The Gut–Brain Connection

Where Stress Meets the Body

You’ve probably heard the phrase “the gut is our second brain”. But what most people don’t realise is that this connection runs much deeper than hormones or digestion – it is a reflection of how we feel, how we cope, and how our bodies respond to pressure over time.

The Science of the Gut–Brain Axis

The gut and the brain are in constant conversation through a network called the gut–brain axis.
Your enteric nervous system (the “gut brain”) and your central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) communicate through millions of nerve cells, neurotransmitters, and hormones.

When you feel stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed, your body doesn’t just register that mentally, it translates it into your digestive system.
Digestion can slow down or speed up. You may experience bloating, pain, or changes in appetite. This is the body’s intelligent way of signalling that it is under strain.

Our gut bacteria, the trillions of microbes that live within us, are also part of this conversation. When chronic stress persists, these microbes shift.
Beneficial species decline, gut inflammation rises, and our immune system becomes dysregulated.

This is not weakness. It is physiology responding to prolonged load.

The Emotional Dimension: What Gabor Maté Teaches Us

Through Compassionate Inquiry, a therapeutic approach developed by Dr. Gabor Maté, we begin to see that stress isn’t just what happens to us, it’s what happens inside the body when emotional pressure has nowhere to go.

Many of us learned early on that being “good,” “calm,” or “strong” meant suppressing our emotions. We internalised the message that anger, sadness, or fear were unsafe to show. Over time, that suppression doesn’t disappear, it moves inward.

The gut often becomes one of the places where this tension shows up physically.

From this lens, gut symptoms like IBS, reflux, bloating, diarrhoea, and pain are not just malfunctions to fix, but signals from the body.

They invite curiosity, not control.
They ask, “What has my system been carrying for too long?”

When Stress Becomes the Norm

Physiologically, long-term stress activates pathways like the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, flooding the body with cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones are helpful in short bursts, they keep us alive, but when they remain high, they alter gut permeability, microbial balance, and immune function.

Emotionally, chronic stress creates disconnection: from our needs, our body, and often from others.

We stop hearing the body’s signals until they become louder, through pain, fatigue, or inflammation.

This is often when people seek help, not because they have failed, but because their capacity has been exceeded.

Healing Through Connection, Not Control

In my practice, I see again and again that gut healing begins not just with food (though food matters deeply), but with how much pressure the body is under.

Relationship with the body
Relationship with emotion
Relationship with nourishment

We start with nutrition that supports regulation: steady blood sugar, diverse fibres, anti-inflammatory foods, and targeted supplements to restore balance.

But just as importantly, we work in ways that stabilise the system before asking it to change.

That can mean slowing down to eat, noticing the body’s cues, and gently observing what happens when stress is high or when food feels restrictive.

This is where Compassionate Inquiry weaves into nutrition: we look at what the gut is communicating beyond digestion.

We bring curiosity rather than judgment to patterns such as:
“Why do I reach for food when anxious?”
“Why do I lose my appetite when sad?”

Not to analyse or fix, but to understand what the body is responding to.

Each reaction becomes information, not a problem.

The Way Forward

The gut–brain axis is more than a pathway of nerves and hormones. It reflects how much strain the body is carrying and how supported it feels.

By working with physiology and lived experience together, we can begin to restore steadiness: tolerance in the nervous system, stability in digestion, and clarity in the mind.

Healing, then, is not just about reducing symptoms.

It is about helping the body feel safe enough to function well again.

Takeaway Reflections

Listen to your body. Gut symptoms are communication, not punishment.

Soften around your stress. Ask what your body has been trying to cope with, rather than how to force symptoms away.

Nourish connection. Food, rest, and regular meals create biological steadiness.

Seek support. Working with a practitioner who understands both digestion and stress physiology can make this process more structured and far less overwhelming than trying to manage it alone.