“I’ve been to every specialist imaginable … and they say ‘I’m fine’ … yet I’m struggling to function due to fatigue. I’m not making this up!” my client said with great despair.
I remember a time when I had the same struggle. Some doctors called it “burn out” while others told me my labs were completely normal.
For years and years, the struggle continued.
Till I had a miraculous event.
Two clients in my inpatient treatment center confronted me for eating a giant Butterfinger and drinking a Super-Sized Dr. Pepper.
I made sure their diets (while impatient) were free of processed sugars. (Because they are processed like alcohol and drugs, they can create cravings).
I promised to eat or drink NO SUGAR while both or one of them remained in treatment.
Unfortunately, this occurred in October.
The normal length of stay was 2 to 3 weeks max.
But one of them remained inpatient until January.
I missed all my holiday treats.
But in the process, learned I was a sugar addict.
Why do I call that miraculous?
Because after withdrawing from sugar (which research shows to be more difficult than withdrawal from cocaine) … my energy returned.
I’ve had no sugar since.
I thought no sugar was in and of itself the miracle.
Over the past two decades, as I’ve become an expert in trauma and its treatment … I learned the true miracle was in healing my trauma. (And one of the things that helps us reset the damage of trauma to our bodies is significant reduction in processed sugars).
Without going into too much science, there’s no secret now, that our gut affects everything about our thinking. What we eat, drink, or ingest has everything to do with our moods, attitudes, and hopes.
Why do I share my story here?
· To help you understand my deep compassion for those who’ve been left reeling with fatigue as the “energy thief” takes over our lives after trauma.
· To assure you I know how to help you if you, like my client, have found yourself fatigued and feeling “old” (regardless of your age).
· To deliver hope that you do not have to take multiple naps, take caffeine pills, drink “loaded” energy drinks, or give up doing things to just to barely function…daily.
Back to my client.
After I learned he’d seen
-internal medicine specialists
-endocrinologists
-neurologists
-infectious disease specialists
-rheumatologists
-sleep specialists…
I asked him if he’d experienced any trauma?
With the same disdain that Tina Turner sings: “What’s love got to do with it? …” He responded: “What’s trauma got to do with it?”
I spent some time sharing with him, what I’ll share with you now.
Hopefully you, like him, will leave with a greater understanding of your fatigue.
“While the journey to recovery from PTSD trauma exhaustion can be challenging, it’s important to maintain hope. Many individuals can overcome the debilitating effects of PTSD-related fatigue and reclaim their lives. It’s possible to move beyond the shadow of trauma and rediscover a sense of energy, purpose, and joy in life.”
NeuroLaunch
1. Our brain’s “drive” is STUCK in survival mode, even if it’s not evident (other than ongoing fatigue).
I remember a time when my first car (a beat-up yellow LeMans Pontiac that cost $400 but was in our family for over 12 years) got stuck in reverse.
It was before anyone, other than rich people, had cell phones. So I went back into the theatre where I worked to call home for help.
The line was busy. I tried again and again (and later found out that someone had not put the phone back on the hook carefully and therefore, it was “busy”).
Finally, I gave up and decided to drive it home in reverse.
Thank goodness it was late and there was very little traffic
on the small roads to home.
I had done everything I knew to do.
Turn the car off and start it again.
Wiggle the gear shift.
But nothing worked.
It’s the same thing that happens with unresolved trauma.
Our brain is STUCK in survival-gear-mode … and without resolving the trauma using high energy positive replacement exercises (or in my car getting the transmission fixed) … our brain stays STUCK!
And sometimes we do life in reverse.
We become used to it … and we don’t really understand that it’s STUCK! Much less that it is draining us to the core.
Creating serious levels of exhaustion and fatigue over time.
That’s why we are unaware … other than the symptoms of fatigue that plague us.
It becomes our “norm” … and we assume something is physically wrong with us … and that some disease is causing our fatigue.
I always refer my clients to their physician to get thoroughly checked out.
But in my experience, over 90% of people get a “clean bill of health.” Although still incredibly fatigued.
Negative thinking drains.
Positive thinking fills.
A research article by Dr. Afari et al., published in Psychosomatic Medicine indicated that people with adverse childhood experiences were 2 – 3 times more likely to develop fatigue disorders.
