Ep. 4// How to Heal Your Gut From PTSD with Nikki Kenward CST-D

PTSD and Your Gut: The Link You’ve Been Missing

If food fixes worked, you’d be done by now.
But your gut still screams.

Here’s the truth: PTSD changes your gut.
Not just your mood. Not just your sleep. Your gut.

I see this every week as a functional medicine practitioner and craniosacral therapist. Clients come in with “mystery” bloating, pain, constipation, diarrhea, reflux, or nausea. They also carry trauma. Sometimes known. Sometimes buried.

When we connect PTSD and gut health, things finally click.
Symptoms make sense. Healing moves.

This blog gives you the map. We’ll dismantle myths, name the biology, and build a plan that actually works. If you carry post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD, you can heal your gut. You can create real gut transformation without living on restriction and fear.

Let’s go.

Trauma Isn’t “In Your Head.” It’s In Your Belly.

Your gut has its own brain. Literally.
It’s called the enteric nervous system.

This nerve network lines your entire digestive tract. It fires faster than your thoughts. It tracks safety, threat, and connection. It moves food. It makes neurotransmitters. It talks to your immune system. It talks to your hormones. It talks to your brain.

This is the gut brain connection in action.
It explains the gut response to trauma.

When trauma hits, your body prioritizes survival. Blood leaves digestion. Stomach acid drops. Motility slows or speeds. Enzymes falter. Tight junctions loosen. Inflammation rises. You feel it as bloat, pain, urgency, or nothing moves for days.

That’s gut and stress.
That’s gut and trauma.

So no, you’re not “overreacting.” Your belly is. On purpose. Because it thinks you’re still in danger. Nervous system healing must sit at the center of any holistic gut healing plan. Diet alone won’t cut it.

Nikki’s Story: From Trauma to Teacher

On the podcast, I interviewed Nikki Kenward. She’s a mentor of mine and a brilliant guide. Nikki endured a traumatic injury. Her gut crashed. She fought for answers. She rebuilt from the ground up.

Nikki now teaches worldwide on how to heal your gut after trauma. Her work integrates movement, bodywork, and the nervous system. She is deeply creative and wildly practical. She understands the trauma and gut connection because she lived it.

Her message aligns with everything I see in clinic:

Your gut logs your life.
Your belly needs safety first.
When you restore safety, digestion wakes back up.

As a craniosacral therapist, I use gentle touch to help the body switch off survival. We invite the vagus nerve to soften. We restore motility and ease. We pair this with root-cause testing and smart protocols. The combo works.

PTSD and Your Gut: The Link You’ve Been Missing

Myths That Keep You Stuck

Let’s call out what stalls gut healing with trauma.

Myth 1: “I just need the perfect diet.”
Restriction brings control, not always healing. Control reduces anxiety… until it doesn’t. Trauma needs safety more than it needs rules.

Myth 2: “A stronger probiotic fixes everything.”
If your gut stays in fight-or-flight, probiotics can backfire. Gas increases. Pain spikes. Your body rejects help when it still senses threat.

Myth 3: “PTSD disorder only affects mental health.”
No. PTSD reshapes hormones, immunity, and the gut. Sleep, bowel habits, appetite, and inflammation all shift.

Myth 4: “Therapy replaces bodywork.”
Talk saves lives. Keep it. But the enteric nervous system holds implicit stories. The belly needs somatic input. Touch and breath bridge words and tissue.

Myth 5: “If labs are normal, nothing’s wrong.”
Standard labs often miss root-cause drivers. We need targeted stool testing, micronutrient panels, toxins screens, and motility clues.

Bottom line:
If your plan ignores PTSD and gut health, it ignores your biology.

What Actually Works: A Root-Cause Game Plan

You need two tracks running together: safety and science.
This is root cause gut health.

Track 1: Safety & Regulation (Somatic First Aid)

Downshift daily. Practice simple vagal drills. Humming. Long exhales. Gentle gargling. Two minutes count.
Craniosacral therapy. A skilled craniosacral therapist helps your system feel safe. Subtle, deep, powerful.
Boundaries for the win. Reduce inputs that spike hypervigilance. News, noise, notifications, and doom scrolling.
Sleep is treatment. Set a wind-down ritual. Aim for consistent bed and wake times. Darkness matters.
Move like an animal. Slow walks. Ground contact. Gentle mobility. Let your ribs and pelvis glide.
Food rhythm over food rules. Eat on a schedule. Warm, easy-to-digest meals. Stop when satisfied.

