High Performance Health The Hidden Link Between Stress, Trauma, and Autoimmunity — Completing the Stress Cycle - Dr. Sara Gottfried
Oct 31, 2025
Dr. Sara Gottfried, a physician specializing in hormones and trauma, joins Angela to explore the intricate ties between stress, trauma, and autoimmunity. They delve into the unique stress responses women experience, such as freezing and fawning, alongside the impact of the PINE network on health. The duo discusses the crucial role of social support in processing emotions and mitigating trauma's long-term effects. Additionally, they highlight how puberty can heighten emotional sensitivity in girls and its link to autoimmune conditions, referencing insights from traditional practices.
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Alternate Stress Responses In Women
- Women often respond to threat with freeze, fawn, or faint instead of classic fight-or-flight.
- This immobilized response can leave stress unexpelled and create a lasting trauma signature in the body.
Sara's Personal Stress-Response Experience
- Sara Gottfried shares she has personally experienced freeze, fawn, and faint responses.
- She contrasts this with male fight-or-flight mobilization using large muscle groups to clear stress quickly.
PINE: The Body System Trauma Targets
- The PINE network (Psychology, Immune, Neurological, Endocrine) is most vulnerable to toxic stress and trauma.
- Trauma can therefore affect mood, autoimmunity risk, nervous system markers like HRV, and hormone balance.