In addition, research indicates that over 60% of those diagnosed with fatigue disorders have experienced trauma.
After sharing some of that data with my client, I commented: “That’s what trauma might have to do with it. And the reason I asked the question.”
He responded, “Well, I was in the military, but I didn’t serve in combat.”
I nodded. Many people only associate trauma with war vets. (And bless all of you who served and have experienced trauma).
However, this is the definition of trauma…
I write about…
teach about…
and share with clients:
“Any experience that has affected us in any way that diminishes who we are (and/or all we were created to be), dulling our gifts and talents, and making life more difficult than it would have otherwise been!” Dr. Neecie
“Oh,” my client muttered quietly. Then added as a question: “That kind of stuff?”
I nodded affirmatively.
“Well, I guess you could call the ‘war zone’ I grew up in traumatic,” he surmised.
Then he asked with curiosity. “But how do I know if that’s what’s causing this fatigue?”
I smiled and shared, “Well, your health appears to be fine … so we should look at trauma as the potential problem, don’t you think?”
He nodded reluctantly.
Clearly not wanting to share his history.
Because he wasn’t ready to be debriefed, I asked him if he would be willing to share one example of a “war zone” moment?
He snickered as he shared, “Well I had two brothers. It was summer. We’d been unruly all day, and when my dad came home, I guess our mom told him something. He came into the TV room with a belt in his hand, the buckle flying and hit all three of us multiple times, not caring where. There were busted lips, black eyes, welt marks.”
He chuckled tensely as he continued.
“My brother got ‘wise’ and put a cushion off mom’s new sofa in front of him and the belt buckle slit the cushion and stuffing was flying everywhere. Mom started screaming and crying over her cushion then dad literally drug us to the porch and threw us over the railing one by one.”
All the snickers had ended.
I leaned forward and spoke with gentle compassion.
“A war zone indeed! I’m so sorry.”
Clearly his brain was stuck in survival mode.
I explained the process that occurred in his brain in moments like he described.
The amygdala in your brain is the emotional alarm system.
It sends out warnings when there is danger … or any threat of danger.
But when the environment produces enough of those warnings, the “faucet” on the amygdala no longer works.
It stays “on.”
ALL the time.
And when life happens and we get hit with trigger-moment memories that run undetected … somebody else shows up inside us and we react.
Sending bursts of energy and adrenaline to get you ready to handle the threats of danger.
Those alarms are far louder than the PFC (prefrontal cortex) in the brain informing the amygdala that the danger is over.
That’s how and why we get stuck.
And that’s draining.
It’s like your brain (amygdala) is trying to put out a match with a fire hose. This process creates extreme fatigue.
What it looks like in day-to-day life is:
· Thinking the worst in many situations
· Creating stories about danger in every situation
· Going quickly to worst case scenarios
· Being overly suspicious
· Doubting truth, even when there’s evidence
· Looking for the lie and/or deception in everything
· It feels “normal” to you
Shaking his head with a hint of disgust, my client said:
“That’s me. That’s me alright.”
“I understand,” I commented. “And that, my friend, is EXHAUSTING!”
I continued.
“Living in a ‘war zone’ also dysregulates our HPA axis (hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis). This hormonal imbalance has major impact: fatigue, digestive problems, memory challenges, immune disorders, and disrupted sleep.”
He was clearly processing … then said,
“So, trauma really might have something to do with it?”
I nodded.
Your “war zone” may have looked very different.
It might have been an atmosphere of…
Angst…
Anxiety…
Animosity…
Or anger that you could’ve cut with a knife.
Until the brain gets “UNSTUCK” from survival mode, the exhaustion will continue.
We can start the day quite normal.
But as the low hum of our subconscious trauma-drama plays on, unbeknownst to us, it’s an ongoing wrestling match over which thoughts we share.
Life is filled with triggers that aren’t our fault, but ours to change.
“How do you get it unstuck?” my client asked.
Gently, I commented.
“You resolve your trauma.”
He nodded, and I could see he was “getting it.”
I hope you’re beginning to get it too!
2. Survival mode causes of neuro-hormonal imbalance and inflammatory responses.
Living in survival mode causes hormonal/neuro-hormonal imbalance that wrecks us emotionally and physically.
