The Link Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Chronic Fatigue

How Unresolved Trauma Drains Your Energy

As a Fatigue and Trauma specialist, I regularly see a pattern with my clients who are suffering from chronic fatigue. They describe exhaustion that doesn't seem to have a clear physical cause. Often, it’s not just the day-to-day pressures or lack of sleep, but something deeper — something tied to their emotional history.

In recent years, we’ve learned more about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and how they impact our physical and mental health in ways we may not even be aware of. While the connection between trauma and chronic fatigue may seem unclear at first, the reality is that our early experiences — particularly the emotional responses we had to those experiences — can deeply impact our energy and overall health as adults.

It’s Not Just the Events: It’s the Feelings Stored in the Body

You might have heard of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) or the trauma that results from extreme forms of abuse, but trauma isn’t always as obvious as these severe cases.

Many of us carry emotional wounds that are less visible but just as harmful. When children experience events that make them feel powerless, anxious, or unsafe — and those feelings aren’t appropriately addressed by an adult — these unsettling emotions are often stored in the body as unresolved trauma.

These experiences are sometimes referred to as “little t” traumas. While these events may seem minor on the surface — like being bullied by a sibling or not feeling understood by parents — they can have long-term effects on how we process emotions and stress. What we feel in those moments, more than the event itself, becomes the blueprint for how we react to similar feelings in the future.

How Does This Relate to Chronic Fatigue?

In my work with clients who experience chronic fatigue, it’s incredibly common to hear about struggles with childhood experiences such as:

• Difficult relationships with critical or controlling parents

• Being bullied or teased — by family, siblings, or schoolmates

• Witnessing violence, alcohol, or drug abuse in the home

Not everyone who experiences these types of childhood events will go on to develop chronic fatigue, but the chances of long-term health and mental well-being challenges are significantly higher, particularly for those who possess a combination of the following traits:

• High achievers

• Perfectionists

• People who feel like they don’t quite belong (often referred to as “feeling like a fish out of water”)

• High sensitivity (to foods, medicines, chemicals, emotions, people, and places)

So, what’s happening when you experience feelings of fear or anxiety, for example, as an adult?

Let’s say you’re in a stressful situation — perhaps with a boss or loved one — and you suddenly feel afraid. Unconsciously, your brain links that fearful feeling to a similar feeling you had as a child during a time of emotional stress. The brain triggers a deep, automatic response, bringing you back to the past without you even realizing it.

Fight or Flight: The Body’s Emergency Button

This automatic response hits the emergency button internally, activating the fight or flight response. It’s an essential and life-saving mechanism, preparing your body for quick action when danger is perceived. But when we live in this heightened state constantly, even during everyday situations, the body is flooded with stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. This creates a series of chemical reactions that prepare you for action — but staying in this state of constant emergency is exhausting.

When you’re stuck in this cycle of stress and tension, you feel drained, overwhelmed, and emotionally exhausted. And if you’re constantly living in fight or flight mode, it’s extremely taxing on your nervous system, affecting everything from your energy levels to your physical health. There’s even a term for this: danger response.

The Problem with Constant Red Alert

Being in a heightened state of alert is helpful if you’re facing immediate danger, but when you’re not in a life-threatening situation, this reaction takes a toll. Your body can only handle so much of this heightened state before it wears you down. Over time, this chronic state of emergency can lead to fatigue — the kind that doesn’t seem to have a clear cause.

If you’ve been living in this constant state of stress and emotional overload, chronic fatigue is often the result. The subconscious activation of these stored memories and emotions takes a toll on your body and energy, making recovery feel impossible.

How Understanding This Cycle Helps You Heal

Here’s the good news: Understanding the connection between childhood experiences, stored emotions, and your current physical health is the first crucial step in recovering from chronic fatigue. When you realize that much of what’s happening in your body is subconscious, you start to gain a sense of control over the situation.

By identifying the triggers that push your emergency button, you can begin to untangle the emotional patterns that are causing your exhaustion. Awareness is empowering, and it allows you to recognize the moments when your body is reacting to something that doesn’t require the same intense response.

The next step in recovery involves developing practical tools to manage these emotional triggers. This might include:

• Emotional regulation techniques (such as mindfulness or meditation)

• Body-calming practices, like yoga or deep breathing

• Therapeutic interventions, such as Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR), which can help you release those old emotional responses in a safe and structured way.

A Holistic Approach to Recovery

It’s important to understand that recovering from chronic fatigue isn’t just about addressing the physical symptoms. It’s about a holistic approach — one that incorporates the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of your well-being.

For most people, addressing the root causes of fatigue requires a full 360-degree approach. That might involve:

• Nutritional therapy to support the body’s healing process

• Physical calming practices like yoga or meditation to relax the nervous system

• Therapies that address the emotional and mental layers, such as TIR or emotional release work

By working on all of these levels, you give your body the best chance to heal, rejuvenate, and find balance once again.

Conclusion: A Balanced, Integrated Approach is Key

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to chronic fatigue. Each person’s experience is unique, and therefore, so is their healing journey. However, a purely emotional or purely physical approach won’t likely work in isolation. It’s the integration of both — working on emotional triggers, healing past wounds, and supporting the body’s physical needs — that helps you regain your vitality and move towards lasting recovery.

This is why standard medical approaches often fall short for those struggling with chronic fatigue. Our medical system is focused on the physical, with less support available to address the emotional, subconscious layers that are just as important to healing.

And whilst every person’s situation is utterly unique to them, there are common themes that I see cropping up in every client, to a greater or lesser degree.  I've combined these common themes in my Your Energy – Your Way programme, an holistic framework to guide and support you as you steadily regain your energy over 3 – 12 months (the time taken will vary based upon your specific circumstances).

If you’re struggling with chronic fatigue and suspect your past experiences might be contributing to your current exhaustion, consider exploring how addressing the emotional triggers and trauma of your past can help you regain the energy and balance you’ve been missing.

I hope this blog helps to clarify the connection between ACEs, trauma, and chronic fatigue while providing insight into the steps you can take towards healing.

I'm hosting a free webinar on 15 July at 1pm exploring the link between Trauma and Chronic Fatigue in more details and offering tools and techniques to boost energy levels.

You can sign up here to reserve your space using this link - Trauma Webinar Registration

If you’re interested in exploring how I can help you to let go of your past and regain your energy, get in touch:

• email suzanne@reconnectingyou.co.uk or

• book a 45 minute Health Profile Review.