Is Your Past Trauma Making Your Chronic Pain and Fatigue Worse?
October 17, 2026
Is Your Past Trauma Making Your Chronic Pain and Fatigue Worse?
Could past trauma be making your chronic pain, fatigue, or fibromyalgia worse? Discover how stress affects the nervous system—and what may help.
Michael Wildes
October 17, 2026
In partnership with
Hi there,
What if your chronic pain, fatigue, or fibromyalgia symptoms are connected to experiences you went through years ago—even experiences you never considered traumatic?
In this week’s episode, I sit down with Dr. Aimie, a medical doctor specializing in trauma, preventive medicine, and addiction medicine, to explore how overwhelming experiences may affect the nervous system and contribute to long-term health struggles.
We discuss what it means when the body gets stuck in a state of overwhelm, why some people continue to struggle despite trying different treatments, and how learning to regulate the nervous system may become an important part of healing.
Trauma Isn't Always What You Think
When most people hear the word trauma, they think of major events such as abuse, violence, or a serious accident.
But Dr. Aimie encourages us to consider a broader picture.
She explains that trauma is not always defined by what happened. It can also involve how overwhelmed a person felt at the time and whether they had the support and resources needed to cope.
A difficult childhood, frequent moves, emotionally unavailable parents, or years of feeling responsible for everyone else's emotions may leave lasting effects.
Dr. Aimie shares how adopting her son, Miguel, changed her understanding of trauma. Despite providing a loving and stable home, she noticed that his emotional and behavioral struggles continued. Her search for answers eventually led her to study how overwhelming experiences affect the nervous system.
The conversation raises an important question: Could some of the experiences we dismissed years ago still be influencing how we respond to stress today?
When Stress Becomes Overwhelm
We often hear about the body's fight-or-flight response. But what happens when stress becomes so overwhelming that a person feels unable to respond?
Dr. Aimie describes a state she calls functional freeze.
In her model, someone experiencing functional freeze may still go to work, care for their family, and complete daily responsibilities. Yet underneath that activity, they may feel emotionally drained, disconnected, exhausted, or unable to experience the joy they once had.
She explains how repeated experiences of overwhelm may shape nervous-system responses over time.
We also discuss how people living with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and chronic pain may experience increased sensitivity to everyday stimulation, including bright lights, loud noises, and physical touch.
These symptoms can have many medical causes, and they do not automatically indicate unresolved trauma. However, understanding the relationship between stress and the nervous system may provide another useful perspective when exploring persistent symptoms.
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Could Trauma Be Connected to Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue?
One of the most interesting parts of our conversation focuses on the connection between past experiences and physical health.
Dr. Aimie describes how prolonged stress and trauma-related responses may affect the body's regulation of pain, energy, digestion, and muscle tension.
She shares examples from her work with people experiencing fibromyalgia, abdominal discomfort, headaches, jaw tension, and sensitivity to touch.
In one example, a woman with fibromyalgia reported less abdominal discomfort after participating in Dr. Aimie's nervous-system program. Another participant described being able to floss her teeth without the intense sensitivity she had previously experienced.
These are individual experiences, not proof that the same approach will work for everyone.
The larger point of our conversation is that the nervous system plays an important role in how we experience pain and other physical symptoms.
Helping the Nervous System Feel Safe Again
Dr. Aimie explains why her approach begins with helping people recognize and respond to their nervous-system states.
Her 21-day program focuses on daily exercises, group activities, and practical tools designed to help participants move from feelings of stress or overwhelm toward a greater sense of safety.
Rather than requiring people to repeatedly revisit painful memories, she teaches them to pay attention to what is happening in their bodies in the present moment.
We also discuss the importance of sleep, nutrition, and other physical health factors. Dr. Aimie explains that these become part of her broader approach after participants begin developing nervous-system regulation skills.
Her central message is that supporting emotional and physical health may require working on several connected areas rather than focusing on symptoms alone.
Ready to go deeper?
Watch the full episode to hear Dr. Aimie's approach to trauma, nervous-system regulation, chronic pain, and recovery.
In my newly updated 6th edition of Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia I share the most common underlying causes of fibromyalgia symptoms and how to overcome them.
Poor sleep, nutritional and hormonal deficiencies, adrenal fatigue, low thyroid, deficient neurotransmitters, cell danger response, mold toxicity, food allergies, leaky gut, mast cell activation, viruses, parasites, heavy metals, Lyme, yeast overgrowth, and other underlying causes and remedies are explored in this new edition.
Everyone’s fibromyalgia is unique with different causes, triggers and sub conditions. Finding and FIXING your unique causes/triggers is key for your return to health.
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Note: This newsletter is for education. Trauma and chronic stress may influence physical health, but they are not established as the sole cause of fibromyalgia, autoimmune disease, or chronic fatigue. The approaches discussed are not a substitute for medical evaluation, evidence-based treatment, or individualized mental-health care. Do not change or stop any medication or treatment without speaking with your healthcare professional.
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