It keeps us fighting off
Depression…
Anxiety…
Anger…
Fear…
All which expend valuable energy reserves.
Leaving us? …
Exhausted!
Sometimes this leaves us looking like we could be on the bipolar spectrum or that we have ADHD. It also leaves us wanting relief at all costs.
This is where addiction often occurs. Myths take over in our minds:
· I have ADHD and need some stimulant medication (or even some admit that they need the energy infusion that comes with amphetamines)
· A glass or two of wine will relax me so that I can sleep, so I’ll drink a couple late in the evening. (Until you need it during the day to relax you)
· Those pain killers I got when I was recovering from my accident sure gave me relief from this sort of “stuff” … one or two a day don’t hurt anything (Until you need three or 4 … then 5 or 6)
My client confessed, “That’s what beer did for me. Then it took a case. My wife made me stop. But then the anxiety and depression came back.”
It’s a story I hear often …
Add to that the hormonal swings with estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone (in both men and women) …which exaggerate mood swings, fatigue, and cognitive function.
Mix in the catecholamine imbalances (fight or flight hormone regulator) which keep our energy levels depleted, and we feel “wired and tired” at the same time, all the time.
Then heap on to that the inflammatory responses.
Unresolved trauma keeps the immune system dumping cytokines (to fight sickness).
However, when there’s no sickness present, they cross the blood-brain barrier which creates lethargy, extreme fatigue, brain fog, and zaps all motivation.
“Why didn’t any of these specialists I saw have at least a clue about any of this?” my client demanded.
“Perhaps they did, perhaps they didn’t,” I commented.
“But to be honest, it’s only in the last decade that we’ve gotten a clearer picture of what trauma does to our brains and our bodies.”
“Finally … my life is making sense!” my client said with a hint of hope.
“I just hope there’s something I can do about it.”
I assured him that resolving trauma, making some lifestyle changes, and reprogramming his brain offered all the hope he needed.
The same is true for you!
(From my AA friend. “I can’t speak for anyone else in our program, but it took a year of sobriety for my brain to readjust as the cravings grew quiet, just to begin to realize how unregulated my emotional state had always been. I allowed someone else to live in my head through the drama-trauma they inflicted, that can never be medicated. But only become mine and mine alone to heal and change. Time to grow up.”)
3. The brain works overtime to suppress and to appear “normal”.
The one thing we don’t give enough time and attention to is how our brain works overtime to suppress trauma (and trauma’s effects) just to try to appear “normal.”
“I’ve never felt ‘normal’ a day in my life. But for the most part I’ve been dedicated to looking ‘normal’,” my client shared.
“I’ve always felt ‘misunderstood’ and ‘the odd man out’.”
Then he defended.
“Yet I’ve exceled in my career.”
“Many do excel in their careers,” I affirmed.
But then I leaned toward him and asked.
“But at what cost?”
He dropped his head as he almost whispered.
“You have no idea.”
I nodded empathetically as he continued.
“I’ve had my moments in the ‘spotlight.’ But for the most part, my life has been hard. No one would guess that. But I know!”
Trudging through life is difficult.
Feeling tired.
Exhausted.
Needing a nap all the time.
Drained.
That’s not how life was meant to be.
Yet trauma’s low demanding hum for attention…
steals our zeal …
our zest …
our zealousness.
“Trauma can leave deep scars, disrupting the rhythm of life, and casting a long shadow over our daily experiences. It’s a transformative event that can shatter our sense of normalcy, leaving us feeling lost and disoriented. However, life after trauma doesn’t have to be defined by these experiences.”
Jennifer Luttman,
Counselor
*****
I hope you’ll stay with me as we unravel and disempower a life dominated by the “energy thief.”
After eliminating sugar from my diet, I’d already recovered so much of my energy.
But I did have some ups and downs.
But after dealing with my trauma and making some additional lifestyle changes, my office team members deemed me “the energizer bunny on steroids.”
No, I wasn’t “manic” … but I just had a deep love for life.
A deep love for what I did professionally.
And a deep love for helping others recover their lives after trauma.
I hope you will follow this series if you have struggles with lack of energy, fatigue, brain fog or any of the other results of the “energy thief.”
You can get your life back. I promise!
And I’d love to shine the light on the path to help you reclaim it!