How Childhood Attachment & Trauma Issues and Recovery Is Actually More Biological, Not Psychological

How Childhood Attachment & Trauma Issues and Recovery Is Actually More Biological, Not Psychological

We have always been told our attachment style and early childhood trauma is psychological.

This is simply not true. We just haven’t known better until now.

It not only has become our biology, but it may have been as a result of our biology as well.

There are many aspects of one’s biology to look at which I will share in this article. If you would like to skip that, here is a list of the 3 most common biochemical imbalances I have seen in mood and attachment issues.

The definition of trauma is an event that is overwhelming to a person’s ability to cope.

Overwhelms one’s survival machine, one’s biology, in its ability to respond to the threat

The effects of overwhelming one’s survival machine leaves lasting effects on the biology, especially the nervous system.

The nervous system is inter-connected with every other system in your body. Hormones, metabolism, cardiovascular, digestive system etc.

This is how traumatic events leave lasting changes in one’s biology, whether one is aware of those changes or not.

This is especially true in the case of early childhood and attachment trauma.

An Insecure Attachment Style or Attachment Trauma Is Part Of The Survival System

This is why recovery needs to include biological approaches just as much as or even more than psychological.

The effects of trauma have mostly been thought of as being psychological. Therefore, counseling and cognitive-based therapies tend to be the usual approach. The idea is to just fix the way they think about the past and present.

These approaches have very limited long-term success, because trauma and recovery from trauma is more biological than psychological!

As Dr. Bessel Van der Kolk says, “Traditional Therapy is useless for traumatized people, but especially children because it does not reach the parts of the brain that were most impacted by trauma.”

What we’re finding now is how much trauma changes the biology of one’s brain and body. It changes chemical, communication, and activation patterns within the brain. It also changes the chemical and communication pathways within the nervous system

After a trauma, it’s not just the psychology that struggles, it’s the altered biology of the brain and body that keeps the psychology stuck in faulty thinking and reactive patterns.

Addressing the biological components is essential to achieve the psychological recovery.

The Biology of Trauma

The biology in the nervous system including the brain is referred to as “Neurobiology.”

The effects of trauma on neurobiology have gained a better understanding within the last ten years. Much of this has come out of trauma professionals like Bessel Van der Kolk, who has written on the chronic effects of trauma on the brain and body.

Bessel Van der Kolk shows the effects of trauma on the brain and body as a complex adaptation of a system to an overwhelming situation (Disorders of Extreme Stress: the Empirical Foundation of a Complex Adaptation to Trauma, 2005).

This makes sense, because our whole system is designed first for survival. Once all of our basic needs for survival and security are met, then our brains reach for meaning and purpose.

We have such an amazing machine for survival! The brain and body become a single system in response to a threat in order to survive. Made up of several different systems, they become a unified system for the sole purpose of survival.

Well-oiled and coordinated machine that works in a flash of a second for survival. It acts on instinct and subconscious wired pathways to know what to do.

The way each person’s brain and body responds to a threat depends not only on the threat. In large part, it it also depends on the resources available to the system, internal and external resources.

The way a person responds to a threat depends on their biology and internal resources

External resources would be tools to fight, a place to hide, money, relationships, etc. Things outside of us.

What would internal resources be though? Energy, muscle strength, hormone and chemical levels, etc.

Simple example is, if we lack energy to respond to a threat, it is more likely to become overwhelming sooner.

This is where our biology influences to a large degree if we experience an event as a trauma or simply as a stress.

If our biology does not have the capacity or resilience to rise up to the threat, it becomes a trauma for us.

The Role of Biology and Genetics in Trauma

Each of our unique genetics and biology creates the internal resources available to our system to utilize for life.

In times of external stress, the internal resources are relied on more heavily to get us through.

If there’s any kind of imbalance or deficiency in these internal resources, it may be compensated for during times of relative stability.

It is in times of stress, the impact of biological imbalances or deficiencies will be felt.

In times of stress, one’s biology will be relied on more heavily, and any imbalances will be more noticeable

One may not be able to effectively manage as much stress as someone else, because one’s internal resources may be less balanced than another’s. An event may be stressful to one person, but traumatic with chronic PTSD for another person because of their biology and genetics.

Thus, the biological and genetic internal resources available to a system plays a role in trauma, especially early childhood trauma.

Some of the more common biological and genetic factors that play a role in early childhood attachment, trauma and mental health issues include: environmental toxins, metals, methylation and pyrrole disorder genetics, and dietary factors like food sensitivities and allergies.

All of these factors can create a biological state that weakens an individual’s nervous system and causes them to be more sensitive and reactive.

In time, this will result in even further imbalanced brain chemistry, even auto-antibodies to their brain and nervous tissues. This will result in imbalances in the nervous and immune systems that will create affect the activation of and communication in the nerve pathways.