Track 2: Testing & Targeted Care (Smart Science)

Stool analysis. Find pathogens, inflammation, enzymes, and microbiome trends.
Motility and acid clues. Low acid and slow motility drive symptoms after trauma. Correct them.
Micronutrients. Trauma burns through minerals and B vitamins. Replete strategically.
Toxins and mold. These can amplify hypervigilance and gut permeability. Assess if flags exist.
Gentle antimicrobial strategy. If needed, go low and slow. Protect the gut lining.
Rebuild the terrain. Digestive enzymes. Bitter herbs. Targeted fibers when the gut says “ready.”

This is gut focused therapy with trauma recovery gut health in mind. Not too much, not too fast. We stack safety with precision. That order matters.

The Science, Simplified

Here’s the quick tour of why trauma disrupts digestion.

1) The Autonomic See-Saw
Fight-or-flight dominates after trauma. Parasympathetic tone drops. Digestion depends on parasympathetic tone. No “rest-and-digest,” no digestion.

2) The Vagus Nerve
Your vagus is the hotline between brain and belly. It senses safety through breath, voice, face, and touch. It modulates stomach acid, enzymes, bile, and motility. Trauma blunts vagal tone. Symptoms spike.

3) The Enteric Nervous System
This is your gut’s local command center. It controls peristalsis and secretions. It learns from your history. It anticipates threat. That’s why the gut response to trauma feels immediate and total.

4) The Immune Switch
Stress chemistry opens tight junctions. Endotoxins escape. Inflammation rises. Food reactions multiply. You blame foods. The body blames danger.

5) The Hormone Ripple
Cortisol changes motility and appetite. Thyroid function shifts. Sex hormones wobble. Bile flow slows. Constipation increases. Skin flares. Brain fog rolls in.

See it now? PTSD and gut health are inseparable. This is the trauma and gut connection in plain view.

Daily Practices That Move the Needle

Small, repeatable actions build capacity. Keep it simple. Keep it steady.

Morning (5–10 minutes)

Sit upright. One hand on heart. One on belly.
Inhale through the nose for four.
Exhale through pursed lips for six.
Hum on the exhale. Feel chest vibration.
Sip warm lemon water. Add pinch of mineral salt.

Midday (3 minutes)

Stand. Shake out limbs.
Roll shoulders. Yawn on purpose.
Take three long sighs. Yes, out loud.
Eat a warm protein-rich lunch. Sit while eating.

Evening (10–20 minutes)

Light stretch on the floor.
Legs up the couch.
Read on paper. No blue light.
Gratitude list: three true things.

Weekly

Book craniosacral therapy.
Prep simple soups and stews.
Walk in nature. Touch a tree. Shoes off if safe.

When upset

Name five things you see.
Name five you can touch.
Hum for sixty seconds.
Drink water. Then decide.

These practices sound basic. They aren’t. They tune your enteric nervous system toward safety. They support emotional healing gut pathways. They make every supplement work better.

Food: Still Important. Just Not Everything.

Let’s reframe nutrition for trauma-impacted guts.

Start with texture.
Soups, stews, and soft cooked veggies digest easier than raw salads.

Honor stomach acid.
Bitters before meals help. Slow down. Chew more. Avoid chugging water with food.

Choose proteins you tolerate.
Eggs, poultry, fish, or plant combos. Keep it steady. Watch portion sizes.

Layer fibers slowly.
Start low. Increase as motility improves. Aim for comfort, not rules.

Watch stimulants.
Caffeine and alcohol can spike symptoms. Test your personal threshold.

Respect timing.
Regular meal times regulate safety signals. Grazing all day keeps the gut guessing.

This isn’t restriction. This is regulation. Food helps when your system can receive it. Safety first. Always.

How Craniosacral Therapy Fits In

People ask, “What does craniosacral therapy do for the gut?”
Great question.

CST uses light touch to listen to the body’s rhythms. We invite release without force. The diaphragm softens. The mesentery unwinds. The stomach lifts. The small bowel glides. The colon de-twists. The vagus nerve breathes again.

Clients often report:

Gurgling returns.
Warmth in the belly.
Easier swallowing.
Less reflux.
Regular, effortless bowel movements.

That’s nervous system healing you can feel.
It’s gut focused therapy at the level of fascia and nerves.
It pairs beautifully with lab-guided protocols.

If you’re new to CST, look for a trained craniosacral therapist with clinical experience in digestion and trauma. Many pair CST with visceral manipulation, lymph support, and breathwork. The combo accelerates gut healing.

