How Trauma Shapes Disease
Health & Adverse Life Experiences (HALE) Survey: Do Events in Childhood (ACEs+), Grandma’s Trauma, and Difficult Births Affect Health?
Science is beginning to reveal how adverse life experiences affect our health and can also influence the health of our kids and grandkids. This is why I've created the Health and Adverse Life
Start Page for Chronic Illness Trauma Studies
This Start Page for Chronic Illness Trauma Studies gives you a way to explore my blog and the relationship between life experiences and risk for chronic illness.Note that while some events that
Book 3: Why Chronic Illness is Not Psychological Even if You Have a History of Trauma
Why chronic illness is not psychological even if you have a history of trauma Book 3 of The Chronic Illness and Trauma Connection series "Chronic Illness Is Not Psychological" introduces the new
3 Free Downloads: The Chronic Illness and Trauma Connection Ebook Series
My ebook series is called The Chronic Illness and Trauma Connection. These books introduce research showing how trauma increases risk for chronic conditions of all kinds. They explain why it's not
Book 2: Symptoms of Trauma That are Common in Chronic Illness. Here’s How to Recognize Them
This second ebook is for anyone struggling with symptoms that aren't resolving with standard, alternative or other approaches. Or that keep recurring even though you lead a healthy lifestyle and
Video: When You Have a Chronic Illness and No History of Trauma
I made this video because my blog focuses on trauma and so many of us living with a chronic illness have no history of trauma.Here's a loose transcript of my video: When You Have No History
Video: When You Have a Chronic Illness and A History of Trauma
Many people with chronic illness have a history of trauma and wonder if the two are linked. I created a video on this question because so many people with chronic illness develop symptoms soon after a
Video: A New Name for Tumbling the Stone
I realized a few weeks ago that Tumbling the Stone had evolved and needed a new name. In part to convey more about the content. And also because I now have better energy levels, so I can write more of
What Causes Rheumatoid Arthritis? Do Early Life Events Affect Risk?
What causes rheumatoid arthritis? Kelly Young, founder of an organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with rheumatoid disease, blogger at Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior (RAW), and
1.3 Chronic Illness and The Bonding Effect: Nature, Nurture and Perceptions of Threat
These experiences occur outside of parents' control. It's about removing blame and offering new tools that may help improve or even cure asthma in children and that may very well help adults as well
1.2 Heal Bonding Disruptions, Heal Asthma
As you'll see today and in post 3, it's because life experiences interact with and alter our genes.Whether you have asthma (this post), type 1 diabetes (the first post) or a different illness, the
6 Holiday Tips including Listen to your Heart
Thinking and writing about feeling loved for who I am was a really helpful and powerful reminder this week. A reminder that sometimes we don't have to go far or work hard to shift towards a mood that
“Your Charlie Brown Christmas Tree, It’s So You!”
One of my favorite experiences so far this Christmas season was feeling loved for who I am. All because of my soft spot for (yet another) Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. Well, that and my latest thing
Books & Therapies for Chronic Illness: Healing Nervous System Responses to Stress, Trauma and the Perception of Threat
The tools in this post are designed to work with your nervous system as a way to improve health. They work with brain plasticity. The focus includes support for a nervous system that operates from a
Coping with Stress After the US Presidential Election
This is a supportive post offering a few links and tools for coping with stress after the US Presidential election. I'm keeping it short given that many of us are feeling full from all the
Chronic Illness and the Holidays: A Time for Play
Chronic illness and the holidays can be an intimidating combination. But if ever there is a time for play when you have a chronic illness, it's during this season that's supposed to be about joy. It's
1.1 What if Chronic Illness is an Intelligent Process Gone Awry? Insights from Type 1 Diabetes
This is the first post in "The Discovery Series," describing science that lead me to think about chronic illness in a different way than I was taught as a medical doctor. I start with a little
It’s Not “All in Your Head”: The Limits of Mind Body Medicine
Over the past few months a number of online comments I made about trauma as a risk factor for chronic illness struck a nerve. A highly exposed, tender, and irritated nerve (see comments in The
8 Steps for Healing through Impulse And Play: Treating Chronic Illness #5
Today's post is about the practice of activating the social engagement system (also known as the social nervous system) through the often subtle impulses for play, rest, ease and connection. These are
Book 1: Can Trauma Cause Chronic Illness? An Overview
Have you ever wondered, "Can trauma cause chronic illness?" "Did it cause mine?" And been relieved. Or maybe a little horrified at the idea that if it does, it might mean that it's all in your head?
Healing IBS: Art, Therapy and Unexpected Outcomes
Last summer I started treating severe constipation and healing IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) from a trauma perspective. This is an update to the process of following my impulses and using art as an
Chronic Illness Blog: Year 2 in Review
This month marks Tumbling the Stone's 2nd anniversary. In the first year of my chronic illness blog I introduced my theories about The Chronic Illness Model and the science showing how trauma is an
Update on My Ebook on Chronic Illness and Trauma, and a Call for Readers
Last May I wrote about my plans for an ebook on chronic illness and trauma. I had thought I'd have it completed within a month or two.My plans turned out to be more ambitious than my mental and
My Chronic Fatigue Story 4: The Art of Listening As a Path to Healing?
