Psychological Support for Autoimmune Disease — Mind-Body Healing

You may experience symptoms & sensations like...

• Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells in the body. The symptoms of autoimmune diseases can vary widely depending on the specific condition and the organs affected. However, there are some general or common symptoms shared by many autoimmune diseases

  • Fatigue, Muscle and Joint Pain, Fever, Skin Problems (Rashes, redness, or changes in skin color), Digestive Issues, Swelling  in joints or specific body areas (indicating inflammation), Numbness and Tingling, Recurring Infections, Hair Loss, etc.

• Possible Psychological Symptoms of Autoimmune Diseases:

  • Depression:

    • Chronic pain, fatigue, and physical limitations can lead to feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and disconnection.

    • Inflammation associated with autoimmune diseases may also contribute to neuroinflammation, which has been linked to depression.

  • Anxiety:

    • Uncertainty about the disease's progression, fear of flare-ups, and concerns about managing symptoms can trigger anxiety.

    • Social anxiety may arise from concerns about visible symptoms or physical changes (e.g., skin issues, hair loss).

  • Chronic Stress:

    • The ongoing stress of managing a chronic condition can be overwhelming, leading to emotional exhaustion and difficulty coping with daily life.

  • Cognitive Impairments ("Brain Fog"):

    • Many individuals report difficulty with memory, concentration, decision-making, and attention, commonly referred to as "brain fog." This can be especially prevalent in conditions like lupus and multiple sclerosis.

  • Irritability or Mood Swings:

    • The physical strain of autoimmune diseases, combined with hormonal or neurological effects, can lead to increased irritability or mood swings.

    • Medications, like corticosteroids, can also exacerbate mood instability.

  • Sleep Disturbances:

    • Pain, discomfort, and anxiety can disrupt sleep, leading to insomnia or non-restorative sleep, which further contributes to emotional distress.

  • Low Self-Esteem or Body Image Issues:

    • Changes in physical appearance (e.g., weight changes, skin problems, hair loss) can impact self-esteem and body image.

    • Feelings of inadequacy or frustration over limitations in physical ability may also affect confidence.

  • Social Withdrawal and Isolation:

    • Fatigue, pain, and the unpredictability of symptoms may lead individuals to withdraw from social activities.

    • Isolation may be driven by embarrassment, fear of judgment, or a sense of not being understood by others.

  • Grief and Loss:

    • A person may experience grief over the loss of their previous health, independence, or life roles.

    • There can be a sense of mourning the future they had envisioned for themselves before the diagnosis.

  • Panic Attacks:

    • Unpredictable flare-ups or symptoms that mimic other conditions (e.g., heart palpitations) can trigger panic attacks in some individuals.

    • These psychological symptoms are often interconnected with the physical aspects of autoimmune diseases. Mental health support and therapy are vital in managing these emotional and cognitive effects, alongside medical treatment for the physical condition.

What do expect in a therapy session...

• Our sessions we will co-create and focus on supporting you and listening to what your body needs.

• Talk therapy:

  • CBT helps individuals recognize and change negative thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to anxiety, depression, and chronic pain.

  • Management of Pain: These therapies, often rooted in CBT or mindfulness, focus on helping individuals manage chronic pain associated with autoimmune diseases.

• Body based Therapy (Somatic Experiencing):

  • ​Somatic therapy focuses on the mind-body connection, helping individuals become aware of how their body holds emotional stress and trauma

• Tension/ Trauma Releasing Exercise (TRE) & Yoga:

  • ​Yoga therapy combines gentle movement, breathing exercises, and mindfulness to help manage physical and emotional symptoms.

  • TRE helps to let go of tension patterns in your body

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• Therapy can play a significant role in helping individuals cope with the challenges of living with an autoimmune disease in several ways:

  • Emotional Support:

    • Therapy provides a safe space to express emotions such as fear, frustration, anger, or sadness that may arise from coping with a chronic illness. It allows individuals to explore and process these feelings in a supportive environment.

  • Stress Management:

    • Autoimmune diseases can be exacerbated by stress. Therapy can teach stress reduction techniques such as mindfulness, relaxation exercises, and cognitive-behavioral strategies to manage stress effectively.

  • Coping Strategies:

    • Therapy can help individuals develop adaptive coping strategies to deal with symptoms, lifestyle changes, and the unpredictability of autoimmune diseases. This may include problem-solving skills, goal-setting, and reframing negative thoughts.

