The Body’s Influence on the Mind : A Growing Understanding of Communication Between the Gut and Brain

Many mental health models propose that mental illness is solely about how an individual takes in information from the world, either successfully or unsuccessfully, wrestling it into submission and keeping ‘control’. By maintaining this view we inadvertently simplify both the understanding about how the body can influence the mind and what treatments are developed. We know that humans are impacted both internally and externally by various pressures on a daily basis. There is a reason in the field of mental health that we start with a (bio)-(psycho)-(social) assessment and conceptualize each person as being equally impacted by each area throughout treatment. A burgeoning theme of research into the biological aspect of mental health has led to exciting developments in the understanding of how areas such as the gut contain an entire system that communicates with the brain and subsequently affects the presence, severity, and treatment needs of mental health conditions.

The Gut-Brain Axis

At the forefront of research into the interactions between internal/external environments and our minds is growing our understanding of the gut-brain axis tied to the enteric nervous system (ENS). This ‘axis’ is the back and forth information highway via electrical signals, neurotransmitters, and other chemical movements between our gastrointestinal tract and the brain. The GI tract contains within it around 200-600 million neurons as part of the enteric nervous system (Furness et. al., 2014). Just like we have a central nervous system (CNS) which many people know for controlling reactions, movement, key aspects of survival, etc.; we also have this other nervous system specifically tied to our GI tract. If we have a headache and our CNS fires pain signals, our mood tanks and we get angry, frustrated, short-tempered, fatigued, or any number of mental reactions to that headache. In the same manner, our gut-brain axis can influence us and in potentially even more subtly yet impactful ways. 

Interactions Between The GI Tract, Brain, And Mind

Serotonin And The Gut

One of the neurotransmitters (chemicals in the brain that signal our brains/bodies to do all the things they do every day) is Serotonin. This chemical moving about our body is responsible for affecting or regulating many bodily processes including our central-nervous, breathing, sight, blood, gut, hormones, and reproductive systems. In addition to these, serotonin also has a major influence in the cascade of processes that cause or impact many mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, and even autism spectrum disorder. Given that this neurotransmitter is so important, it makes it all the more intriguing that over 90% of all the serotonin in the body is produced by the gut (Appleton, 2018). This is just one of the ways we now know that the gut-brain axis is much more of a factor in our overall wellness, mental and physical.  

Food Counts Too

Additionally, one of the many ways we impact our gut-brain axis is through the food we consume. All foods contain substances that can either positively or negatively affect processing systems such as serotonin transmission and more directly our microbiome. The microbiome is important in terms of the balance of our gut microbiota as they can affect the systems we discussed above which ultimately influence our mental health via mood. For example, consuming fermented probiotic foods were associated with lessened incidences of social anxiety and neurosis (Appleton, 2018). Such findings make it clear that considering the condition of our gastrointestinal tract and healthy environment of our microbiome can be an incredibly useful tool in the treatment of mental in addition to physical ailments. 

Utilizing New Gut Knowledge 

This knowledge opens avenues for engagement in testing of dietary/lifestyle changes as well as potentially obtaining wellness treatment via a gastroenterologist (or similar medical professional) when treating mental health conditions. Just like how mental health is optimally treated with a coordinated approach of psychotherapy and psychiatry; this emerging research introduces a new pillar of treatment supplementation for the holistic wellness of each individual. As such, when seeking mental health treatment, working with both a therapist, psychiatrist, and relevant physical medicine professional who can advise and direct health interventions for our gut can be all the more effective. 

What Are The Limitations

An important note in the midst of the potential excitement is that we obviously don’t know everything about these intricate systems and that makes this new mental health management toolset one of cautious optimism. Mental health specialists will not start engaging in nutritional medicine unless they are specifically trained, licensed, and working in a capacity where both areas of expertise are being professionally and ethically provided. Maybe down the road there will be new opportunities for specialization or dual competencies in clinical training but for now, expectations should be set that treatment trying to support mental wellness via the gut-brain axis will rely on a qualified team of professionals working together. 

The Gut-Brain Axis And Mental Health

We have all heard that the human body is complex but we are constantly learning about new connections that inform treatment for mental and physical health. By conceptualizing mental health conditions as being affected by both our psychology and physiology through looking at the foods we eat, the levels of neurotransmitters in not only our brain but also our body, and the health of our microbiome we find new ways to effectively treat individuals in a holistic way. 
At RAFT Counseling, we aim to be a positive part of your care team in addressing mental health challenges. If you or a loved one would benefit from that support simply visit our website or contact us to get connected with our team to help you on your holistic mental health journey.

Resources for Further Reading

• Appleton J. (2018). The Gut-Brain Axis: Influence of Microbiota on Mood and Mental Health. Integrative medicine (Encinitas, Calif.), 17(4), 28–32.
• Bamalan OA, Moore MJ, Al Khalili Y. Physiology, Serotonin. [Updated 2023 Jul 30]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2026 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK545168/
• Furness JB, Callaghan BP, Rivera LR, Cho HJ (2014). The enteric nervous system and gastrointestinal innervation: integrated local and central control. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2014;817:39-71. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-0897-4_3. PMID: 24997029.