Did you know chronic stress and unresolved trauma may influence autoimmunity?

Autoimmune diseases happen when the immune system becomes dysregulated and starts reacting against the body’s own tissues. Conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, coeliac disease, psoriasis, MS, and many others sit under this umbrella.

A research by Frontiers fount that autoimmune disease is multifactorial. That means it’s rarely caused by one thing. Most research points to a blend of genetic susceptibility + environmental triggers + immune dysregulation.

What can contribute to autoimmune issues?

While each condition is different, common contributors discussed in medical literature include:

• Genetic predisposition (family history and shared risk genes)

• Environmental exposures & lifestyle factors (e.g., smoking, certain chemicals, infections, diet patterns, gut microbiome shifts)

• Hormonal and immune system signalling changes (which helps explain why many autoimmune conditions affect women more often than men—varies by condition)

  
  

Where trauma, emotions, and stress fit in (what research suggests)

Over the last decade, large population studies and reviews have found meaningful links between stress-related disorders and later autoimmune diagnoses.

• A large Swedish register study (JAMA, 2018) found that a clinical diagnosis of stress-related disorders was associated with a higher subsequent risk of autoimmune disease compared with matched controls and even compared with siblings (helping reduce “shared family factors” as an explanation).

• Research in PTSD populations has also reported elevated risks for a range of autoimmune conditions.

• Systematic reviews/meta-analyses have reported that childhood adversity/trauma is associated with a small but significant increase in the likelihood of autoimmune disease in adulthood.

  
  

How could stress and trauma affect the immune system?

This is the heart of psychoneuroimmunology: the way the brain, hormones, nervous system, and immune system constantly communicate.

Research suggests chronic stress may:

• Disrupt the HPA axis (stress hormone system) and cortisol rhythms

• Increase inflammatory signalling (cytokines) and change immune cell behaviour

• Impact sleep, digestion, and the gut microbiome, which plays a major role in immune regulation

Reviews in psychoneuroimmunology support that stress can produce measurable immune changes, especially when it’s chronic or experienced as overwhelming.

The key message

This doesn’t mean emotions “cause” autoimmune disease in a simple, one-to-one way. But the evidence supports that long-term stress, trauma, and unresolved emotional strain can be important contributors, especially in people already vulnerable due to genetics or other triggers.

So what can you do?

If you have (or suspect) an autoimmune condition:

• Keep working with your GP/consultant for diagnosis, monitoring, and medical treatment.

• Also consider addressing the stress load on your system, because your nervous system and immune system are not separate.

  
  

Where kinesiology can help (root-focused support)

In my kinesiology sessions, we focus on identifying and reducing the underlying stress patterns that may be keeping the body in “fight/flight/freeze” and making it harder to regulate and repair.

Using muscle testing and gentle balancing techniques, we may explore:

• emotional stress held in the body (including past experiences)

• nervous system overload and stress physiology

• supportive lifestyle shifts (sleep, hydration, pacing, food stressors)

• energy balancing to support the body’s self-healing capacity

The intention isn’t to replace medical care, it’s to support your body in moving out of chronic stress patterns, so healing processes can function more effectively alongside your treatment plan.