Highlands in Bloom is a licensed residential treatment center in Old Agoura Hills, California supporting high-functioning adults living with autoimmune conditions alongside the mental health and nervous system challenges that so frequently accompany them. Chronic immune dysregulation, systemic inflammation, and the psychological weight of an unpredictable body do not exist separately. They reinforce each other in ways that conventional medical care rarely addresses together.
Our integrative residential program is designed for individuals whose autoimmune symptoms are entangled with anxiety, depression, trauma, burnout, or chronic stress and who are ready for the clinical depth and time that residential care provides. Every client receives an individualized treatment plan developed by our multidisciplinary clinical team, overseen by Clinical Program Director Stacy McNeal, PhD, LMFT and Medical Director and Psychiatrist Dr. Todd Hill. We are in-network with Blue Shield of California and Aetna and accept most major PPO plans. Clients come to us from across the United States.
Select a condition below to learn how Highlands in Bloom approaches the relationship between autoimmune health and mental wellness, or contact our admissions team for a complimentary, confidential clinical consultation.
Autoimmune disorders occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues, producing chronic inflammation, physical symptoms, and significant psychological burden.
Effective support often involves addressing the immune response, nervous system dysregulation, and mental health simultaneously. Conditions we support include:
Autoimmune Hepatitis
Autoimmune hepatitis is a chronic liver condition in which the immune system attacks liver tissue, requiring ongoing immunosuppressive treatment and producing fatigue, cognitive changes, and significant anxiety around disease progression and liver function. The psychological burden of managing a less commonly known autoimmune condition, often with limited peer support or public understanding, compounds the physiological challenges. Highlands in Bloom provides individualized residential support for individuals with autoimmune hepatitis navigating the intersection of chronic illness and mental health.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia sits at the intersection of immune dysregulation, nervous system sensitization, and trauma. It is a condition where the distinction between physiological and psychological is not a clinically useful one. Many individuals with fibromyalgia carry a history of chronic stress, adverse experiences, or prolonged emotional suppression that has contributed to a nervous system chronically locked in a state of activation and pain amplification. Somatic and trauma-focused clinical work addresses fibromyalgia at the level of the body and nervous system, not cognition alone, within a residential setting that provides the sustained daily contact this work requires.
Ulcerative Colitis
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel condition producing cycles of flare and remission that are profoundly affected by stress, trauma history, and nervous system dysregulation. Anxiety and depression are common comorbidities and are known to directly influence disease activity through the gut-brain axis. The unpredictability of flares, the impact on daily functioning, and the cumulative exhaustion of managing a chronic condition create psychological patterns that residential treatment is well positioned to address. Highlands in Bloom incorporates nutritional support alongside trauma-focused and nervous system clinical work for individuals managing ulcerative colitis.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic systemic inflammatory condition that affects joints, connective tissue, and the broader immune environment of the body. Depression and anxiety occur at significantly higher rates in individuals with RA than in the general population, not solely as a reaction to physical pain, but as a direct consequence of the same pro-inflammatory cytokines that drive joint destruction. Fatigue, sleep disruption, and cognitive fog are common features of RA that compound psychological distress and are rarely addressed within a rheumatology framework alone. Highlands in Bloom supports individuals with RA by addressing the nervous system dysregulation, emotional suppression, and trauma patterns that frequently accompany and worsen chronic inflammatory conditions.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Lupus is a complex autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks multiple organ systems simultaneously, producing unpredictable flares, chronic fatigue, pain, cognitive impairment, and profound psychological burden. Anxiety and depression are among the most common comorbidities in lupus and are mechanistically connected to the neuroinflammatory and hormonal dysregulation the disease produces. Many individuals living with lupus have also experienced years of diagnostic uncertainty, medical dismissal, and the cumulative trauma of managing an invisible and fluctuating illness. Residential treatment at Highlands in Bloom provides the clinical depth to address both the psychological and physiological dimensions of living with lupus.