In today's installment of my journey with chronic fatigue I want to tell you what I've been learning about the art of listening. Because it turns out to be a much more complicated task than we
My Chronic Fatigue Story 3: Could Reducing Stress Help Me To Heal?
There were a number of ripple effects following the onset of my chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and the accompanying symptoms of back pain and grief (see my CFS story 1). The first was that the
The Love, The News and the Antidote – March 2016
How have the past 2 weeks been for you guys? I had the treat of getting away for a few days with David. We went to the mountains just an hour's drive away, which kept everything manageable and easy.
Causes of Chronic Disease: Life Experiences Change the Brain via “Pruning”
This New York Times article describes recent research that is increasing our understanding of the cause of schizophrenia ((Sekar, A., et al. (2016). "Schizophrenia risk from complex variation of
Repairing the Health of “No” by Healing Invisible Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs)
Today's post links to My Chronic Fatigue Story 2, where I started recognizing how hard it was to say "No." The images and concepts here reveal a little of its origins and how invisible adverse
Rheumatoid Awareness Day: What Causes RA / RD?, Links, and Stories of Recovery
Today, February 2nd is Groundhog day. The tradition means that if the groundhog sees its shadow, then winter will last another 6 weeks. Feb 2nd has been designated as a day of recognition for people
My Chronic Fatigue Story 2: How “No” Made Room For “Yes” And Finding Work Life Balance
When I explored ways of alleviating my initial symptoms of chronic fatigue, low back pain and grief 20 years ago (see post 1 in my Chronic Fatigue Story series) it lead me to a path I hadn't known
My Chronic Fatigue Story 1: How My Symptoms Of Physical Exhaustion First Started
I've been wanting to share my chronic illness story with you since starting my blog. I've been surprised at my reluctance. It is a New Year, however, and something has aligned, helping me feel ready
Special Gifts of the Holidays
Feelings of gratitude have been bubbling up over the past week. I had my moments of pointy uncomfortable feelings. Some that came up because this time of year is so filled with generations-old
Food Memoirs: 9 Stories of Healing and Inspiration for the Holidays
Experiencing the Meaning of the Holidays comes in many forms. Ultimately for me, it's about connection. Because connection, when I'm able to feel it and bask in it, offers a sense of warmth and
Some Christmas Tips and Links Love
This is a random post just for fun because Christmas is coming and there are so many great links I want to share with you. Some that make me smile, others that make me cry in the best possible way and
Trauma May be an Important Cause of Type 1 Diabetes: Dan’s Story
Have you ever wondered whether stress or trauma was a cause of type 1 diabetes or other chronic illness? Or why you can be so harsh with yourself and blame yourself for your chronic disease or symptom
Trauma Triggers And Living With A Chronic Illness : Blog Layout III
A few days ago I had to put aside the blog post I've been working on for today because I was too tired to complete it in time. While this is a small event in the scheme of things what I ended up
Blog Layout II: How Trauma Shapes Disease
Today I introduce another part of the new blog layout with a menu header for the topic that excites me the most. These are the posts about "How Trauma Shapes Disease." They cite the research on how
Treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome And Subtle Trauma By Listening To Your Inner Voice
With no improvement in my longstanding symptoms of constipation despite daily walks, almost 2 years on the strictest version of the GAPS diet, stress reduction, mindfulness practices, and more I have
IBS: When Nothing Else Works For Chronic Symptoms
What do you do when medical and alternative treatments, natural products, folk remedies and other great-sounding approaches fail to help you recover or reduce painful, debilitating and chronic
Layout of a Trauma and Chronic Illness Blog
I have a long-term vision for this blog. My goal is for each post to contribute to a growing educational web site that focuses on trauma and chronic illness. There is now enough content to structure
Treating Chronic Illness #5.2: 9 Sneaky Ways to “Act Out”
While it is generally a sign of health and maturity to be able to resist impulses that would be detrimental to ourselves and to others, there are times when we inhibit our urges with too much of an
Treating Chronic Illness #5.1: 7 Tips on Pleasure
For those of us living with chronic illness there is something powerful in honoring our impulses for greater ease, connection and other forms of "pleasure." It's not about giving up on things that
Our Wedding Anniversary Celebrations
A week ago David and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary in Rocky Mountain National Park, where we've gone each year since getting married there. The picture above was on the night before our
Constipation, Metaphor and Symptoms of Childhood Trauma
I've had increasing symptoms of constipation for 10 years or more, and in retrospect it's been there in more subtle ways for most of my life. It's common to have gastrointestinal symptoms in chronic
Blog Year 2: An ebook, “Chrillogs,” and Surveys
For this second year of my blog I have a few updates in mind. I will be providing a free downloadable ebook, introducing a new concept called "chrillogs" about personal stories, and want to begin a
Trauma, Chronic Illness and Healing: The Year in Review
