Healing from Chronic Illness: The Case for Addressing Unresolved Trauma

When we think about chronic illness, we often focus on the physical symptoms, the fatigue, the pain, the inflammation. And while these are very real, the roots of chronic illness often run deeper than just the physical body. Healing from chronic illness isn’t just about managing symptoms; it’s about understanding the profound connection between the mind and body and addressing unresolved trauma that may be keeping the nervous system stuck in survival mode.

The Mind-Body Connection

Chronic illness is a biological and physical condition, but the way the body functions is deeply influenced by the nervous system and emotional health. Trauma isn't always about catastrophic events; it can stem from ongoing stress, unmet emotional needs, and suppressed emotions that create emotional pain. When these experiences are left unresolved, the nervous system can become stuck in a state of fight, flight, or freeze. Over time, this dysregulated state can lead to inflammation, immune dysfunction, and chronic pain.

Symptoms as Communication

Rather than viewing symptoms as the body turning against us, what if we reframed them as the body’s way of communicating what it needs to feel safe? The body is incredibly intelligent and often holds the stories of our past. When we learn to listen to these signals with compassion and curiosity, we can begin to support the body’s natural healing capacity.

This shift in perspective moves us away from a battle with our bodies and toward collaboration. Tools such as nervous system regulation, emotional processing, and somatic awareness allow us to create an environment of safety at both a physiological and emotional level. When the body feels safe, it can begin to heal.

Trauma and Chronic Stress

In my work with clients who live with conditions like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and Long Covid, I’ve witnessed a profound and frequent overlap between unresolved trauma and the persistence of physical symptoms. Chronic illness often strips away coping strategies that previously helped individuals manage underlying stress. Without these coping mechanisms, the nervous system remains stuck in a chronic stress state, further exacerbating symptoms.

By gently addressing the emotional pain and past experiences that have contributed to this dysregulation, we create space for the body to shift out of survival mode and into a state where healing becomes possible. None of this is easy of course, and it’s not the ‘quick-fix’ we all so desire. Add to that years of self-advocating in a medical world that partitions off our symptoms, multiple diagnostic tests and numerous challenging conversations often being told ‘it’s all in our head’, then it’s no surprise that turning to a therapeutic approach can feel like a last resort…but it’s often the beginning of transformation. 

Case Study: Breaking the Mind Body Fear Loop

A client I worked with recently was struggling to understand why she felt so stuck in her recovery from fatigue. Despite her efforts to rest and nourish her body, she remained trapped in a stress and fear loop. Her body was on high alert, her mind darting from one thing to another, unable to fully rest.

Through our work together, we explored her history of emotional stress and unmet needs, which had left her nervous system in a chronic state of fight-or-flight.

Some of these unmet emotional needs included:

• A childhood where she felt responsible for soothing her mother’s emotional distress, leading to a pattern of self-neglect and over-responsibility.
• A lack of emotional validation growing up, which made it difficult for her to express her own needs or ask for support.
• A work environment where she constantly felt she had to prove her worth, leaving her in a perpetual state of anxiety and overachievement.

These patterns played out in her adult life, keeping her stuck in a cycle of people-pleasing, perfectionism, and emotional suppression. By using gentle nervous system regulation techniques and somatic awareness practices, she began to gradually shift out of this heightened state. Over time, her body started to feel safer, and her symptoms of fatigue and anxiety began to ease. This process wasn’t about "fixing" her body, but about creating an internal environment where her body could begin to heal naturally. She began to recognise other areas of her life where these patterns played out and we explored where boundaries might be placed that would better protect her energy. She is now well on the path to recovery, and finally feeling that her body is not working against her!

Moving Towards Holistic Healing

Healing from chronic illness is not about dismissing physical symptoms or suggesting that illness is “all in the mind.” It’s about broadening our understanding of what true recovery looks like. It’s about creating an environment where the body feels safe enough to rest, repair, and recover.

This approach empowers individuals to work with their bodies instead of against them. It’s less about finding a “cure” and more about fostering a sense of safety and support within the nervous system, allowing the body to function more effectively.

When we gently attend to our past, we can transform our present and step into a future where we are more connected to our wellbeing. This holistic approach not only supports physical healing but also allows us to cultivate deeper emotional resilience and vitality.

Final Thoughts

While this approach may not be the path for everyone, it has been transformative for many clients I’ve worked with. By addressing the root causes of chronic stress and unprocessed emotional pain, we can unlock a more compassionate and effective way to support healing — one that empowers us to truly listen to what our bodies need.