The Hidden Connection: How Trauma Might Trigger Autoimmune Disease

The body is a complex system, and sometimes, the very mechanisms designed to protect us turn against us. This is the essence of autoimmune conditions, where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own healthy tissues. While the exact causes are multifactorial, a growing body of evidence suggests a powerful and often overlooked connection: the role of trauma and chronic stress.

Autoimmunity: A Body Under Attack

Autoimmune diseases affect millions, and it's a stark reality that around 80% of those affected are women. The underlying issue is immune system dysregulation. In a healthy state, the immune system defends against foreign invaders. In an autoimmune condition, this crucial defense mechanism goes awry, seeing the body's tissues—from joints to organs—as a threat and launching an attack.

Trauma and the Immune System: A Vicious Cycle

The link between trauma and physical illness is rooted in the body's stress response. When an individual perceives an event (or events) as physically or emotionally harmful, or threatening to their well-being (or that of a loved one), it triggers a cascade of physiological changes.

The Stress-Inflammation Connection

• Chronic Stress and Inflammation: Trauma, especially if unresolved or repeated, leads to chronic stress. This state continually dysregulates the immune system, often resulting in increased inflammation. This persistent, low-grade inflammation is a key factor in encouraging the immune system to mistakenly attack the body's own tissues.

• Hormonal Disruption: Significant trauma triggers the release of large amounts of stress hormones, particularly cortisol. While essential for short-term survival, chronic exposure to elevated cortisol can disrupt the delicate hormonal balance. This disruption is linked to a decrease in T cells, which are critical for controlling and regulating the immune response, further opening the door for autoimmune activity.

Defining Trauma

Trauma isn't just one type of event. It's an individual's subjective perception of harm and threat. It can encompass a wide range of experiences, including:

• Acute Events: A flood, fire, car or motorcycle crash, plane crash, natural disaster, a traumatic childbirth or pregnancy, witnessing death, stillbirth, or miscarriage.

• Interpersonal Violence: Sexual assault, domestic violence, bullying, or living with a parent who suffered from a severe mental health condition.

• Medical and Neglect: A life-changing medical diagnosis, childhood neglect, or physical trauma like being hit by a car.

• Major Life Transitions: Divorce of parents or the death of a loved one.

The Missing Piece in Western Medicine

One of the most significant challenges in diagnosing and treating chronic illnesses is that the patient's history of trauma is often missing from the medical assessment.

When individuals present with a complex array of symptoms that do not clearly show up in standard lab work, they are too frequently dismissed as having nothing physically wrong. This is particularly relevant in fields like rheumatology, where doctors often have very little information or training on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and how to integrate a patient's trauma history into the diagnostic puzzle.

Without this crucial context, healthcare providers struggle to understand why a person is experiencing chronic, severe physical issues. The body keeps the score, and for many with autoimmune disease, a history of trauma may be the hidden antecedent—the missing piece of the puzzle that explains the immune system’s enduring fight.

Who's At Risk for Post-Traumatic Stress?

While everyone can be impacted by trauma, certain factors may increase the likelihood of developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after a traumatic event:

• A history of struggling with depression or anxiety.

• Lack of adequate support from family or friends during or after the traumatic event.

Understanding the deep connection between the mind (trauma) and the body (autoimmunity) is crucial. It calls for a more holistic approach to medicine that acknowledges a person's life experiences as integral to their physical health.

By validating and addressing trauma, we can unlock a more effective path to healing for those living with autoimmune conditions.

©Lisa King, MS, LPC, NCC