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system destroys insulin-producing beta cells, requiring lifelong insulin management and continuous metabolic vigilance. The psychological burden of managing a condition that demands constant attention, carries serious consequences for lapses in care, and produces physiological symptoms that directly affect mood and cognition is substantial and frequently underaddressed. Depression and diabetes distress are significantly more prevalent in individuals with Type 1 diabetes than in the general population. Highlands in Bloom supports individuals managing Type 1 diabetes alongside anxiety, depression, burnout, or disordered relationships with food and the body.
Multiple Sclerosis
MS is a neurological autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks the myelin sheath protecting nerve fibers, producing fatigue, cognitive changes, emotional lability, and depression as features of the disease process itself and not secondary concerns. The unpredictability of MS, the fear of progression, and the loss of function over time create a psychological burden that requires dedicated clinical attention. Residential treatment provides the clinical intensity, nervous system regulation work, and trauma-informed psychological support that outpatient care often cannot sustain across the full complexity of an MS presentation.
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is the most common cause of hypothyroidism and produces effects on mood, energy, cognition, anxiety, and emotional regulation that are frequently misattributed to depression or anxiety disorders when the thyroid is the underlying driver. Many individuals with Hashimoto’s spend years being treated for psychiatric symptoms without the thyroid autoimmune component being meaningfully addressed. Our residential program works with individuals carrying both the physiological burden of Hashimoto’s and the unresolved anxiety, burnout, or depression that has accumulated alongside it.
Graves' Disease
Graves’ disease is an autoimmune hyperthyroid condition that can produce anxiety, emotional instability, irritability, sleep disruption, and cognitive dysregulation as direct physiological features of excess thyroid hormone activity. The psychiatric presentation of Graves’ disease is frequently treated in isolation from the immune dysregulation driving it. Highlands in Bloom supports individuals navigating the psychological complexity of Graves’ disease within an integrative residential framework that treats the whole person rather than the symptom in isolation.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis involve chronic gut inflammation with well-established bidirectional connections to the brain via the gut-brain axis. Anxiety, depression, and trauma history are common in IBD populations and are known to influence both symptom severity and flare frequency. The unpredictability of IBD, the impact on daily functioning and social life, and the cumulative stress of managing a chronic condition create psychological patterns that residential treatment is well positioned to address. Highlands in Bloom incorporates nutritional support alongside trauma-focused and nervous system clinical work for individuals managing IBD.
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition with significant systemic immune involvement and well-documented associations with depression, anxiety, and social withdrawal. The visible nature of psoriasis, the unpredictability of flares, and the cumulative impact on self-image and relationships produce psychological burden that dermatological treatment alone does not address. Chronic psychological stress is a well-established trigger for psoriasis flares, creating a cycle in which the disease worsens stress and stress worsens the disease. Highlands in Bloom supports individuals with psoriasis by addressing the nervous system dysregulation and psychological patterns that sustain this cycle.
Vitiligo
Vitiligo is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks melanin-producing cells, resulting in patchy depigmentation of the skin. While vitiligo does not produce internal organ involvement, its psychological impact is significant and frequently underestimated. Depression, anxiety, and social withdrawal are common among individuals with vitiligo, particularly when onset occurs during adolescence or affects visible areas of the body. The chronic, visible, and unpredictable nature of vitiligo creates psychological patterns including identity disruption, hypervigilance about appearance, and social avoidance that residential treatment is well positioned to address.
Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition triggered by gluten that damages the small intestine and produces systemic inflammation with documented effects on mood, cognition, anxiety, and neurological function. Many individuals with celiac disease experience depression and anxiety that improve with dietary adherence but persist in ways that require dedicated psychological support. The social restriction, vigilance, and identity disruption that accompany managing celiac disease over a lifetime also create psychological patterns that benefit from clinical attention in a residential setting.
Why Autoimmune Disorders Are Part of Our Treatment Approach
At Highlands in Bloom, we recognize that mental health and physical health are deeply interconnected. Chronic stress and unresolved trauma can significantly impact the nervous system, inflammatory response, hormonal regulation, immune system functioning, and overall wellbeing. Many individuals living with autoimmune-related symptoms have spent years attempting to manage physical symptoms without fully addressing the chronic stress patterns and nervous system dysregulation occurring underneath the surface.
Our trauma-focused residential treatment program is designed to help individuals better regulate stress, stabilize emotionally, improve daily functioning, and develop sustainable coping strategies that support overall health and wellbeing alongside ongoing medical care.
Our Clinical Approach to Autoimmune-Related Symptoms
Treatment at Highlands in Bloom focuses on supporting the emotional and behavioral patterns often associated with chronic stress and autoimmune-related conditions through:
- Trauma-focused therapy
- Individual and group therapy
- Nervous system regulation
- Somatic movement
- Whole-food, vegetable-forward nutrition
- Structured daily routines
- Lifestyle stabilization and stress reduction
Our program is clinically driven and led by a doctorate-level Clinical Director with a strong emphasis on trauma processing, nervous system regulation, and individualized treatment planning.
FAQs
What is the connection between autoimmune disorders and mental health?
Autoimmune conditions and mental health disorders share underlying biological mechanisms, particularly chronic inflammation, HPA axis dysregulation, and nervous system sensitization. Inflammatory cytokines produced during immune activity can directly affect mood, cognition, sleep, and emotional regulation. Many individuals with autoimmune conditions experience depression, anxiety, or cognitive difficulties as part of the disease process itself, not solely as a psychological response to chronic illness.
Can residential treatment help someone with an autoimmune condition?
Yes. Residential treatment can be particularly valuable for individuals whose autoimmune condition is entangled with anxiety, depression, trauma, burnout, or chronic stress, especially when outpatient care has not produced lasting improvement. The residential setting provides clinical intensity, nervous system regulation, and trauma-focused work that is difficult to replicate in weekly outpatient appointments. Highlands in Bloom is not a medical facility for treating autoimmune disease directly, but supports the psychological and physiological patterns that coexist with and often worsen autoimmune presentations.
Does chronic stress make autoimmune conditions worse?
Yes. Chronic psychological stress activates the HPA axis and sustains elevated cortisol and inflammatory signaling, which can directly trigger or worsen autoimmune flares in conditions including lupus, RA, IBD, MS, and psoriasis. Addressing the underlying stress response, nervous system dysregulation, and unresolved trauma is therefore clinically relevant to autoimmune health and not a separate concern.
Is there a connection between trauma and autoimmune disease?
Yes. A growing body of research links adverse childhood experiences and chronic trauma exposure to significantly elevated risk for autoimmune conditions in adulthood. The mechanisms involve sustained dysregulation of the immune system, the HPA stress axis, and inflammatory pathways. Many individuals with autoimmune conditions who also carry unresolved trauma find that addressing the trauma component produces meaningful changes in both psychological wellbeing and physical symptom patterns.
What therapies are used to support individuals with autoimmune conditions at Highlands in Bloom?
Treatment plans for individuals with autoimmune conditions typically incorporate somatic therapies, EMDR, trauma-focused CBT and DBT, nervous system regulation work, mindfulness-based interventions, nutritional support, and group therapy. Treatment is fully individualized based on each client’s clinical history, autoimmune diagnosis, psychological presentation, and treatment goals.
Do you work with high-functioning professionals managing autoimmune conditions?
Yes. Many of our clients are high-functioning professionals, executives, caregivers, and working adults who have continued managing careers and responsibilities while living with autoimmune conditions alongside anxiety, depression, burnout, or unresolved trauma. Our structured residential program provides the protected time and clinical depth to address what outpatient care has not been able to reach.
How does nutrition factor into autoimmune treatment at Highlands in Bloom?
Nutrition is an integrated component of residential programming at Highlands in Bloom. Anti-inflammatory nutritional support, gut health, and the relationship between diet and immune regulation are addressed as part of a whole-person treatment framework, particularly relevant for clients managing conditions such as IBD, celiac disease, Hashimoto’s, and lupus.
What makes Highlands in Bloom different in how it approaches autoimmune conditions?
Highlands in Bloom is a licensed residential treatment center in California that approaches autoimmune conditions through the lens of the mind-body connection, recognizing that chronic immune dysregulation, trauma history, nervous system sensitization, and psychological health are inseparable. Rather than treating mental health symptoms as secondary to a medical diagnosis, our program addresses the full clinical picture within an individualized residential treatment plan overseen by our multidisciplinary clinical team