You Are Safe

Feb 7, 2026

In 2025, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Shimon Sakaguchi, Mary E. Brunkow, and Fred Ramsdell for their work on immune tolerance.

Their research showed that the immune system relies on precise regulation to know when to respond and when not to. When this regulation is working well, the immune system can distinguish between threat and the body’s own tissues. When regulation is disturbed, the immune system loses that discernment and begins to attack the body itself.

Chronic stress and unhealed trauma signal “I am in danger,” which disrupts this regulation. What we experience as autoimmune disease can be understood as the biological consequence of long term dysregulation rooted in not feeling safe.

A Story

I’m now in India for my yearly Panchakarma treatment, before our Rishikesh retreat. On the second day I received shirodhara, oil dripping on the forehead. The busy mind slowed down pretty much immediately, and my blood sugar stabilised. Yesterday I had Hrid Basti, it is a treatment where the therapist dripped hot medicated oil over the centre of my chest. The moment the warm oil began to drip, I felt emotional, and an immediate response in my throat. A release. With it came the experience of being bathed as a child. I’m telling you, this tradition was onto something 5,000 years ago.The body mind connection is fascinating.

Let’s Practice Safety.

The thymus gland, which plays a role in immune regulation, sits behind the upper chest.

Lie down or sit comfortably.
Place your hand just above the centre of your chest.
Begin tapping very gently, slowly, rhythmically, like a heartbeat.

As you tap, say softly to yourself:
I am safe now.
I am safe.

Stay for five to ten slow breaths, or a few minutes. You may notice the breath deepen, the body soften, the system drop out of alertness. When the nervous system comes down, immunity is supported.

Safety is the opposite of trauma. Safety is a biological requirement.