05/07/2026
What happened to you as a child may still be impacting your body today.
The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, conducted by the CDC and Kaiser Permanente, found a powerful connection between early life stress and long-term health.
Let’s first define ACEs. They are categorized into three groups with multiple subcategories:
Abuse - emotional, physical, sexual
Household challenges - substance abuse, mental illness, domestic violence
Neglect - physical, emotional
Individuals completed confidential surveys about childhood experiences and current health status and behaviors. What the study showed is that chronic stress in childhood can disrupt the developing brain and nervous system, keeping the body in a prolonged state of “fight or flight.” Over time, that wear and tear impacts everything from your immune system to your heart.
What does that mean? The higher the ACE score, the greater at risk one becomes in developing:
Heart disease
Chronic lung disease
Liver disease
Depression and anxiety
Substance use challenges
Even premature death
What you need to know is, at any age, healing is possible.
Therapy, body-based healing approaches and supportive relationships can help regulate the nervous system and reduce long-term health risks. Your past shapes you, but it doesn’t have to define your future.
To learn more, I highly recommend listening to this TED talk by Nadine Burke Harris: https://www.ted.com/talks/nadine_burke_harris_how_childhood_trauma_affects_health_across_a_lifetime?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare
