What Causes Autoimmune Disease? The Stress–Immune Connection Nobody Talks About

Emma Toms
Sep 11
2 min read

When you type “what causes autoimmune disease” into Google, you’ll often see the same answers: genetics, environment, lifestyle, or simply “we don’t really know.” From there, most conversations move straight into symptom management — medications, inflammation control, flare-up strategies.

But there’s a missing piece of the puzzle. One that explains so much, yet is rarely spoken about in mainstream healthcare: stress and nervous system dysregulation.

Does Stress Cause Autoimmune Disease?

The short answer: stress doesn’t directly “cause” autoimmune disease, but it plays a huge role in its development and progression.

The immune system and the nervous system are in constant conversation. When the nervous system is regulated, the immune system works with clarity — protecting, repairing, and recognising self from non-self.

But under chronic stress — especially early life stress or unresolved trauma — the nervous system becomes dysregulated. Stuck in fight, flight, or freeze, the body sends danger signals around the clock. Over time, the immune system follows suit: overactive, hypervigilant, and prone to turning against the body.

How Trauma Affects Immunity

Research shows that childhood adversity and early trauma can shape immune function for decades. The body learns to prioritise survival, and stress responses become hardwired.

This leads to:

Chronic inflammation that never truly settles.

Altered immune regulation, where the body struggles to distinguish friend from foe.

Increased risk of autoimmune conditions later in life.

In other words, unresolved trauma lives in the body — not just in memory. It shapes the way the immune system behaves.

The Real Problem: Lack of Knowledge

Here lies the greater issue: most people never hear this story.

We medicate inflammation without asking what fuels it.

We tell people to “eat well and exercise” without addressing nervous system safety.

We dismiss trauma as “psychological” while it quietly drives immune chaos.

This lack of education means many people are chasing symptoms instead of restoring balance at the source.

Healing Beyond Symptom Management

If we want true healing, we need to look deeper — to the systems that shape health.

That means shifting focus toward:

Nervous system regulation: cultivating safety in the body.

Trauma integration: acknowledging how past stress shapes present health.

Somatic and resilience practices: breathwork, body awareness, rest, and repair.

Lifestyle support that works with — not against — the body’s rhythms.

Because when the nervous system finds safety, the immune system can remember its wisdom.

Reframing Autoimmune Healing

If you live with an autoimmune condition, you are not broken. Your body is responding exactly as it was trained to under years of stress and survival. The invitation now is not to fight yourself, but to rebuild trust and harmony between your nervous system and immune system.