When to Get Help and What to Expect

If trauma sits in your story and your gut won’t calm down, get a team.

Who to consider:

A functional medicine practitioner who understands trauma physiology.
A craniosacral therapist comfortable with the gut.
A therapist trained in somatic or EMDR work.
A trauma-aware dietitian if you need food mentoring.

What your plan may include:

Safety practices and breath work.
Targeted labs and supplements.
Gentle antimicrobial or antifungal support.
Gut lining repair with herbs and amino acids.
Motility support.
Microbiome rebuild.
Graded exposure to foods as capacity grows.

What you should NOT expect:

Perfection tomorrow.
A straight line up.
One magic product.

Healing flows like a spiral. You return to familiar places with more capacity. That counts. That’s real gut transformation.

The FAQ I Answer Most

“I’ve had trauma. Do I have to talk about it?”
Only if you want to. Your body already speaks. We can follow the cues.

“I tried breathwork. It didn’t work.”
Try less, not more. Short, frequent reps build tone. Doses matter.

“How long until my gut changes?”
Many feel relief within weeks when we pair safety and science. Timelines vary.

“Do I need to cut out gluten, dairy, and sugar forever?”
Maybe not. We start from tolerance, not dogma. We add variety as resilience grows.

“Is this all in my head?”
No. It’s in your nerves, fascia, hormones, and immune system. That’s biology.

“Can I really heal from post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD?”
Yes. The body learns safety. The gut responds. Step by step.

Your 14-Day Nervous System + Gut Reset

Ready for a simple sprint? Let’s stack small wins.

Daily (non-negotiables):

Two minutes of humming + long exhale, twice a day.
Warm, protein-forward breakfast within an hour of waking.
Ten-minute outside walk, eyes on the horizon.
Phone on Do Not Disturb for the first hour and last hour of your day.
One craniosacral therapy session each week, if accessible. If not, use guided self-CST holds.

Nutrition focus:

Soup or stew once per day.
Bitters before two meals.
Hydrate between meals.
Reduce caffeine by 25%.
Add magnesium at night if appropriate.

Gut supports to discuss with your clinician:

Digestive enzymes with meals.
Zinc carnosine or DGL for lining support.
A gentle prokinetic if motility drags.
A low-dose, well-tolerated probiotic once your belly feels safer.

Track bowel habits, bloat, energy, and mood. Watch for small shifts. That’s your green light.

The Big Reframe

You didn’t fail diets. Diets failed you.
They skipped the nervous system.
They ignored PTSD and gut health.

Your gut wants safety, rhythm, and respect.
Your protocol should reflect that.

This is your permission slip:
Heal slower to heal faster.
Regulate first. Then rebuild.
Choose holistic gut healing over hustle.

Ready to Heal Without the Guesswork?

You can do this alone. But you don’t have to.

If you want a clear path and a coach in your corner, join my program, the Better Belly Blueprint. We combine trauma-aware nervous system practices with root cause gut health testing and targeted protocols. It’s the shortest path I know from “stuck” to “strong.”

Prefer VIP, one-on-one care? Our team guides you step by step. We integrate gut focused therapy, craniosacral therapy, and smart science so you stop spinning and start living.

Your move:

Want a guided plan? Start with the Blueprint.
Want personal support? Apply for VIP.
Not sure? Send me your top three symptoms, plus your biggest trauma-related trigger. I’ll point you to the best next step.

No more wasted years. No more fear-based diets.
This is how to heal your gut after trauma—clearly, gently, and effectively.

You are not broken.
Your gut is protecting you.
Let’s teach it how to feel safe again—and finally digest life.

Other episodes mentioned in this episode:
- Ep. 5 (next episode!)
Connect with Nikki Kenward, CST-D:
- Facebook: @nikkikenwardtherapy
- Instagram: @theemotionalgut
- Youtube: @colontocosmos
- Website: www.nikkikenward.com
- UK/Europe link to buy Nikki’s book, tummy journal, or poster: www.nikkikenward.store
- USA link to buy Nikki’s book
- USA link to buy Nikki’s tummy journal
- USA link to buy Nikki’s poster
Other links from the show:
- Schedule Your Qualifying Call with Allison
Connect with us on social media!
- Facebook: @betterbellytherapies
- Instagram: @betterbellytherapies
- Website: betterbellytherapies.com
Or email us at hello@betterbellytherapies.com
*This episode was first published at BetterBellyTherapies.com/podcast/04.