The Invisible Burden: What MS Really Is—and Why Women Need a New Narrative”

Psychotherapy
Written By Shalini Cameron

An Exploration of MS, Trauma, and the Nervous System

Why Are So Many Women Diagnosed with MS?

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neurological condition that affects over 2.8 million people globally—and nearly three times as many women as men.

ultiple Sclerosis (MS) is often described as a disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks the protective coating of nerves—called myelin—in the brain and spinal cord. This causes scarring (sclerosis) and disrupts the communication between your brain and the rest of your body. But what’s rarely asked is: Why does the body turn against itself in the first place?

MS affects over 2.8 million people worldwide. Nearly 80% of diagnoses are women, and yet we’re rarely offered a full picture of why. As a somatic psychotherapist, I believe the missing piece lies in understanding the chronic stress, emotional suppression, and early trauma that shape the nervous system long before symptoms begin.

What Is Myelin—and Why Does It Matter?

Myelin is like insulation around a wire. It allows electrical signals to move efficiently throughout your brain and body.

When myelin is damaged, signals slow, misfire, or get lost. That’s why MS can cause:

  • Muscle weakness or tremors

  • Vision problems

  • Fatigue

  • Brain fog

  • Sensory disruptions

But what’s rarely discussed is this: myelin is made mostly of fat. And it’s deeply vulnerable to chronic inflammation, high cortisol, and nutrient depletion—all consequences of unresolved stress.

The Invisible Burden: What MS Really Is—and Why Women Need a New Narrative

A Somatic Psychotherapist's Exploration of MS, Trauma, and the Nervous System

What Is Multiple Sclerosis, Really?

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is often described as a disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks the protective coating of nerves—called myelin—in the brain and spinal cord. This causes scarring (sclerosis) and disrupts the communication between your brain and the rest of your body. But what’s rarely asked is: Why does the body turn against itself in the first place?

MS affects over 2.8 million people worldwide. Nearly 80% of diagnoses are women, and yet we’re rarely offered a full picture of why. As a somatic psychotherapist, I believe the missing piece lies in understanding the chronic stress, emotional suppression, and early trauma that shape the nervous system long before symptoms begin.

Beyond Biology: MS as a Nervous System Story

MS doesn’t begin with lesions—it often begins in childhood. Early emotional experiences—especially those involving high stress, emotional neglect, or relational trauma—leave a deep imprint on the nervous system. When a child learns that expressing needs is unsafe, or that being "good" means suppressing anger, they begin a lifelong pattern of internal freeze.

Over time, this emotional freeze becomes a physiological state. The body stores this survival mode. The nervous system is no longer fluid—it’s locked in patterns of vigilance, collapse, and self-denial.

Beyond Biology: MS as a Nervous System Story

MS doesn’t begin with lesions—it often begins in childhood. Early emotional experiences—especially those involving high stress, emotional neglect, or relational trauma—leave a deep imprint on the nervous system. When a child learns that expressing needs is unsafe, or that being "good" means suppressing anger, they begin a lifelong pattern of internal freeze.

Over time, this emotional freeze becomes a physiological state. The body stores this survival mode. The nervous system is no longer fluid—it’s locked in patterns of vigilance, collapse, and self-denial.

The Science We Need to Be Talking About

1. The Role of Allostatic Load

Chronic stress doesn’t just affect your mood—it wears down your entire system. Allostatic load refers to the cumulative burden of stress on the body and brain. Women with high early life stress show significantly higher levels of:

  • Cortisol dysregulation

  • Neuroinflammation

  • White matter degradation

"Women with high early life stress and persistent fawn/pleaser behaviors show higher markers of neuroinflammation and white matter changes." — Teicher et al., 2016
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2015.12.003

2. The Myelin Breakdown Link

Myelin is 70% fat and incredibly vulnerable to stress-related damage. Chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and poor lipid metabolism all impair oligodendrocytes, the cells responsible for making myelin.

Studies show that high levels of cortisol, combined with freeze states in the nervous system, reduce myelin production and repair.

"High cholesterol level is essential for myelin membrane growth." — Saher et al., 2005
https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1426

3. Developmental Stress Model & Autoimmunity

A 2024 paper proposed a new framework for understanding MS:

"The Developmental Model of Stress integrates early emotional environments, relational beliefs, and chronic coping strategies to explain immune dysfunction in MS." — Fauver, Clark & Schwartz, 2024
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnint.2024.1365672

It’s not about blaming emotions—it’s about recognizing that the nervous system shapes the immune system, and emotional shutdown has physical consequences.

The Somatic Pathway to Healing

Real healing doesn’t just involve medication—it includes:

  • Restoring safety in the body so the freeze can thaw

  • Reconnecting to interoception, or felt sense

  • Using omega-3s and cholesterol to nourish the myelin sheath

  • Practicing authentic expression, even in small doses

  • Unraveling survival roles, like The Pleaser or The Strong One

  • Boundary development -to rewire these responses

This is the work we do in somatic healing. Not to replace medical care—but to reclaim our right to feel, to rest, and to repair.

Explore More:

  • Somatic Illness & Survival Blog Series

  • Free Course: The Roles That Protected Us

  • Join: The Pleaser’s Pattern – A Somatic Breakthrough for Burnout & Illness

References:

Shalini Cameron
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