We all go through a lifetime of pleasure, pain, joy, and discomfort. Sometimes the circumstances of our births (for instance, whether or not our parents wanted to have a child or whether there were physical difficulties before or at birth) are etched into the palms of our hands as a kind of indelible “permanent record” of initial trauma upon entering this world.

Unhappy Childhoods

Where the life and heart lines begin (and, in most cases, initially meet) in the crease between the Jupiter finger and the thumb, you will often see the scars of rough childhood: vertical lines indicate illness in childhood, while psychological unrest in the early development stages is typically played out in a series of chains where the two lines meet.

The more vertical lines present in the area of early childhood as denoted on the palm, the more severe the illness or physical problem was likely to have been. For instance, a person who was afflicted with polio as a child might well have several deeper vertical lines crossing both the life and heart lines where they initially meet on the palm.

If you see chains linked across the life and heart lines, an unhappy or challenging childhood is likely the cause. Chains are often present in adults who were abused as children, though having these chains is not proof positive that such is the case with you. Worry lines in this same location indicate a childhood fraught with insecurity, brought on most likely by a fretful mother, father, or caregiver.

A Record of Your Adolescence

Just a mere knuckle's length away from the area of the hand belonging to the childhood period is the adolescent period, where the excesses of youth are marked by circles, raised or puffy spots, or even crosses. If there was trouble involving others, there will be clusters of markings scattered around the section of the hand that points to the teen years.

You can almost always see when the person matured and started making better, healthier decisions — or, on the flip side, determine whether they indeed have outgrown their more outrageous behaviors of their adolescent past.

Solving the Problems

If a person is negatively influenced by her family, that may set a trend for a lifetime of obstacles and pain. However, that is not necessarily the case — even in the worst instances, each person has the power to break the chains and live his or her life with joy and contentment.

In fact, it may work the opposite way — the secret to solving the problem that you are dealing with in your life may be inscribed on your palms. In most cases, the lines of the hands that point to a problem also signal the potential to overcome or triumph over it.