How Trauma and Autoimmune Diseases Are Linked
- Rebecca Rinnert
- Jun 17
- 4 min read
What If the War Inside You Didn't Start in Your Body?
What if your immune system isn’t broken… but overwhelmed?What if the inflammation, the fatigue, the flare-ups are your body’s way of speaking—not malfunctioning?
For many people with autoimmune diseases, the symptoms didn’t begin with a virus, a poor diet, or genetics alone. They began with a nervous system under siege, carrying the invisible weight of unresolved trauma.
This article explores the growing scientific and therapeutic understanding of the link between trauma and autoimmune disease—and why your body might be attacking itself because it never got to feel safe.
What Are Autoimmune Diseases?
Autoimmune diseases occur when your immune system—designed to protect you—mistakenly attacks your own cells. This causes chronic inflammation, pain, and damage to organs and tissues.
Common autoimmune conditions include:
Rheumatoid arthritis
Lupus
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
Multiple sclerosis
Type 1 diabetes
Psoriasis and eczema
Symptoms often go far beyond the physical. Many people report brain fog, anxiety, low mood, and deep exhaustion. It can feel like your body is at war with itself—and you don’t know why.
Understanding Trauma: It’s Not Just in Your Head
When we hear “trauma,” we often think of car accidents, war, or abuse. But trauma can also be:
Being shamed or ignored as a child
Growing up with a parent who was unpredictable or emotionally absent
Living with chronic stress, racism, or poverty
Medical procedures that left you feeling powerless
Trauma is not defined by what happened. It’s defined by how overwhelmed your nervous system felt—and whether it had the support to process it.
When trauma is unresolved, your body doesn’t just “get over it.” Instead, it holds on—in tight muscles, in frozen breath, in stress hormones that never switch off.
Anna's Story: When the Body Speaks
“I was diagnosed with lupus at 27. I tried everything—meds, diets, supplements. Some helped, but the flares kept coming.It wasn’t until a therapist gently asked me about my past that things started to shift. I realized I had never felt safe in my body—not since childhood. As I learned to feel and regulate my emotions, the pain started to soften. It wasn’t instant, but for the first time, I felt like my body and I were on the same team.” —Anna, 33
How Trauma Impacts the Immune System
Mounting evidence links chronic stress and trauma to immune system dysregulation. Here’s how:
1. The ACE Study
The famous Adverse Childhood Experiences study found that people with high ACE scores were significantly more likely to develop chronic illnesses—including autoimmune disease.
2. Inflammation and Cytokines
Trauma activates the body’s threat response and increases pro-inflammatory cytokines—the same chemicals that fuel autoimmune attacks.
3. HPA Axis Disruption
The stress-response system (the HPA axis) gets overactivated with trauma. Over time, it burns out or becomes dysregulated, messing with cortisol, immunity, and digestion.
4. Gut-Brain-Immune Connection
The gut houses 70–80% of the immune system. Trauma disrupts the gut lining and microbiome, allowing toxins and inflammation to leak into the bloodstream.
The Somatic View: Freeze, Flare, and the Body’s Cry for Safety
In somatic therapy, we often see people with autoimmune symptoms stuck in a chronic freeze state—not outwardly anxious, but disconnected, fatigued, and “shut down.”
This is a biological survival response. When fight or flight doesn’t work, the body freezes.
Over time, this can evolve into:
Internalized self-attack (“My body hates me”)
Low-grade inflammation
A chronic state of dissociation and distrust in the body
But here’s the truth:🔥 Your symptoms are not betrayal. They are protection.Your body didn’t choose to hurt you. It chose to survive.
Can Healing Trauma Help Autoimmune Conditions?
Yes. While trauma healing won’t erase autoimmune disease overnight, it can:
Lower inflammation
Improve immune resilience
Restore nervous system balance
Deepen self-trust
Reduce frequency and intensity of flare-ups
Healing begins when the body starts to feel safe again.
Tools That Support Trauma and Autoimmune Recovery
A gentle, body-based approach that helps your nervous system complete stuck survival responses and find regulation.
These simple exercises activate your body’s natural tremor reflex to discharge deep tension and stress.
💠 3. Trauma-Informed Therapy
Working with a practitioner trained in trauma can help you safely revisit your story—without becoming overwhelmed.
💠 4. Daily Nervous System Practices
Breathwork, vagus nerve stimulation, grounding, and gentle movement can all retrain your body toward safety.
💠 5. Holistic Support
Anti-inflammatory nutrition, gut healing, nature time, and sleep hygiene all support recovery from both trauma and chronic illness.
FAQ: Trauma and Autoimmune Diseases
Can trauma really cause autoimmune diseases?
It may not be the only factor, but unresolved trauma is a powerful contributor to immune dysregulation, inflammation, and chronic disease.
How long does it take to see results when healing trauma?
Shifts often happen gradually. Many people notice improved energy, fewer flares, and deeper self-awareness within a few months.
Do I need to “relive” my trauma to heal it?
No. Somatic and trauma-informed approaches focus on safety, titration, and body awareness—not re-traumatization.
Final Thoughts: Your Body Isn’t the Enemy
If you’ve been living with autoimmune disease, and nothing seems to fully work…You’re not crazy.You’re not weak.And your body is not broken.
It’s possible your body is still telling the story of what you went through—because no one ever helped it finish the chapter.
When we begin to listen, feel, and reconnect, healing is no longer about “fighting” the illness. It becomes about welcoming your body back home.
Ready to Explore Trauma-Informed Healing?
I support individuals navigating complex trauma, autoimmune illness, and nervous system dysregulation. Together, we create a safe space to explore what your body has held—and how it might begin to release.
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