Writing for Psychology Today, Dr. William Haseltine points to one of the most important studies in awhile re: social anxiety disorder (SAD).
That research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that individuals afflicted with SAD have their own distinct gut microbacteria compared to individuals without the condition.
This microbiome increased sensitivity to fear and decreased stress resilience and immune function.
In other words, gut bacteria caused this group of people to be more likely to be afraid under certain circumstances, and that fear was more likely to be the kind that can mentally and physically cripple you.
That’s a huge finding.
And to further establish the link, researchers transplanted SAD-associated microbacteria from humans into one group of mice, and non-SAD-associated microbacteria from another group of humans into a different group of mice.
Guess what happened?
The mice who got the SAD-associated microbacteria…. started exhibiting all the symptoms of SAD. The others didn’t.
Which clearly proves that these mice with SAD just weren’t trusting God enough for provision and for physical healing.
Before moving on with the study…
This is why it’s so important for the church to be aware of studies like this. How many people with SAD are told that their fearfulness in certain situations is from defective faith?
“Strengthen yourself, my brother!”
That’s nice to hear (actually, it’s not), but a Christian with SAD should maybe answer, “Thanks! I will strengthen myself! In that case, can I borrow some of your fecal material w/your more diverse gut bacteria?”
Because the truth is that Alpha Strong Encourager Christian just probably has a healthier, more diverse microbiome. (When you find Christ, you don’t find a new microbiome, too).
But, back to the study — armed with this knowledge, researchers can start to look into ways to target this particular gut bacteria to hopefully better treat symptoms of SAD.
And those symptoms can be absolutely debilitating for work, friendships, relationships, every aspect of life.
So with that in mind, if you think you might have SAD…
For readers from the United States….
Find a psychiatrist here.
Find a therapist here.
For readers, internationally, please seek help from a local resource!
[Painting: Baie de Marseille, vue de l’Estaque, Cezanne. I should have posted a picture of gut bacteria, but the truth is that with my chronic stomach condition, I can’t stomach the idea of hunting for a picture of the bacteria that live in our gut, or even just a generic stock photo of the intestinal system. So you get one of my favorite Cezanne’s]
