I thought it was just stress — until I learned about trauma

Trauma is not stress, and you can’t meditate your way out of it. I’d never considered this before.

Of all the talks I attended last month at the Institute for Functional Medicine’s annual conference in San Diego, the one that has stayed with me most as someone living with multiple sclerosis was delivered by Aimie Apigian, MD, who highlighted a powerful distinction: Stress and trauma are not the same thing.

Stress arises when the body perceives a challenge it believes it can meet. In response, chemicals like adrenaline flood the system to mobilize energy and action. Stress says, “I can handle this.”

Trauma, on the other hand, happens when the body no longer believes it can cope. A red line has been crossed. Instead of mobilizing, the system shuts down, often triggering a “freeze” response. Trauma may also show up as seemingly unrelated behaviors that sabotage our well-being over time, such as chronic anxiety, people-pleasing, perfectionism, addiction, rage, or numbness.

Recommended Reading

July 26, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS

Review Gives ‘Cautious Support’ to Childhood Trauma as MS Risk Factor

Apigian emphasized how pervasive trauma is, and how if we aren’t looking for it in our patients (or ourselves), we’re missing a vital piece of the healing puzzle. I was listening closely.

At first, I couldn’t recall a major traumatic event in my past. But when I examined more deeply, I realized that my early childhood held key experiences that might have shaped my nervous system: growing up with highly stressed parents in a politically unstable country, amid war, religious persecution, and regular bombardments.

Could these early experiences have overactivated my nervous system, priming my immune system for overreaction? Could that chronic state of high alert have eventually manifested as eczema, food allergies, and then multiple sclerosis?

I’ve also noticed how this nervous system imprint plays out in my daily life, including constant vigilance, a sense of responsibility for other people’s well-being, and a need to fix and to do. It’s no accident that I went into medicine, which offered the perfect terrain for overempathy, people-pleasing, and workaholism.

So what now?

According to Apigian, the way forward is through somatic therapy, a type of mind-body healing. Through movement, sensory engagement, and body-based techniques, we can actually rewire the nervous system. We can reteach it what safety feels like, so that we don’t always have to leave our bodies, flee the present, or brace for a threat.

I’ve been experimenting with some of Apigian’s somatic exercises over the past month, and I’m noticing subtle but real shifts that include less anxiety, a little more stillness, and a gentler relationship with the world around me.

I’ll still keep meditating, which I enjoy, but I’m deeply curious about how somatic work might move the needle in a different and perhaps deeper direction.

Stay tuned.

Note: Multiple Sclerosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Multiple Sclerosis News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to multiple sclerosis.