  • Improving Quality of Life:

    • Chronic illnesses can impact various aspects of life, including relationships, work, and daily activities. Therapy can help individuals identify ways to maintain a fulfilling life despite the challenges posed by the disease.

  • Addressing Depression and Anxiety:

    • Depression and anxiety are common in people with chronic illnesses like autoimmune diseases. Therapy, particularly cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), can be effective in treating these mental health conditions and improving overall well-being.

  • Support for Adjustment:

    • Therapy can assist individuals in adjusting to the lifestyle changes necessitated by their autoimmune disease, such as dietary restrictions, medication management, and physical limitations.

  • Enhancing Adherence to Treatment:

    • Therapy can address barriers to treatment adherence and help individuals stay motivated to follow their treatment plans, which is crucial for managing autoimmune diseases effectively.

How you feel after therapy ...

• Emotional Relief and Reduced Stress

  • You might feel a sense of emotional release, having had the opportunity to express fears, frustrations, and grief related to the condition.

  • Lower stress levels, which can help reduce inflammation and the frequency of flare-ups.

• Increased Emotional Resilience:

  • After working through difficult emotions and learning coping skills, many individuals feel more emotionally resilient and better equipped to handle the uncertainties and challenges of their autoimmune disease

  • You may feel empowered, with a renewed sense of control over your emotional responses, even during flare-ups.

• Reduced Anxiety and Depression:

  • Many people experience less anxiety and depression after therapy. Private sessions can help shift negative thought patterns and improve emotional regulation.

  •  A more balanced mood, reduced fear of future symptoms, and an improved ability to manage daily stressors.

• Better Pain Management:

  • A greater sense of control over your pain. Though the pain may not disappear, your relationship with it often changes. It will lead you to an increased tolerance for discomfort and the ability to manage pain without feeling overwhelmed.

• Reduced "Brain Fog" and Cognitive Improvements:

  • Individuals often experience improvements in cognitive function after sessions, especially

• Increased Sense of Self-Worth:

  • After working through body image issues or feelings of inadequacy caused by physical limitations, you may feel more confident and at peace with your body.

  • Which can result in improved self-esteem, less focus on physical limitations, and a stronger sense of identity beyond the illness.

• ​Improved Sleep:

  • Feeling more energized during the day, with less fatigue, and improved mental clarity.

• Empowered and in Control:

  • Private sessions often gives individuals a greater sense of empowerment in managing their autoimmune disease. Learning to advocate for yourself, understanding your triggers, and developing personalized coping strategies can leave you feeling more in control.

  • A proactive approach to disease management, improved communication with healthcare providers, and greater adherence to treatment plans.

• Less Isolation and Improved Relationships:

  • Reduced feelings of isolation, increased confidence in social interactions, and stronger, more supportive relationships with family and friends.

• Sense of Acceptance and Peace:

  • Many people reach a point of acceptance after therapy, where they recognize the chronic nature of their illness but no longer feel as emotionally burdened by it. 

  • A more peaceful and accepting outlook on life, with a focus on living meaningfully despite the illness.

• Renewed Hope:

  • Greater confidence in your ability to manage the illness and a renewed focus on future goals.

​In summary, therapy often leaves individuals with autoimmune diseases feeling more emotionally balanced, less stressed, more resilient, and better equipped to manage their physical and emotional symptoms. While the physical aspects of the disease may persist, therapy can significantly improve mental well-being and overall quality of life.

15 most common Autoimmune Disease

The following 18 autoimmune diseases are among the most common known today. While much remains to be understood about autoimmune diseases, symptoms can vary widely from person to person. Interestingly, many symptoms overlap across different autoimmune diseases, with variations mainly in how they are grouped.

1. Type 1 Diabetes :

   • Pancreas produces hormone insulin, which helps regulate blood sugar levels. In type 1 diabetes the immune system attacks and destroys the insulin producing cells in the pancreas —> high blood sugar can damage blood vessels, as well as organs like the heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves.

2. Rheumatoid Arthritis:

   • Immune system attacks the joints. The attack causes redness, warmth, soreness and stiffness in the joints —> unlike osteoarthritis, which affects people as they get older (can start as early as 30).

