Is Your Body Trying to Tell You Something? The Hidden Link Between Trauma and Autoimmune Disease
Have you ever found yourself pushing through everything, telling yourself you just need to work harder, or be stronger? Maybe you’ve felt like you’re always on alert, pleasing everyone around you, and not taking time for yourself. For many, this is a normal part of life, but what if your body is trying to tell you that it's too much? What if those feelings of being lost or alone are more than just a passing mood?
Dr. Amy, a rheumatologist who specializes in the biology of trauma, has found that many of the high-achieving women she treats for autoimmune disorders are also people-pleasers, perfectionists, and "pushers-through." In a recent podcast, she shared her own journey with an autoimmune diagnosis, and her insights on the connection between trauma and autoimmunity. She suggests that our bodies can hold on to our unhealed wounds, eventually expressing them as a physical disease.
The Vicious Cycle of Autoimmunity
When we experience trauma, our nervous system can get stuck in a state of high alert. This isn't just about big, dramatic events; it can also be the result of a lifetime of smaller moments where we felt unsafe being our true selves. When this happens, our nervous system becomes dysregulated.
This dysregulation kicks off a harmful cycle inside our bodies. It leads to oxidative stress, which is like rust for our cells. This "rust" causes everything from brain fog and fatigue to actual DNA damage. And here's the kicker: these damaged cells send out constant "danger" signals to our nervous system, which keeps the nervous system on high alert, causing more oxidative stress, and so on. It’s a loop that’s hard to escape.
This cycle is why people with autoimmune conditions often feel trapped. It's not just a physical problem; it's a feedback loop that comes from within. You may even notice that when you try to set a boundary or stand up for yourself, your body flares up, trying to keep you "safe" by putting you back in your familiar, but unhealthy, patterns.
Three Levels of Healing from the Inside Out
So how do we break free from this cycle? Dr. Amy suggests we need to approach healing on three different levels:
The Mind: This is about the stories we tell ourselves. Are you constantly criticizing yourself or caught in a loop of negative self-talk? While it's important to address this, Dr. Amy stresses that simply thinking positive thoughts won't fix it. It's a great start, but it's not the whole picture.
The Body: Our bodies have a memory of their own. They remember every time we pushed through instead of resting, every time we said "yes" when we meant "no." To heal, we need to teach our bodies a new way of being through somatic (body-based) practices. This helps our nervous system learn what it feels like to be truly safe, not just to survive.
The Biology: This is the deepest level, where we repair the physical damage from oxidative stress. When we work on the mind and body, we create the right conditions for our cells—our mitochondria, our DNA—to finally start to heal.
Starting this work isn't about grand gestures; it's about small, consistent practices that help you feel safe in your own skin. It's about taking tiny steps each day to show your body that it's finally time to rest, to heal, and to be its authentic self.
This journey of healing is not about pushing harder. It’s about learning to listen and taking the time to mend the parts of you that have been trying to get your attention for a very long time.
If you're tired of pushing through and ready to start listening to what your body has been trying to tell you, or you’d like to learn more about how trauma-informed therapy can help, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Or, if you're a high-functioning perfectionist who feels like you just read your own story in this blog, I'm here for you!
For further reading, check out:
