Many of us can recall a time when a single nerve-wracking or distressing situation has triggered an unexpected and urgent GI symptom. People suffering with chronic GI ailments live in a reality where these mental and physical triggers are multiplied, amplified and constant.
Even more notably, people living with ongoing GI symptoms may actually be more susceptible to the effects of stress than the general population. Often referred to as “high gut responders,” individuals with GI symptoms related to a history of trauma and chronic stress become hypervigilant and hypersensitive to the 24/7 communication between the brain and gut.