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Stress and Autoimmune Disease: How IEMT, and the Safe and Sound Protocol Support Healing

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Why Stress and Trauma Matter in Autoimmune Disease

Most people searching “what causes autoimmune disease” hear the same answers: genetics, lifestyle, environment. But the missing piece is stress — especially early life stress and unresolved trauma.


The immune system is deeply shaped by the nervous system. Chronic stress and trauma dysregulate this system, leaving the immune response hypervigilant and inflamed. For many, this sets the stage for chronic pain, fatigue, and autoimmune conditions.


IEMT: Rewiring the Emotional Imprint of Trauma

Integral Eye Movement Therapy (IEMT) works by targeting how the brain encodes traumatic memories. Trauma doesn’t just live in the mind; it leaves emotional imprints in the nervous system. These imprints keep the body looping in survival states — fight, flight, freeze.


Through guided eye movement patterns, IEMT helps the brain recode those imprints, reducing the emotional “charge” of past experiences.

For autoimmune clients, this means:


  • Lowering baseline stress on the nervous system

  • Releasing survival responses that fuel inflammation

  • Creating space for the body to enter repair and regulation


Research supports this: Eye movement techniques can reduce emotional reactivity and intrusive memories, freeing up the nervous system for resilience (Andrews, 2012).


SSP: Training the Nervous System to Feel Safe

The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, uses filtered music to stimulate the vagus nerve — the body’s main parasympathetic pathway.

When stress or trauma dulls vagal tone, the body struggles to return to calm. SSP helps “train” the nervous system to recognise safety, improving emotional regulation and reducing reactivity.


For people with autoimmune disease, SSP supports:

  • Greater capacity for rest and recovery

  • Lower inflammatory load

  • Reduced fatigue and brain fog

  • A restored sense of calm in the body


Research shows: Polyvagal interventions like SSP improve vagal tone, resilience, and reduce symptoms of stress-related disorders (Porges, 2011).


Why Nervous System Regulation Is Key to Autoimmune Healing

IEMT and SSP complement each other:

  • IEMT releases the emotional weight of trauma.

  • SSP restores the physiological pathways of safety.


Together, they help:


  • Reduce inflammation

  • Improve sleep

  • Calm stress reactivity

  • Rebuild resilience


This isn’t about symptom suppression — it’s about teaching the nervous system how to find balance again.


References

  • Miller, G.E., Chen, E., & Parker, K.J. (2011). Psychological stress in childhood and susceptibility to the chronic diseases of aging. Psychological Bulletin, 137(6), 959–997.

  • Dhabhar, F.S. (2014). Effects of stress on immune function: The good, the bad, and the beautiful. Immunologic Research, 58(2–3), 193–210.

  • Chrousos, G.P. (2009). Stress and disorders of the stress system. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 5(7), 374–381.

  • Porges, S.W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. W.W. Norton.

  • Andrews, I. (2012). Integral Eye Movement Therapy: Applications and theory. Human Givens Journal.


If you’re living with autoimmune disease, fatigue, or chronic pain, you are not broken. Your body has been surviving. Now it’s time to rebuild.


In my 1:1 coaching programmes, I combine IEMT, SSP, and somatic practices to calm the nervous system, release old stress patterns, and restore energy and resilience.


Book a free introductory call  to begin your healing journey.

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