You’re doing everything “right.”
You’ve cut out dairy, gluten, caffeine. You’ve seen specialists, tried supplements, and maybe even rearranged your entire life around your digestion. Still—your stomach tightens with no warning. You feel bloated, gassy, nauseous… or worse, urgently running to the bathroom.

If this sounds like your day-to-day life, you’re not alone. And here’s something most people don’t talk about enough: sometimes, what we call “Irritable Bowel Syndrome” (IBS) is deeply connected to trauma and emotional stress.

IBS Isn’t “Just in Your Head,” But It Is Connected to Your Nervous System

The gut and brain are in constant communication. Scientists even refer to the gut as the “second brain” because of how much it’s impacted by emotions, stress, and trauma. When you’ve experienced difficult things—especially over a long period of time—your nervous system stays on high alert. That ongoing activation can wreak havoc on your digestive system.

People living with chronic PTSD, childhood trauma, or relationship issues often report symptoms like abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, and bloating—sometimes years after the original traumatic event. These are very real physical symptoms with a root that often lies deeper than diet.

For many, IBS is the body’s way of holding onto unprocessed pain.

Coping Strategies: Supporting Both Your Gut and Your Heart

1. Understand the gut-trauma connection.
   Knowledge is empowering. Recognizing that your gut symptoms may be related to unresolved emotional stress or trauma helps you shift from blame or shame into compassion. This awareness opens the door to more effective healing—not just symptom management.
2. Create safety in the body.
   Practices that regulate your nervous system can calm the digestive system. Gentle breathwork, mindfulness meditations, yoga gentle twists and grounding techniques help tell your body: You’re safe now. Trauma therapy often incorporates these tools as part of somatic healing.
3. Set loving boundaries.
   If your IBS flares after certain interactions or environments, that’s not a coincidence. Toxic stress—like high-conflict relationships or emotionally draining dynamics—can activate gut symptoms. Individual counseling can help you identify these patterns and make empowered choices that support your physical and emotional well-being.
4. Seek trauma-informed support.
   Traditional GI treatments can be helpful, but when trauma is in the background, therapy that addresses both mind and body is often key. Trauma counseling can gently guide you into exploring past experiences that may be stored in your body. Many people find that their gut symptoms improve as their trauma begins to heal.

You Don’t Have to Keep Living This Way

If you’re dealing with chronic tummy troubles and nothing seems to help, it might be time to look beneath the surface. Your body is not broken—it’s trying to communicate with you.

At Trauma Healing Therapy, we specialize in supporting clients whose physical symptoms are intertwined with emotional pain. Through trauma counseling, we can help you reconnect to your body, release old burdens, and create a path toward calm—inside and out.

💛 You deserve a life where your stomach doesn’t feel like your enemy.

Let’s start your healing journey together.