I've been blogging for a year this month. Chewing on the ideas and research has been helping me. Whether it's been to see more patterns in my symptoms, to work through new edges, or to liberate the
Chronic Illness and Invisible ACEs: When Your ACE Score is 0
Today I introduce the importance of attachment bonds and how they affect risk for chronic illness. Here's the science linking chronic illness and invisible ACEs ((I've updated this post significantly
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Chronic Illness: Understanding ACEs and an Example from the Movie “Boyhood”
We now have incontrovertible evidence linking adverse childhood experiences and chronic illness. If you've experienced any kind of trauma in childhood and have a chronic disease this post will give
Symptoms: How the Past Influences the Present
I've been experiencing an increase in some of my chronic symptoms of dryness in the past few weeks, some of which have been excessive and unexplained. I realized a few days ago that some of these
Treating Chronic Illness #7: Making Dietary Changes took 10 Years
Making Dietary Changes As I described in 10 Under-utilized Tools for Treating Chronic Illness, dietary changes can be an important component for working with chronic disease. Changing how we eat
Treating Chronic Illness #1: Trauma Therapy and Recovery with a Dog named Kane
Meet Kane Kane is a 2-year-old great dane who developed a trauma response after sliding into a glass door. His owners consulted dog whisperer Cesar Milan, as you'll see in this 13-minute video from
Treating Chronic Illness #9: Intuition, and Why I Left Medicine
Intuition has helped me learn to trust the wisdom of my body and, ultimately, to begin to better understand and trust myself. By following my intuition through the doubts and fears, hanging out with
10 Under-Utilized Tools for Treating Chronic Illness: Building on lessons from brain plasticity, epigenetics, and trauma
It's a New Year and a time when we often feel ready to try new things. Here are 10 tools for treating chronic illness. As an example, it has been shown that trauma in early life, in our ancestors'
Chronic Illness Christmas Lite – How the Little Moments can Create a Sense of Joy
It's the holiday season and I want to play. I want to share pictures, drink eggnog, and feel Christmas Cheer. I want to counteract the stress that often comes with the holiday season - with chronic
Peace and Stillness: Befriending Chronic Fatigue is Changing the Journey
I turned 50 last month. It felt good. Like the completion of the first half of a journey when you reach the mountain top and get to see the views for the first time. * Update ((Feb 23, 2015: I've
Risk for Rheumatoid Arthritis: the Role of Trauma in Childhood
My paternal grandfather developed rheumatoid arthritis as an adult. He lost his mother to suicide when he was only 6 years old and it appears from family lore that he was the one who discovered her
Ghosts in the Chronic Illness Family Tree
I am not the only one in my family with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS/SEID). On my father's side, I have two aunts who have had long-standing severe CFS. They are twins, and they have also had
The Ripple Effects of Trauma
I've recently read a series of articles and quotes that spoke to me and emphasized the direction I want to keep taking with this blog. It has to do with the remarkably unrecognized role that trauma
Working with Food, Diet and Survival Patterns
Working with Food Exploring my relationship to food in general, and to my craving for sweets in particular, is an ongoing process even after 40 years. From the deprivation of low calorie weight-loss
Meditation II: My Resistance to Slowing Down
Meditation and Fear One of the main challenges I've had with the idea of meditating, and one of the reasons I haven't had a regular sitting practice, is that I have a strong resistance to slowing
Meditation I: the Appeal of Slowing Down
I have long been intrigued by the practice of meditation. I've also had a remarkable amount of resistance. Going to my first-ever week-long meditation retreat earlier this month helped me get a better
Epigenetics: Why Chronic Illness may be Reversible
I’ve been wondering about the field of epigenetics for a few years now. Epigenetics are apparently how the environment determines whether genes turn on or off, and how active they are. I've been
Multigenerational Trauma: a Book Interview with J Dylan Yates
A few months ago, David told me that an old friend of his had just published her first book, a novel called "The Belief in Angels." I was intrigued by the story, which explores trauma and survival. It
Making Time for Things that Resource Us
Introduction A resource is something that softens my heart. It is an experience that feels gentle. Or kind. Nonjudging. It is a moment that gives me even one iota more capacity to keep going. To feel
The Chronic Illness Trauma Model: 11 Characteristics of Trauma and Other Life Events that Affect Risk for Chronic Disease
Some of these variations are eloquently described in the onset stories on the blog Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior (RAW).This post introduces a chronic illness model I've developing over the past 15
My experience living with chronic fatigue and why I chose the title of my blog
It's been an unexpectedly tender and sweet few weeks since launching my blog and first post. I felt more vulnerable and open than I had expected after putting myself out there and your kind,
Birth of a Chronic Illness Blog
Introduction I'm Veronique (pronounced Vair'-uh-neek), a former family doctor turned psychotherapist turning blogger. I left medicine about 15 years ago, wanting to learn how to address underlying
