Confused by Genetics? Here’s the Bigger Picture
I read an article today that aligned with my belief,
that many of the labels and diagnoses we give mental health disorders, behaviours, even traits we call “conditions” are often just symptoms. Symptoms of underlying inflammation, stress responses, or environmental triggers.
Yet, we treat them as if they are fixed, permanent, and unchangeable.
We tend to view mental and emotional health like something immovable, something that needs medication to function at all. But when a bone is broken, we trust the body’s innate ability to heal. We support it with care, protection, and rehabilitation, knowing that long after the bone has mended, it still needs attention to prevent further injury.
Why then do we expect the mind and nervous system to behave differently?
In science, there’s a term called pleiotropy, which describes when a single gene influences multiple, seemingly unrelated traits. This reminds us that susceptibility is not destiny.
We all carry predispositions but how these traits manifest depends heavily on our inner environment, our experiences, and even what has been passed down through generations.
I think back to our own journey 18 years ago, when people would ask, “Who did Seth get his ASD from?” as if there were someone to blame. It’s true he may have inherited a predisposition, but this does not define the entirety of who he is. Science now tells us about neuroplasticity and epigenetics, the idea that gene expression is not fixed. The same genetic blueprint can be expressed differently depending on environment, support, and experience.
A useful analogy is the cookbook:
DNA = the cookbook with every recipe imaginable.
Fixed mindset = believing you must follow every recipe exactly as written, with no flexibility.
Epigenetics = choosing which recipes to cook, swapping ingredients, and deciding which meals you make regularly. The same cookbook can create entirely different outcomes depending on choices and conditions.
So why, in this day and age, are we still creating identities around fixed labels telling people that having a particular disorder is a life sentence, or that medication is the only way?
The body is a system, a network of pathways and communication. It is adaptable, not predetermined.
Too often, psychiatry treats conditions as immutable: “You have X, Y, Z disorder—end of story.” The focus becomes suppressing symptoms rather than supporting the system. But gene expression is dynamic. Excitatory neurons, their connectivity and plasticity, can be influenced. Trauma processing, nutrition, lifestyle, and supportive therapies all have the potential to positively shape gene expression and neural pathways.
A study published earlier this year, Eight Psychiatric Disorders Share the Same Genetic Causes, highlights how gene regulation controls protein production tiny machines in the body responsible for countless functions. Essentially,
if we support the body, inflammatory responses can decrease, pathways can restore, and systems can strengthen.
Being predisposed to mental health or neurodivergent traits does not mean a person is broken or needs to be fixed just as someone with a susceptibility to hayfever is not defined by it. Behaviours or symptoms may be exacerbated if the underlying system isn’t supported, but these traits are not the sum of the person.
Focusing therapies solely on symptoms risks reducing a person to a label, rather than addressing their whole body, mind, and lived experience.
When advocacy and identity become tied exclusively to a label, be it autism, OCD, or bipolar we risk neglecting holistic support and perpetuating cycles, instead of empowering the person as a complete, dynamic human being.
Generational experiences ie trauma, grief, poverty, adversity can leave their mark on our bodies and nervous systems, creating susceptibilities that ripple through families. But rather than getting caught up in assigning blame or seeking a single cause, we need to step back and see the bigger picture. Just as a single misguided intervention, like one pill cannot explain complex outcomes like autism, searching for “the cause” often misses the point.
What truly matters is being present, supporting the system, tending to the inner terrain, and above all,
nurturing and loving each person for exactly who they are.
So how can we holistically support the inner terrain?
Nutrients & minerals optimiae neurotransmission and support brain function
Somatic / trauma processing recalibrate the stress response and restore nervous system balance
Frequency / energetic therapies reinforce proper neuronal signaling and communication
Belief & mindset work reduce stress induced epigenetic suppression, creating space for resilience, adaptation, and even partial reversal of maladaptive patterns, especially when done early and consistently
When we focus on presence, care, and connection, paired with these holistic supports, we create a foundation for resilience, growth, and well-being that transcends labels and generations.
Ultimately, the takeaway is simple but profound: rather than searching endlessly for causes or trying to “fix” someone, we can step back, witness, and support. By tending to the inner terrain, nurturing the mind and body, and embracing each person exactly as they are, we honour their full humanity.
The labels, the symptoms they are not the whole story.
And when we do this, we not only support the individual but also plant seeds for a healthier, more resilient next generation.
If you found this blog helpful, explore “Breaking Free from Limiting Beliefs as a Parent of a Child with Autism” to learn holistic tools to support your loved one here, or watch our 4-part Sensory Kids Whole-Body Approach series for practical, informative strategies to nurture and support the whole child.
