February 23rd 2026
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WellBeing Magazine
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Autoimmune diseases are sweeping the globe. Around one in 20 Australians has an autoimmune diagnosis, though this may be underestimated. Globally, their prevalence is rising by about 12.5 per cent annually, ranking autoimmune disease among the fastest-growing health concerns.
Western medicine has historically emphasised treating physical symptoms of autoimmune disease, often through prescription drugs. While medication provides pain relief to many autoimmune disease sufferers, new research suggests we may be able to reverse and even heal autoimmune diseases. A key part of this approach for many people is improving mental wellbeing.
Why inflammation goes rogue
All autoimmune diseases involve inflammation. Inflammation is normally a short-term response to injury or infection, but when unresolved, it becomes chronic and attacks the body’s own tissues. This results in various symptoms, some common to all autoimmune diseases, others specific to certain autoimmune conditions.
Autoimmune diseases tend to cluster in families, suggesting they’re heritable and driven by genetics. Yet genes alone don’t explain their development. For example, not everyone with a gene linked to coeliac disease or Hashimoto’s develops the condition. That’s because environmental and epigenetic factors — diet, stress, trauma — influence whether these genes are expressed in a way that results in autoimmunity.
Dietary triggers such as gluten, dairy and nutrient deficiencies (eg vitamin D, B vitamins and selenium) are well-documented risk factors. Other contributors include toxins, infections, smoking and certain medications or forms of exercise. But these still don’t fully account for the rise in autoimmune diagnoses. One critical overlooked factor, however, is stress and trauma.
When stress becomes biology
The landmark CDC-Kaiser Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study of more than 17,000 adults found that the more early-life adversity a person experienced, including abuse, neglect and family dysfunction, the greater the risk of developing chronic health conditions. Adults with multiple adverse experiences were 70–100 per cent more likely to develop autoimmune diseases later in life.
One of the clearest mechanisms linking trauma to autoimmunity is nervous system dysregulation. According to Dr Seyma Katrinli, an instructor and researcher at Emory School of Medicine, autoimmune diseases are particularly prevalent in people with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and CPTSD. CPTSD often results from small stresses that add up and can be considered a bulk trauma, especially in childhood, and tends to produce more pronounced dysregulation of the stress response than other mental health conditions.
This dysregulation isn’t just psychological — it’s physiological. Research shows that people with PTSD are 58 per cent more likely to develop an autoimmune disease because trauma changes how the body functions.
PTSD triggers stress hormones that activate inflammation while suppressing the calming parasympathetic nervous system, particularly the vagus nerve, which connects the brain to most major organs. This shift pushes the body into a prolonged fight, flight or freeze state. One study found that suppressing vagus nerve activity can increase immune activity up to threefold, while stimulation reduces inflammation. This suggests nervous system regulation may be one of the most powerful tools we have for managing autoimmunity.
In chronic stress, this imbalance between a hyperactive sympathetic system and an underactive parasympathetic one can become self-reinforcing. The longer it persists, the more likely it is to trigger an inflammatory cascade that leads to autoimmune disease.
But the relationship between inflammation and PTSD isn’t just one way. “It’s bi-directional,” explains Dr Katrinli. Trauma can drive inflammation, and inflammation can increase vulnerability to PTSD.
For instance, people with elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a key inflammatory marker, are more likely to develop PTSD after trauma, even before symptoms appear. Social adversity, low income and poor diet can all raise CRP levels. This suggests that chronic low-grade inflammation may act as a primer, making some people more vulnerable to developing PTSD.
Inflammation also interferes with neurotransmitter function. Dr Katrinli explains that high levels of inflammation suppress the production of dopamine and serotonin — the brain’s feel-good chemicals. When those systems are dampened, people are more likely to experience low motivation, fatigue and turn to compensatory behaviours such as emotional eating, substance use or social withdrawal — all of which further fuel inflammation.
This may help explain why women are disproportionately affected.
Why women are more vulnerable to autoimmune disease
Women are two to three times more likely to develop PTSD and about three times more likely to be diagnosed with autoimmune disease than men. This is often attributed to hormonal factors, such as oestrogen’s role in immune modulation, but biology doesn’t tell the whole story.