Trauma Creates Biological Imbalances

Regardless of one’s biology and genetics going into what will be a traumatic situation, by itself, trauma is going to create lasting biological imbalances.

These imbalances are going to persist and reside in the brain and body, resulting in on-going effects long after the situation is resolved.

While many focus on the chronic psychological changes after a trauma, the underlying biological imbalances are what prevent the brain and psychology from healing after a trauma.

Correcting biological imbalances makes a huge difference for one’s mood and psychology affected by trauma.

I look to the decades of work of Dr. William Walsh and his observations of biological factors in mood and behavioral problems, even many who were incarcerated.

Of the patients who were compliant with the targeted nutritional treatment to correct the biologic imbalances found after testing, 92% of them reported a reduction of anger-induced assaults, and 58% reported they had complete elimination of their symptoms!

I have now been incorporating this testing and targeted nutritional treatment in my work with mood, trauma and attachment for 5 years.

I have been surprised to see consistent patterns showing up in both children and adults with insecure attachment patterns. Here is list of the 3 most common biochemical imbalances I have seen in mood, trauma and attachment issues.

A Methylation Imbalance Is A Common Finding

Trauma’s Chronic Effects on the Nervous System

The nervous system is a rapid communication system between the brain and the body. It is the primary system for survival, designed to keep this machine we call, our body, alive.

It is the system that allows for quick responses to help us survive against any threats that come our way. It has 2 ways to respond to threats.

It can respond in an active way for survival by fighting or running away (sympathetic). The nervous system is also able to respond to an overwhelming threat by becoming passive or by freezing (dorsal vagal/parasympathetic).

The 3 Different States of the Nervous System

If exposed to one threat, the system is able to respond, bounce back and recover.

However, when there is chronic exposure to situations that are overwhelming to the body’s ability to physically or psychologically cope, the nervous system becomes imbalanced and stays that way.

The nervous system becomes able to perceive and to respond to threats more quickly.

In many situations this might be a good thing, like in times of war and natural disasters. When the threat is gone, if the nervous system is not able to return to a calm state, it remains in an unbalanced state: hyperalert and hyperreactive.

Because of the chronic effects of trauma on the nervous system, you can take a person out of the war zone, but you can’t take the war out of the body. This was the first lesson I learned after adopting my son from the foster care system. He brought his war with him.

You can take a person out of the war zone, but you can’t take the war out of their body

A person remains hypervigilant and hyperreactive long after returning to a normal life, because of the changes to their nervous system that cannot recover on their own.

These long-term effects of trauma on the nervous system are even more prominent in a person who experienced early childhood stress and attachment trauma. They were right in the middle of their trauma zone while their brains, bodies, and nervous systems were developing.

Naturally, the long-term effects of trauma on the nervous system will be more pronounced in those whose brains and bodies were developing at the time of the trauma, rather than those whose trauma came after they had already developed a healthy and balanced nervous system.

The effects of trauma are even more prominent in early childhood stress and attachment trauma

Trauma’s Chronic Effects on the Body

Then there are the long-term effects of trauma on the body, with more information in this video.

Many of these lasting changes to the body are mediated through the nervous system. The nervous system is in contact with every cell in the body; it is part of the control and signaling mechanisms for every other organ and system within the body.

Thus, if the nervous system is imbalanced, it will cause other imbalances within the body.

The immune system is a major system affected by trauma.

The Adverse Childhood Studies (ACE) have made this clear as it demonstrates such a strong correlation between early childhood stress and adult diseases of the immune system, like cancer and autoimmune diseases.

The adrenal gland is a big player during times of stress and survival. It responds to the nervous system by releasing stress hormones such as adrenalin and cortisol. Since the adrenal gland also makes other hormones, there can be on-going imbalances in the sex hormones Estrogen, Progesterone, and Testosterone.

The stomach and intestines, or “gut,” is another system that is highly connected to the nervous system. Imbalances in the nervous system cause all sorts of digestive issues: constipation, diarrhea, inflammation, acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, and gastritis.

The digestive system has a lot of effect on the nervous system too!

It is well-established in the literature that celiac disease, an autoimmune condition associated with Adverse Childhood Experiences, as well as non-celiac gluten sensitivity can have neurological effects as its only symptom, and not have the abdominal symptoms.

Ruling out food sensitivities is a big component to optimizing one’s biology for healing from trauma. Continued exposure to a food to which you unknowingly have a sensitivity, will decrease the internal energy resources of your body.

Nutrient and Metabolism Imbalances in Trauma Recovery

Some of the other biological factors that can happen with trauma’s long-term effects on the body are imbalances in nutrients, energy production, and detoxification system.

If there are any imbalances or deficiencies in the biological building blocks or processes of energy production or detoxification, the system will have a harder time recovering from trauma. This will stress a system to its maximum level.

As mentioned earlier, imbalances or deficiencies make the system biologically more susceptible to trauma. An imbalanced system’s coping mechanisms will reach the overwhelmed state of things becoming unmanageable sooner than a system that is biologically resilient.

Tests for Identifying Biological Imbalances

All imbalances in one’s biology will make it more difficult for a person to be able to recover and heal from past trauma and its long-term effects on the mind and body.

This is true whether the imbalances are in the systems, organs, chemicals, nutrients or vitamins.

It also does not matter whether or not the imbalances are from underlying genetic factors, lifestyle factors, or a result of ongoing stress.

Imbalances in one’s biology puts the body in a survival state, protecting its weak areas. As long as the body is in a survival state, in my experience, attachment and trauma recovery will not be possible.

The body needs to be well-resourced and have all of its biological needs fully met. Then, the nervous system is optimized for neuroplasticity and reorganization of trauma patterns in the nervous system can happen. Then we can help the nervous system shift to an overall parasympathetic state rather than sympathetic or dorsal vagal state.

How important it is then to correct biological imbalances for those wanting to naturally move faster from a place of survival to a state of calm!

Laboratory tests can be very useful to find these imbalances. Results of these laboratory tests can provide a biological map to recovery that will greatly aid and speed up the psychological recovery.

Tests looking at hormones, the immune system, metals, toxins, metabolism, and nutrients is a powerful tool. Testing takes the guesswork out of creating a detailed plan for the fastest path to attachment and trauma recovery.

Dr. Greenblatt, a psychiatrist, has found that zinc and magnesium levels are strongly correlated with depression! Correcting a zinc or magnesium deficiency is very simple.

A simple fix that can make the difference in whether a person gets stuck in the chronic effects of trauma or is able to recover and thrive after trauma!

Specific Tests to Get for Optimizing Trauma Recovery

There are many options for laboratory tests to look at one’s biology.

Some of these you can get through a regular primary care physician. A regular panel to look at everything they test is a good place to start. Ask for everything including vitamin and hormone levels!

Some of these tests will not be offered through a regular physician, and you can work with a functional medicine provider.

Hormones can be tested through dried urine samples that you can collect at home and mail into a lab. There are a few options for labs that test hormones, including daily cortisol levels, that looks for adrenal gland imbalances in the stress hormone, cortisol that can cause anxiety, fatigue, and sleep problems.

Testing one’s genetics for methylation status, pyrrole disorder, and detoxification systems should be a part of everyone’s work-up when recovering from trauma.

Methylation issues are strongly implicated in symptoms and characteristics of hyperactivity, depression, and autism.

Pyrrole disorder is implicated in symptoms of anxiety, panic attacks, and even paranoia.

If there is an imbalance in your detoxification system, you want to know which part. You can then be targeted in your approach to optimize your body for healing your biology and psychology from trauma.

An Organic Acids Test (Great Plains Laboratory or Genova Diagnostics) is a comprehensive look at the energy production and metabolism in your body.

This can detect many imbalances in nutrients that may not be detected on regular blood tests since it looks at how the cells are actually utilizing nutrients and vitamins.

Heavy metal testing is another biological factor in mood disorders that can make one more susceptible to trauma and make it more difficult to recover from trauma.

Mercury, copper, zinc, and lead levels should be checked. The ratio of copper to zinc is especially important when there is any impulsivity and irritability present as part of the long-term effects of trauma.

Environmental toxins, such as pesticides, do play a role in one’s ability to recover from trauma, because if the toxin load is high or if one of the detoxification systems is not working at full capacity, this will be a burden on the body.

Any burden on the body will make the system easily more overwhelmed in its ability to cope and respond to stress, thus setting it up for trauma and making it more difficult to recover from trauma.

Summary

In all of my patients, both adults and children, who are recovering from varying degrees of attachment trauma, we’ve always found something in these tests that provided great clues to our treatment plan.

As they correct the imbalances found, things become easier for them. They are less anxious, less depressed, overall more calm, focused, and are able to work better in other therapies because of this!

As imbalances in the body and brain are corrected, they feel more like their true selves.

These tests have been a game changer in my life and many others, and I hope you will look further into any biological imbalances you may have.

Where to start? Here is a list of the 3 most common biochemical imbalances I have seen in mood and attachment issues.

Encouraging you on,

Dr. Aimie

Well. This has been a very good article for me to read. I have Extreme attachment issues due to abandonment trauma ... when we are told over and over it's all "in our heads" it can get old after a while... especially when that's NOT the case .

I hope this helps someone out there today , in their quest of understanding . You are worth all the love in the world , never forget that.

Aloha xox

Jazzy

☆☆☆☆ Article written by -- Author: Dr. Aimie Apigian, MD MS MPH and shared from her blog ----- https://medium.com/swlh/how-childhood-attachment-trauma-issues-and-recovery-is-actually-more-biological-not-8a5536058e6f)

More at -

www.traumahealingaccelerated.com

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