Dr. Ingela Thuné-Boyle
Health Psychologist
Online Therapy

Inner child wounds refer to the emotional and physiological imprints left by experiences of unmet needs, not being consistently seen or responded to, or chronic stress in early life. These experiences may include neglect, emotional unavailability, inconsistent caregiving, or environments in which a child had to adapt quickly to survive. Often, the most impactful wounds are not linked to overt abuse but to what was missing; reliable comfort, emotional safety, or permission to

I saw a post by a therapist on Threads recently about chronic pain that gave me real cause for concern. It had over 2.2k likes. In it, she argued that CBT for pain is “ridiculous,” that people with chronic pain simply need medical treatment, and that validation is what matters most. I found this framing extraordinary and troubling. Why? Because chronic pain is complex. Yes, validation is always necessary. Anyone living with persistent pain deserves to be believed, respected,

Many people seek therapy for health-related concerns without realizing that their symptoms may be rooted in much earlier relational experiences. They arrive focused on chronic pain, fatigue, autoimmune conditions, anxiety around health, or a sense that their body has let them down. What they often don’t come with is a story of trauma, at least not one they recognize as such. Instead, they describe childhoods that were fine, not that bad, or nothing compared to what others wen

Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) is most often associated with trauma that is chronic, repeated, and rooted in relationships. Unlike single-incident trauma (such as a one-off accident or event) CPTSD develops when a person grows up or lives for long periods in environments that feel unsafe, unpredictable, or emotionally overwhelming.

Research in psychology, neuroscience, and medicine has increasingly confirmed what many survivors have felt for a long time: the wounds of childhood do not simply disappear over time. Childhood trauma, whether through abuse, neglect, household instability, or chronic emotional stress, can leave lasting marks not only on the mind but also on the body. These effects are not imagined; they operate through clear biological and behavioural pathways

The connection between narcissistic abuse, trauma, and chronic illness conditions, underscores the profound impact of emotional suffering on

Some people with a chronic illness or with distressing physical symptoms may have experienced trauma in their lives, either as a direct result of their illness or at a previous point in their lives. Ongoing childhood abuse, for example, has been shown to be related to ill health in adulthood, where those who experienced a rough childhood are more likely to be diagnosed with a chronic illness later on in life.