Sociocultural pressures, particularly the expectation that women suppress difficult emotions, also increase inflammation. Emotional suppression raises inflammatory markers and when we’re taught not to cry, complain or make a fuss, those experiences don’t disappear, they stay in the body.
For women and other marginalised groups, such as racial minorities, the combined weight of systemic stress and emotional silencing may increase vulnerability to stress-related illness. As physician and trauma expert Dr Gabor Maté argues, autoimmune disease may not just be about what happens inside the body, but also what the body has had to suppress to survive outside of it.
From talk therapy to nervous system repair
This leads to a fundamental shift in how we think about autoimmune disease — not as an immune disorder alone, but as one of physiological and emotional dysregulation.If inflammation and stress are linked, can treating the nervous system help? Some experts think so.
A growing body of research suggests that therapeutic approaches that regulate the nervous system while addressing trauma may reduce inflammation more effectively and more sustainably than drugs alone.
A 2020 review of 56 randomised clinical trials involving more than 4000 participants found that psychosocial interventions improved helpful immune function by nearly 15 per cent and reduced harmful immune responses by 18 per cent on average.
These interventions can match drug effectiveness at a fraction of the cost, with lasting benefits. The American Psychiatric Association now recommends psychotherapy and psychosocial treatments to support immune function in chronic illness.
One approach showing promising results is Internal Family Systems (IFS), a therapeutic model that helps people access and heal protective or wounded parts of the psyche. A 2011 study showed that IFS not only reduced pain and improved physical functioning in people with rheumatoid arthritis, it also improved their mental health. These effects were still present a year later.
Physiologically, IFS appears to shift the nervous system itself. It reduces sympathetic activity (associated with fight-or-flight states) and enhances parasympathetic tone, the branch of the nervous system responsible for healing, digestion and regulation. This shift, from reactivity to receptivity, may help explain the sustained improvements seen in both mood and immune markers.
According to paediatric neurologist Dr Jorina Elbers, who develops trauma-sensitive programs for healthcare providers, families and first responders, this focus on regulation is critical. “Trauma results in dysfunction of the nervous system before the immune system is dysregulated. Treating the nervous system can be an important step even before commencing therapy.”
In other words, before we can process what’s happened to us, our bodies need to feel safe again.
Training the nervous system like a muscle
So how do we treat the nervous system? One way is through biofeedback and other self-regulation tools that help people consciously shift their physiological responses, such as breath rate, heart rhythm and emotional state, from stress to calm. Studies show that techniques like guided breathing and virtual biofeedback can increase vagal activity, reduce anxiety and improve symptoms in conditions such as lupus, fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. Like strengthening a muscle, regular practice builds nervous system resilience and may help regulate inflammation over time.
HeartMath, where Dr Elbers works, has been researching biofeedback techniques since the 1990s. Their approach combines breath regulation, positive emotion visualisation and internal state awareness to retrain the autonomic nervous system. Multiple studies show that this method can reduce inflammation, improve HRV and improve quality of life for people with autoimmune and stress-related conditions.
“I’m interested in bringing regulation into the system, as well as trauma processing,” Dr Elbers says. “You need both.”
In other words, healing doesn’t always begin with talking. It begins with safety. And that safety often starts in the body.
Why trauma-informed medicine can’t wait
Despite growing evidence, trauma-informed care remains rare in medical settings. Though now common in education and child welfare, it is still largely absent from clinical training and general practice. As a result, many autoimmune patients, especially women, struggle to find practitioners who recognise the link between stress, trauma and inflammation.
Working with a trauma-informed or mind-body practitioner can make a meaningful difference. Look for someone trained in IFS, somatic therapy or other approaches that support deep emotional work and nervous system healing. Ask whether they incorporate emotional regulation techniques and have experience with trauma and autoimmune conditions.
But you don’t have to wait for the system to catch up. Even without a diagnosis — or the right practitioner — you can begin supporting your nervous system today.
Here are three simple steps to calm your nervous system:
- Slow your breathing to around six breaths per minute.
- Make your exhale longer than your inhale.
- Recall a moment of safety, love or joy. Let yourself fully feel the emotions and sensations for a few minutes.
This simple yet powerful practice engages both breath and emotion, actively shifting your physiology toward calm and balance. When practised consistently, these moments of emotional safety help build resilience and lay the foundation for deeper healing.
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