We Are Adult Survivors of Child Abuse and Neglect

During the first two decades of my life when I was being abused and assaulted by my father, I learned to cope exceptionally well by dissociating my stressful feelings. Thus, my inner state was relatively calm most of the time, and I was never overweight.  That all changed when I started therapy at 34-years-old and began to feel my split-off anger and pain for the first time. I began to overeat to dull my pain and to stuff my anger down my throat because it was so intolerable.

After spending decades in therapy learning how to accept and manage my feelings, I gained a healthy understanding of my stressors. Although my coping skills improved greatly after living through almost 50 years of extreme psychological pain, my nervous system could no longer tolerate stress above a certain level.

I have gone by ambulance to the emergency room after experiencing a very stressful event every year for the past 5 years. Even after a relatively minor procedure, like a colonoscopy I had several months ago, I had the same result. A few hours after I came home from the clinic, my blood pressure dropped to 80/60 and I then spent eight hours in the emergency room.

I have also continued to have problems with overeating anytime I experience a high level of stress or intense pain or anger. So, I began researching my reactions to find a physical reason for how my body reacts to stress. I feel I have found a significant answer – my vagus nerve.

The vagus nerve is the only nerve that starts in the brainstem (medulla oblongata – which regulates the central nervous system) and extends down below the head, to the neck, chest, and abdomen where it contributes to the distribution of nerves to the gastrointestinal tract. The vagus nerve conveys sensory information about the state of the body’s organs to the central nervous system.

Specifically, activation of the vagus nerve typically leads to a reduction in heart rate, blood pressure, or both. When the circulatory changes are great enough, vasovagal syncope results.  I learned that excessive activation of the vagal nerve during emotional stress, which is a parasympathetic overcompensation of a strong sympathetic nervous system response associated with stress, can also cause vasovagal syncope because of a sudden drop in blood pressure and heart rate.

My research further connected for me how stimulation of the vagus nerve affects my overeating. Since this nerve connects our mind with our gastrointestinal system, to settle our nerves when stressed out, our vagus nerve goes into overtime. Our mind tells us to seek a way to calm our nervousness. When we eat fatty, sugary foods, chemicals called opioids are released into our bloodstream which gives us feelings of pleasure and mild euphoria.[1] This knowledge explains why I rush to the grocery store to buy chocolate when I am totally stressed out.

There have been studies recently backing up this insight. One states: “The vagus nerve carries visceral information to and from the brain. Modulation of vagus nerve activity has complex effects on eating behaviors, some of which may prove effective for the treatment of obesity.”[2]

Another study states:  “There has been a growing interest in the use of vagus nerve stimulation to study and treat obesity because the vagus nerve has long been linked to neurological systems associated with hunger and satiety and it plays a central role in the short-term regulation of food intake…It is likely that acute vagus nerve stimulation has in impact on food cravings. It may be that vagus nerve stimulation has an effect on areas of the brain that are associated with reward and increases a desire for high calorie food. The same brain areas associated with alcohol and drug addiction may be related to food cravings as well since there are many overlaps in characteristics in these cravings.”[3]

Now that I understand how stimulation of my vagus nerve is associated with my stress levels and overeating, I believe I have a better grasp of why it is so important for me to manage my stress and monitor my eating when I am stressed out. I feel I have gained another big step in recovery from my abuse. I hope this helps other survivors.

[2] “Weight loss during chronic, cervical vagus nerve stimulation in depressed patients with obesity an observation,” J.V. Pardo, S. A. Sheikh, M.A. Kuskowski, C. Surerus-Johnson, M.C. Hagen, J.T. Lee, B. R. Rittberg, and D. E. Adson, Pub Med, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2365729/

[3] “Vagus nerve stimulation acutely alters food craving in adults with depression,” Jamie S. Bodenlosa, Samet Koseb, Jeffrey J. Borckardtb, Ziad Nahasb, Darlene Shawe, Patrick M. O’Neild, Mark S. Georgeb, Appetite 48 (2007) 145-153