When Stress Lives in the Body: How Trauma Shapes Digestion, Eating Patterns, and the Gut–Brain Connection

By: Emilie Davis, MScN – Whole Essentials Nutrition

For: Resolutions Counseling Center

Healing Requires More Than Talk Therapy Or Nutrition Alone

In counseling, we see a pattern: clients come in for anxiety, trauma histories, emotional overwhelm, or dysregulated behavior in kids. But alongside these mental health concerns, they often report something else: stomach pain, nausea, constipation, reflux, appetite changes, or unpredictable eating habits.

Stress doesn’t stay “in the mind.” It lives in the body. And one of the places trauma shows up most clearly is in the gut.

That’s why our team of therapists at Resolutions Counseling Center collaborates with other health and wellness practitioners, such as Emilie Davis, MScN, a Utah-based functional gut health nutritionist and founder of Whole Essentials Nutrition. By supporting the nervous system through effective therapy and stabilizing the gut through targeted nutrition, many clients begin to feel safer, more regulated, and more grounded in their daily lives.

Why Are We Addressing This Together?

Clients frequently ask: 

“Why is my anxiety making my stomach worse?” 

“Why does trauma affect my appetite?” 

“Is it normal for stress to shut down digestion…or make me want to eat everything?”

Therapy and nutrition are not interchangeable. But they are deeply interconnected.

Together, they can meaningfully support:

• Emotional regulation and mood stability

• Appetite and hunger cues

• Digestive symptoms like nausea, constipation, and IBS

• Sleep, energy, and overall resiliency

• More positive and shame-free eating patterns

When both systems are supported—the mind and the gut—clients often progress more quickly and feel more in control of their healing.

How Trauma Shows Up in the Gut

The Gut–Brain Axis

The gut and brain communicate constantly through the vagus nerve and the enteric nervous system. Trauma disrupts this communication, leading to digestion patterns that can look “medical,” but are often rooted in chronic fight-or-flight activation.

Common Gut Symptoms We See in Trauma Survivors

Clients (kids and adults) often report:

• Nausea or loss of appetite during stress

• Emotional eating, binge-restrict cycles, or food avoidance

• Constipation, diarrhea, or IBS-like symptoms

• Bloating and pain that worsen with anxiety

• “Nervous stomach” in kids

• Reflux or swallowing difficulty

• Fatigue and blood sugar crashes

These symptoms aren’t imagined. They are biologically valid responses to a nervous system trying to stay safe.

Why These Symptoms Interfere With Mental Health Progress

When the gut is dysregulated, it can:

• Heighten anxiety

• Lower stress tolerance

• Increase irritability or emotional reactivity

• Impact sleep and attention

• Make therapy work harder and slower

• Disrupt a child’s behavior, mood, and focus

Mental health treatment becomes more effective when the body isn’t sounding alarms all day long.

Why Nutrition Matters in Trauma Recovery

Trauma Can Disrupt Eating Patterns

Trauma and chronic stress interfere with interoception—the ability to notice internal cues like hunger, fullness, thirst, or satiety.

This leads to patterns like:

• Forgetting to eat

• Grazing all day

• Eating only in the evenings

• Strong carb/sugar cravings

• Food textures becoming overwhelming

• Eating to self-soothe

• Feeling anxious or guilty about eating

Nutrition support helps clients rebuild trust with their body and understand these patterns without shame.

The Role of Functional Gut Support

Emilie focuses on nutrition strategies that repair gut lining, stabilize blood sugar, and support the nervous system. This may include:

• A grounding, protein-rich meal structure

• Warm, easy-to-digest meals for stressed guts

• Identifying foods triggering inflammation

• Supporting motility and regular digestion

• Balancing the microbiome to improve mood and immune function

• Using therapeutic foods that calm the gut-brain axis

Together, therapy addresses emotional triggers while nutrition addresses physiological contributors. Clients feel better, faster.

Meet Emilie Davis, MScN – Whole Essentials Nutrition

Emilie is a functional and gut-focused nutritionist based in Utah and working virtually with teens, adults, and families. She specializes in:

• Digestive issues (IBS, reflux, constipation, bloating)

• Chronic stress and trauma-related digestive symptoms

• Nutrient deficiencies and blood sugar dysregulation

• Autoimmune and inflammatory conditions

• Pediatric gut health and sensory-based eating patterns

She utilizes comprehensive intake assessments and functional stool testing (when appropriate) to identify root causes—not just temporarily manage symptoms.

Scope and Collaboration

Emilie does not diagnose medical or psychological conditions. Instead, she works closely with mental health providers and physicians to ensure each client receives safe, integrated care. Her nutrition plans complement therapy by supporting the physiology of healing.

How Therapy and Functional Nutrition Work Together

When Resolutions Counseling Center and Whole Essentials Nutrition support a client jointly, we often see improvements in:

• Emotional regulation

• Appetite and food relationships

• Sensory-based eating challenges

• Morning nausea and anxiety-related stomach pain

• ADHD-related food patterns

• Sleep quality and daytime focus

• Overall stress resilience

It becomes easier for clients to stay regulated, participate in therapy, and develop healthier coping strategies.

When to Consider a Nutrition Referral

You might benefit from adding gut-focused nutrition support if you or your child experiences:

• Chronic constipation or stomachaches

• Anxiety-related digestive symptoms

• Extreme picky eating or sensory overwhelm around food

• Emotional eating or binge-restrict cycles

• Fatigue, brain fog, or blood sugar swings

• Appetite loss during stress

• IBS or reflux that doesn’t improve with standard care

• Trauma histories with persistent physical symptoms

Therapy + nervous system work + nutrition can significantly reduce symptom burden and improve day-to-day functioning.

A Shared Commitment to Whole-Person Healing

Practitioners at both Resolutions Counseling Center and Whole Essentials Nutrition believe healing is multidimensional. Trauma recovery is more successful when the body is supported, the gut is nourished, and the nervous system feels safe.

If you’re experiencing both emotional and digestive symptoms, you don’t have to address them alone—or separately.  There is a path forward that integrates both.

To explore whether this collaborative approach is right for you:

• Visit Resolutions Counseling Center for trauma-informed therapy

• Learn more about Whole Essentials Nutrition for gut and nutrition support

Together, we’re here to help you feel grounded, safe, and empowered in your body again.