Childhood Stress Can Rewrite Your DNA — Here’s the Proof

What if childhood stress doesn’t just shape your emotions — but rewires your brain and even your genes? In this episode of Clinical Breakdown, we explore how early adversity can leave lasting biological marks — from changes in brain wiring to DNA methylation and inflammation. Neuroscience now shows that trauma isn’t only psychological. It’s physical, measurable, and written into the body. But the hopeful part? What’s written can be rewritten. We’ll look at how trauma alters: Brain connectivity and “brain age” Genetic expression through methylation The body’s stress and immune systems And how healing — through therapy, body-based work, and lifestyle — can literally reshape biology. 🧠 Trauma isn’t permanent damage. It’s a system that can be changed. 👉 Subscribe to Clinical Breakdown for more science-based insights into the human mind and body. New episodes every week. 📚 References: McLaughlin et al. (2023), Nature Neuroscience: Brain structure in children after maltreatment Teicher et al. (2025), Biological Psychiatry: Accelerated brain aging in adults with early trauma Murgatroyd & Spengler (2024), Frontiers in Epigenetics: How childhood stress modifies gene expression https://www.sciencedirect.com/science... https://arxiv.org/abs/2304.05908 https://www.nature.com/articles/s4138... https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/... https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles... Stock footage used from pexels.com pixabay.com freepik.com Music by: Bensound License code: HNLIHX28J2TM5JVE Artist: : Benjamin Tissot If this work has been helpful and you’d like to support the channel, there’s a quiet option below. https://buymeacoffee.com/theclinicalb...