3. Psoriasis/Psoriatic Arthritis:

   • Skin cells normally grow and then shed when they are not longer needed. Psoriasis causes skin cells to multiply quickly. The extra cells build up and form red, scary called scales or plaques on the skin. About 30% of people with psoriasis also develop swelling, stiffness, and pain in their joints —> that’s where the second name comes from.

4. Multiple Sclerosis:

   • amages the myelin sheath (protective coating that surrounds nerve cells). Damage to the myelin sheath affects the transmission of neural messages between the brain and the body. This damage can lead to symptoms like numbness, weakness, balance issues, and trouble walking. The disease comes in several forms, which progresses at different rates.  About 50% of people with MS need help walking within 15 years after getting the disease (without SE). Is profoundly and  weakens the whole system

5. Systematic lupus erythematous (Lupus):

   • Although doctors in the 1800s first described lupus as a “skin disease” because of the rash it produces, it actually affects many organs (including joints, kidneys, brains an the heart), joint pain, fatigue and rashes are among the most communal symptoms —> it ravenous like the attacking WOLF(=lupus). The immune cells become the wolf that attacks the healthy immune cells 

6. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): 

   • Is a term used to describe conditions that cause inflammation in the lining of the intestine. Each type of IBD affects a different part of the GI tract —> two main types:

     • Crohn’s disease can inflame any part of the Gi tract, from mouth to anus

     • Ulcerative colitis affects only the lining of the large intestine (colon) and rectum​

7. Addisons disease:

   • (Famous through J.F. Kennedy) For those struggling with bonding after traumatic childbirth, therapy can facilitate a stronger connection with their child by addressing barriers and promoting a nurturing environment.

   • Affects the adrenal glands, which produce the hormones cortisol and aldosterone. Having too little of these hormones can affect the way the body uses and stores carbohydrates and sugar —> symptoms include weakness, fatigue, weight loss and low blood sugar

   • Way it is treated : give cortisol to stimulate and release cortisol 

8. Graves Disease:

   • Attacks the thyroid gland in the neck causing it to produce too much of its hormones. Thyroid hormones control the body’s energy usage, or metabolism. Having too much of these hormones revs up the body activities, causing symptoms like nervousness, a fast heartbeat, heat intoerance, weight loss. (Looks a bit like hyper-mania) One common symptoms of this disease is bulging eyes, called exophthalmos. It affects 50% of people with graves disease 

9. Hashimoto thyroiditis

   • Thyroid hormone production too slow. Symptoms include weight gain, sensitivity to cold, fatigue, hair loss, and swelling of the thyroid 

   • When you work with them they often go from too much and then too less —> thats exactly with the para and sym so high —> you jump from one to the other. Check if iodine is enough. Treatment: adding synthetic thyroid 

10. Sjögrens syndrome 

    • Conditions attacks joints as well as glands that provide lubrication to the eyes and mouth —> the hallmark symptoms are joint pain, dry eyes and dry mouth

11. Myasthenia gravis

    • Affects nerves that help the brain control the muscles —> affect nerve itself. When these nerves are impaired, signals can’t direct the muscles to move. The most common symptom is muscle weakness that gets worse with activity and improves with rest. Often muscles that control swallowing and facial movements are involved (loose emotional facial expression, swelling impaired)

12. Vasculitis

    • Immune system attacks blood vessels. The inflammation results in narrowing the arteries and veins, allowing less blood to flow through them —> can affect all the organs —> affects multiply

13. Pernicious anemia

    • Affects a protein called intrinsic factor that helps the intestine to absorb vitamin b12 from food. Without this vitamin, the body can’t make enough red blood cells —> is more common in older adults.  It affects 0.1 % of people in general but nearly 2% of people over age 60. 

14. Celiac disease 

    • Can’t eat foods containing gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and other grain products. When gluten is in the intestine, the immune system attack it and causes inflammation

    • Celiac affects about 1% of people in US —> more people have gluten sensitivity, with similar symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain

15. Sarcoidosis

    • Is the growth of tiny collections of inflammatory cells (granulomas) in different parts of the body (lungs, lymph nodes, eyes and skin)

    • Most physicians believe that it results from the body’s immune system responding to an unknown substance, most likely inhaled from the air

    • There is no medical cure for it, most people do very well with little or only modest treatment. In 50% of the cases it goes away by itself. In a few cases it can last for years and may cause damage to the organs