There is a new way of making sense of chronic illness, flare-ups and other chronic symptoms. One that explains why having a chronic illness is not your fault, not in your head, and not because of what you did or didn't do. The new science explains that chronic illness is about what happened to you. We are beginning to understand that chronic illness and other symptoms are influenced by our early experiences and that life experiences interact with genes to shape our health.

Dr Veronique Mead is a family doctor, trauma specialist, and leading researcher on how adverse life events shape our health. In this talk, Dr Mead will share chronic illness stories, including her own, to highlight this new paradigm. She will talk about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and other science she wishes she had learned about in her medical training. The research gives us a chance to make sense of our illnesses and offers opportunities for working with symptoms.

You’ll leave this talk with new insights and a new way to work with your health.