Yes. The question is how lasting and impactful that effect is in normal people suffering only normal life events, not continous abuse.
Your body can get back to normal just a year after quitting smoking. How lasting can be effect of spikes of pressure, pulse and homones many years after they happen?.
> Seems like he was suggesting that old traumas led to maladaptive behaviours which led to ailments.
That's reasonable but this means trauma no longer matters after all the years because it's the maladaptive behaviour that actually does the harm and it might be possible to stop behaviour and the harm without revisiting the trauma or lay the trauma to rest without correcting the behaviour and removing the harm.
You can't really know that for certain, even if it seems reasonable.
> it might be possible to stop behaviour and the harm without revisiting the trauma or lay the trauma to rest without correcting the behaviour and removing the harm.
Agreed, "might be" being the key phrase. But it might also not be possible, or it might even be more expedient or more therapeutic to revisit it.
Point being, it's not nearly so certain as you initially claimed.
Spot on, and it's a very interesting point. Chronic negative emotions can have a direct harmful effect or an indirect effect by leading to maladaptive behaviour.
A chronic anxious state might cause impaired immunity that leads to chronic infections or greater vulnerability to acute infections.
Or it could lead to heavy smoking or drinking or recreational drug use that could cause or compound said immune impairment.
Consider, was someone who died of alcohol-induced cirrhosis afflicted by a primarily emotional or physiological illness?
The brain is physical. Our experience is physical. Our experience can directly impact our other organs. Why else would your heart rate increase in fearful situations?
Point being, "all ailments have physical causes" includes the brain.
> You don't think that you have now skin problems because 10 years ago you ate too many pancakes and had a constipation but now you massage your belly a bit to reconcile that past trauma and your skin problems will go away.
That's not how I read the comment. Seems like he was suggesting that old traumas led to maladaptive behaviours which led to ailments. That's perfectly reasonable.