had as a child? 

For many people, unexplained pain isn’t just a medical mystery—it’s a reflection of the mind-body connection and how the nervous system processes past emotional stress. Research has shown a strong link between childhood trauma and chronic pain, with trauma often shaping how the body and brain perceive and respond to discomfort.

Let’s explore how childhood trauma impacts the body, how it can manifest as chronic pain, and the steps you can take to find relief.

How Childhood Trauma Affects the Body

Childhood trauma, whether it stems from neglect, abuse, or instability, has a profound impact on the developing brain and body. Trauma activates the nervous system’s fight, flight, or freeze response—a survival mechanism that helps protect against danger. While this response is necessary in the moment, it becomes problematic when the nervous system stays stuck in a heightened state, long after the trauma has passed.

Trauma Stored in the Body

When trauma isn’t processed, it often gets stored in the body as muscle tension, inflammation, and altered pain pathways. This is sometimes referred to as “somatic memory,” where the body holds onto the physical sensations of the trauma, even if the mind has suppressed or forgotten it.

The body, particularly the fascia—a connective tissue network surrounding muscles and organs—can become (theorized) a storage site for this unresolved tension, leading to chronic pain in adulthood.

The ACE Study: Connecting Childhood Trauma and Chronic Pain

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study revealed a strong correlation between childhood trauma and chronic health conditions later in life, including chronic pain. This landmark research found that the more ACEs a person experienced, the higher their likelihood of developing persistent pain, autoimmune disorders, and other health issues. The stress from childhood trauma doesn’t just fade—it reshapes how the body and brain function, often creating long-term physical consequences. Want a deeper dive? This article did a meta-analysis of the association of adverse childhood experiences and chronic pain (2023).

How Trauma Becomes Chronic Pain

The Role of the Nervous System

When trauma occurs, the nervous system becomes sensitized, meaning it’s on high alert for danger. This hyper-reactivity can amplify pain signals, even when there’s no physical injury or damage. Over time, this can create a feedback loop: the brain interprets normal sensations as painful, and the body sends even stronger signals back to the brain, reinforcing the cycle.

The Fascia Connection

Fascia is the connective tissue that surrounds and supports muscles, nerves, and organs throughout the body. Some experts suggest that trauma may lead to increased tension in the fascia, potentially contributing to chronic pain. For instance, individuals with a history of childhood trauma might experience persistent neck or back pain later in life, possibly due to unresolved tension within their fascial tissues. While this connection is still being explored, it’s an area of interest in understanding the mind-body relationship in chronic pain.

Pain Without Injury

One of the hallmarks of trauma-related pain is that it often doesn’t have a clear physical cause. If you’ve ever experienced persistent pain despite normal test results or been told “there’s nothing wrong,” it could be because the pain isn’t coming from your body—it’s coming from the way your brain processes signals from your nervous system.

Signs Your Chronic Pain May Be Linked to Childhood Trauma

If you’re wondering whether your pain might have roots in childhood trauma, here are some signs to look for:

• Persistent pain with no clear medical explanation.
• Pain that worsens during emotional stress.
• Pain in multiple areas of the body, such as back, neck, and shoulders.
• A history of adverse childhood experiences, such as neglect, abuse, or instability.

Breaking the Cycle: How to Heal

1. Body-Based Therapies

Trauma often lives in the body, which is why body-based therapies are essential for addressing chronic pain. Modalities like somatic experiencing, Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), and EMDR work by helping the nervous system process and release stored trauma, reducing its hold on the body.

2. Movement and The Body in Therapy

Incorporating movement into therapy can play a powerful role in releasing stored tension and stress patterns. Practices like somatic stretching, mindful breathing, or bilateral movements (like tapping or walking) can help engage the body in ways that promote both physical and emotional relief.

Movement helps the nervous system regulate and supports the body’s ability to process experiences, offering a sense of safety and grounding. By including the body in therapy, we create space for releasing old patterns of holding stress and reconnecting to yourself in new, supportive ways.

3. Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT)

Pain Reprocessing Therapy focuses on retraining the brain to interpret pain signals accurately. By addressing the brain’s role in amplifying pain, PRT can help break the feedback loop that keeps chronic pain active.

4. Emotional Processing

Unresolved emotions from childhood trauma can keep the nervous system in a heightened state. Working with a therapist to process these emotions, either through talk therapy or trauma-focused methods, can help you feel safer in your body and reduce physical symptoms.

Your body remembers—but it can also release.

Chronic pain doesn’t have to control your life. If your pain is connected to childhood trauma, it’s important to know that healing is possible. By addressing the emotional and physical roots of your pain, you can begin to break free from its grip and reconnect with a sense of safety and ease in your body.

Curious about how trauma therapy can help with chronic pain? Let’s connect.