I feel like the various traumas I've been through have shaved years off my body. I used to be able to endure a lot physically, and now I have chronic pain and I get tired a lot quicker than I used to. I'm in my early 30s now but this doesn't feel like just normal aging.
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u/SoberShiv
The reason is it’s because it’s fairly new (in terms of biopsychological research). Also the DSM threw the neuroscientific Research out in the 80s bc yoga etc doesn’t make Big Pharma any $$$$. Keep labelling ppl as ‘disordered’ = hand out more drugs = more $$$. Mind/body connection has been around for centuries. You can’t think away your trauma - it lives in the fascia
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u/EvilNassu
I've been lately wondering if chronic stress affects the adrenal glands, since they're constantly pumping out cortisol and working overtime which maybe could in turn cause insulin resistance and adrenal PCOS, would explain my symptoms really well.
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u/ladyhaly
Your research is solid, and if anything you've understated it. The 2-7 years figure comes from some of the more conservative estimates. Simon et al. found telomere shortening equivalent to as much as 10 years of accelerated aging in people with chronic mood disorders, and Wolkowitz et al. found approximately 7 years in those with long-duration depression. One study on specific immune cell subtypes (CD8+ T cells) found telomere shortening equivalent to nearly 28 years of additional aging. The range depends on which cells they're measuring, depression severity, and chronicity, but the overall pattern is consistent and reproducible across dozens of studies at this point.
The concept that ties all your listed mechanisms together is allostatic load - the cumulative wear-and-tear on the body from chronic stress activation, first described by McEwen and Stellar in 1993. Your HPA axis fires cortisol, which drives inflammation (those IL-6 and CRP markers you mentioned), which damages telomeres, which accelerates cellular senescence, which feeds back into more inflammation. Self-reinforcing loop. Sleep disruption sits right in the middle of it because sleep onset normally inhibits cortisol secretion. When that's disrupted, the HPA axis stays activated and the whole cycle intensifies.
To answer your actual question - yes, absolutely bidirectional. I work in healthcare and have my own CPTSD recovery behind me, and the thing that surprised me most was how much improving sleep and consistent low-level movement (not exercise goals, just walking regularly) shifted my emotional baseline in ways that years of just talk therapy hadn't. Not because therapy wasn't working... it was. But I was trying to rewire my brain while my body was still running the stress programme 24/7. Once I sorted the physical side, the therapeutic work became a bit easier. Like the soil had to be ready for the seeds to take.
As therapy helped me understand my triggers and reduce the frequency of emotional flooding, my sleep improved without me specifically targeting it. The research on allostatic load suggests inflammation markers respond to both directions: exercise reduces inflammatory biomarkers directly, and reducing psychological stress exposure reduces the chronic HPA activation that drives inflammation in the first place.
You've nailed the frustration about the gap. There's a real structural problem where trauma clinicians aren't trained in metabolic health and GPs/endocrinologists aren't trained in trauma-informed care, so the patient ends up being the one who has to bridge the two worlds. Shouldn't be that way, but knowing it IS that way means you can advocate for yourself more effectively.
One thing worth being precise about for anyone reading - the somatic component of trauma is real and well-documented, but it operates through the autonomic nervous system, the HPA axis, and interoceptive pathways. Not through fascia or other tissue-level "storage". That's not supported in peer-reviewed research. Van der Kolk's original work on the body holding trauma describes nervous system patterns and biological stress responses, not connective tissue. The science is impressive enough on its own terms without needing to reach for mechanisms that haven't been demonstrated.
If you want to dig into the research yourself:
McEwen & Stellar (1993) - Allostatic load model: cumulative wear-and-tear from chronic stress
Van der Kolk (1994) - Trauma encoded via biological stress response and nervous system patterns
Simon et al. (2006) - Telomere shortening in mood disorders, up to 10 years of accelerated aging
Balbo et al. (2010) - Sleep disruption and HPA axis activation
Wolkowitz et al. (2011) - Telomere shortening proportional to lifetime depression exposure, ~7 years accelerated aging; correlated with inflammation (IL-6) and oxidative stress
Karabatsiakis et al. (2014) - Telomere shortening in specific immune cell populations (~28 year differential in CD8+ T cells)
Vakonaki et al. (2018) - Review of telomere length and common mental disorders
Mendes-Silva et al. (2021) - Late-life depression and telomere shortening as severity marker
Ismail et al. (2025) - Meta-analysis on depression and telomere length
Au Young et al. (2025) - Systematic review of telomere length and telomerase activity in MDD
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u/No_Title38
I’m attending an online talk tonight titled ‘The Neuroscience of Adverse Childhood Experiences’ - will be interesting!
