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117. How your GI Issues are Created by your Nervous System
Heal with Grace
If you've been diagnosed with IBS, chronic constipation, cyclic vomiting, or another functional GI issue and your doctor can't find anything structurally wrong — that's actually good news.
In this episode, Grace sits down with Dr. Jennifer Franklin, one of the first gastropsychologists in the US, to break down the gut-brain connection in a way that's simple, clear, and genuinely hopeful.
They explore how the autonomic nervous system controls both stress and digestion, why lifelong patterns like people-pleasing and emotional suppression quietly fuel gut symptoms, and how your brain works around the clock to keep certain emotions out of consciousness — and what that means for your body.
Dr. Franklin shares her powerful "passenger seat" analogy for working with your body instead of against it, and explains why reducing stress is the one intervention with no downside.
If you've been told "nothing is wrong" but you're still struggling, this conversation reframes that diagnosis as a starting point for real healing — because it's a software problem, not a hardware problem.
🔗 Find Dr. Jennifer Franklin:
🌐 Website
📸 Instagram
📘 Facebook
▶️ YouTube
Resources from Grace:
- Mind-Body Healing Method Course - Regulate your nervous system now
- Work with us in private mind-body coaching
- Subscribe to my Substack for the deeper how-to's
- Download the FreeMe app for chronic fatigue
- FREE Nervous System Tracking Workbook
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