I agree, the whole of healthcare would actually help if clinicians took a holistic approach. I aim for this myself (mind, body and spirit).
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u/QuietExact2734
Yeah a lot of my life improvements have been built around 'the body'. Once I got 'clean' 38 years ago I began a deep dive into healing most of which revolved around physicality and spirituality, ( also fell into periods of spiritual bypassing, sigh).
(I had deep distrust of all authority, so avoided any and all dealings with mainstream 'health' involved bodies/ authorities, amongst others. To the extent that at times when I though I could die due to one thing or another, well so be it, I ain't going near those fuckers! Amazingly enough I'm still here. Also, no interest or willingness to drug myself, legally or illegally, for me, one of my best moves, I believe)
Once I had stabilised enough, which took 3 years or so, via NA, I took up a martial art 'full time' for 4 years, and I mean 24/7. I then began healing with an 'eastern medicine' practitioner 2 days a week for 3 years - amazing, powerful and at times hard to believe. Worked part time to support it (he gave us great rates - he knew the depth of what we were dealing with, which was more than we did at the time, haha). All the while dealing with what we have to deal with...
Made a lot of 'relative' progress - I knew I was generally 'out of body', but had no idea back then how dissociated I really was, and how deep the fear/ trauma went. Working with my body in so many different ways over the years helped me bear it all, and also create the conditions for future healing
Relatively stabilised, I married my love, a miracle I believed I would never have the opportunity to do, and moved country again. Raised two children, all the while seeing a chiro and a deep tissue massage therapist fairly regularly (just as well we lived a 'quiet life' as otherwise could never have afforded it).
Oh yeah, had discovered I could not work with or around people directly much, and being inside did not work for me either. So worked outside in nature, in the countryside doing a physical job, which really worked for me.
Had a bit of a breakdown after a combination of the brutal suicide of a very long time friend (even if we had not seen each other in years - there were still ties that bound us), allied to a betrayal by my employer which left me and my wife and kids in a bit of a fix.
Took time out and my wife returned to work. After about 18 months went back to work part time, again outdoors and physical - helps in so many ways, not least burning off stress and associated hormones etc, being 'on the move', forestalling feeling 'trapped' in one place etc. Have been working part time for the last 20 years - I accepted I need a lot of down/ processing time and worked with it. Once I got over the 'shoulds' etc etc.
Ongoing bodywork with holistic chiro, Bowen therapist and others at different times, eventually my earliest traumas began to emerge primarily somatically (mostly pre verbal trauma by this stage) and seek attention. Also had an epiphany about 5 years ago, which lead to 'discovery' of the realities of complex trauma etc, which was so illuminating and such a relief actually - explained so much. Even saw a therapist for a while!
More recent epiphany re stress etc and 'internal' tension negative feedback loop, through one thing and another. A few months ago began working with a pelvic health physio which is like a magic piece of the jigsaw puzzle. And which has me finally really coming into my body - challenging and scary, but my capacity is expanding in so many ways.
Anyway probs far too long. But between long term dissociation and a body/ physical health orientated life, including good healthy food and lots of water over nearly the last 40 years, I look a lot younger than I am, so theres that ...
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u/Sexy-Dumbledore
I havent slept more than 3 hours a night in about 5 years. I'm 33 but atp I feel like I'm in my 80's. My 70 year old MIL has more energy than me
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u/batman_6699
Myself a trauma survivor, recovery is also very difficult. India has a very poor mental health system. My therapist is giving me medications and counselling. There is no EMDR therapy, somatic experiencing therapy which heals the trauma faster. People in United States have all these facilities.
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u/-Shinama-
Gut microbiome does so so much more with your body in general than you would think. The amount of research on this topic has spiked in recent years and damn, we're fucked
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u/Emergency_Wallaby641
oh yes, the more at peace I feel, I sleep better, my skin is more vibrant, energy is better, food tastes better...
What I observe, when someone is stressing a lot they seem to get grey hair sooner, also potential stomach issues.... Someone who got unprocessed anger, could be issues with liver.. We are living organism, sometimes we forget that.
Another issue is all the consumption of media dont provide any peace for the body at all, only more suffering and tension, most stuff we consume from the online world that just wants our attention to monetize it.. So that provides even more health issues, because we are dissociating for consumption, and we dont feel our body anymore and we are not aware if something is "off" to resolve it sooner so it doesnt escalate further
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u/According-Ad742
Doing all those interventions and have to share that eating anti inflammatory foods, which came to an extreme about a year ago bc as it seems my mast cells react to anything that could upset them… my theory is that this is due to system overload (sensitivity) bco cptsd. So now I’m on a real Spartan sort of anti inflammatory diet which has made the gut brain connection so utterly clear and shown a direct correlation to the foods I (shouldn’t) eat -> anxiety and depressive symptoms. To mention one; peanut butter and it’s ever present mold content spirals me in to existential crisis every time it passes my bowels.
I found I can eat many things on the food list at mastcell360.com, tweaked to my individual predisposition I suppose. No sugary or starchy foods, no fructose.
It has been a game changer.
Very little about decades of therapy helped. Like I can specifically point to what helped; group therapy settings unveiling my own story by seing myself through relating, or having a therapist expand my vocabulary with the word “validation”… I figure therapy was mostly intellectualising and that in itself is a trauma response that kind of resists processing feelings by conceptualising. Ego (thinking) is survival trying to keep the body safe, not functional to be stuck in. Feelings and thoughts are like on different operating systems. Psychiatry doesn’t really practise validation does it, and I find, David Bedricks work on shame and what we are really looking for when we share our trauma, really interesting. We want a witness, my interpretation; that makes us trust and validate our own perception and experience so we can process and move on. Anyone that listens to our story and bypasses it by fixing, relating to themselves or downright downplaying us will create shame instead. It will be retraumatising (to hang around tge “wrong” crowd). So that’s where I think peer support far exceeds general psychiatry bc they don’t validate, they label - a “problem”… when there is no problem, there is nothing wrong, but pain asking to be seen and acknowledged, validated for what it is. It’s a natural occurrence asking to be, as is.
I almost didn’t continue reading after the first paragraph of this post, bummed out. But was happy to see that I have ended up practising all of those things reversing the damage.
One of the things I continuously think about is logging on to various social media and completely handing my focus over to the trauma algorithm. I have stopped indulging in so much educational YouTube content on all the trauma related things interesting to me. It feeds a pattern I want to brake, so I keep asking myself what would serve my well being. At some point in this healing journey engaging with content that keeps us intellectualising our trauma and completely overrides our ability to focus on what we really need in the moment will sabotage our capacity to move on… it’s an important step to acknowledge I think. When we are ready to disengage with trauma content. Note that there is zero judgement in me saying that, few places are so validating as this here, seing and acknowledging we are not alone.
Thanks for posting <3
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u/AlexiusPantalaimonII
I keep being told I have to be okay with myself before I can connect to anyone else. But you say social connection here… this is too confusing. Even my therapist said I have to be okay with being alone.
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u/[deleted]
I developed irreversible misophonia and IBS after a prolonged trauma-related stress so inflammation at a nervous and cellular level can wreck your body to unknowable extents
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u/Obvious-Explorer-195
Oh wow I’m screwed then. Cancer treatment apparently took 20-30 years off my life. Not the cancer itself, but the treatment. Add your findings then that means I’m already 80 years old, though my body could have told me that lol
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u/totalpunisher0
Am considered "in remission" as I haven't had serious attempts or ideation in 10 years, and more or less can make it through life without long periods of unemployment or hospitalisation (so far!) I attribute this directly to the physical and lifestyle changes I made, as I did every other type of therapy and medication for 10 years before this. It's really not easy, it easily takes up 90% of my brain space and free time every day, it's a commitment like no other. I often feel resentful that I have to put so much time, energy and money into every single day and choice and action. It's exhausting but also, most of the time I am happy, it's just low periods where I remember how much effort I have already spent on saving my own life today and it's only midday, and no one else "seemingly" has to do the same... And people/friends/family don't really understand "No, I have to go to the gym/do tai chi/stick to my routine RIGHT NOW" so it does cause rifts and I find that hard to explain still.
Having said all of that, I still think I am going to die early due to trauma. It's still impacted me heavily for 25 years of life and still in my bones
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u/socksmum1
I’ve gone from minimal grey hairs to 80% grey hair from a trauma response( I would assume)