When the Mind Mimics the Storm: Unveiling the Hidden Overlaps with Bipolar Disorder

What if the storm inside you isn’t bipolar disorder at all—

...but the soul’s response to years of quiet depletion, karmic bindings, nutrient absence, and coping rituals that were never meant to heal you—only hold you in place?

What if this chaos is not a diagnosis, but a doorway?

There are moments in life when the turbulence we feel is not the result of a disordered soul, but the echo of subtle imbalances—nutritional, energetic, karmic—that have gone unseen for too long. While many of these imbalances can mimic the symptoms of bipolar disorder, not all who experience them are living with bipolar. And yet, across these different roots, a common thread to healing remains. Whether the source is anemia, trauma, vaping, high-potency cannabis, or blocked chakras—we invite you to explore the overlaps with compassion, curiosity, and the quiet certainty that your body is always speaking… and it may finally be time to listen.

When we close our eyes to our body's needs, to the whispers of fatigue, to the food that no longer nourishes us, we close more than our eyes—we close the doors of our chakras. And when a chakra closes, it doesn't merely block energy. It delays love. It delays peace. It delays joy. Over time, that closing leads to impedance —the slow resistance of divine energy through the body’s system. Impedance leads to anosognosia , a spiritual and neurological blindness, and anosognosia births anhedonia —the sorrowful stillness where joy used to live.

Let us walk gently through these overlapping conditions. Not to fear them, but to understand them—and to help the soul realign with its own light.

Iron Deficiency Anemia

Iron deficiency is more than a lack of mineral—it is a lack of breath in the blood, a dimming of the inner fire. Those with anemia often experience fatigue, depression, brain fog, and mood swings. These can look and feel like the depressive phase of bipolar disorder. But the root is not necessarily psychiatric—it may be cellular, metabolic, and deeply physical.

When iron is deficient, oxygen doesn't circulate properly. This reduces the brain’s ability to regulate dopamine and serotonin—our joy and peace transmitters. The result: a closing of the solar plexus chakra (personal power) and the heart chakra (self-worth, joy). Without iron, the blood becomes sluggish. Without oxygen, the mind grows dim.

Chakras Affected: Solar Plexus, Heart
Endocrine System: Pancreas, Thymus
Neurotransmitters: Dopamine, Serotonin
What this supports: Vitality, self-esteem, cognitive clarity, joy
Top 10 Foods for Iron Deficiency: Red lentils, spinach (with lemon for absorption), beef liver, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, dark turkey meat, blackstrap molasses, tofu, sardines, and beetroot.

Vaping (Nicotine Use)

Nicotine, in its engineered delivery through vaping, disrupts not just the lungs but the sacred rhythm of the throat and crown chakras . It is a mimic of breath, a false inhalation—pulling in vapor when the spirit longs for true breath.

Chemicals in vapes like nicotine, propylene glycol, benzene , and formaldehyde interfere with dopamine, norepinephrine, and GABA. Nicotine hijacks the brain's reward pathway —initially stimulating dopamine but quickly depleting its reserves, leading to irritability, anxiety, and emotional volatility. These symptoms may mirror mania, anxiety disorders, or rapid cycling in bipolar disorder.

Chakras Affected: Throat, Crown
Endocrine System: Pituitary, Thyroid
Neurotransmitters: Dopamine, GABA, Norepinephrine
What this supports: Clear speech, truthful self-expression, mental focus
Top 10 Foods to Rebalance After Vaping: Wild blueberries, walnuts, turmeric, ginger, green tea, magnesium-rich dark chocolate, avocados, salmon, kale, and lion’s mane mushrooms.

High-Potency Marijuana Use: A Crown Misplaced

There was a time when the cannabis plant was not smoked, but sanctified. It was not engineered for escape, but infused into sacred oils—crafted with intention, blended with other botanicals like myrrh and cinnamon, to anoint the body at its highest points. This fragrant reed, known in ancient tongue as kaneh bosm , was applied to the head, chest, hands, and feet—not for intoxication, but for invocation. It opened the mind, steadied the heart, and readied the soul for communion.

That was presence , not pleasure.
That was attunement , not anesthesia.

And perhaps this is why the leaf still calls to so many today—
not for its smoke, but for its spirit.
There is an archetypal memory in the soul that recognizes something sacred in the scent, in the shape, in the feeling.
But without mindfulness, the seeker may grasp at the echo and not the source—drawn in by the leaf’s essence but ensnared by its counterfeit.
And so, awareness becomes the cup freely offered:
To see the difference is to reclaim the choice.

Modern high-potency strains, bred for extreme levels of THC, now distort what was once subtle and symphonic. The cannabis sought today often bears little resemblance to the plant once used to harmonize body and breath. In seeking healing, many unknowingly crown themselves not with light, but with static—a crown of thorns placed upon the mind, overstimulating the third eye , and severing the root.

The dopamine rush mimics transcendence, but it quickly drops into fog. Glutamate, GABA, and serotonin—the neurotransmitters of balance, clarity, and calm—become unraveled in the wake of chronic overuse. Instead of sanctifying the temple, the nervous system is scrambled , numbed, and overrun.

Chakras Affected: Root, Third Eye
Endocrine System: Adrenals, Pineal Gland
Neurotransmitters: Dopamine, GABA, Glutamate, Serotonin
What this supports: Stability, intuitive clarity, safety
Top 10 Foods for Recovery: Chia seeds, flax oil, Ashwagandha, Reishi mushrooms, turmeric, spinach, sea moss, sunflower seeds, walnuts, and dark berries

Many who turn to cannabis are truly seeking a return—to calm, to safety, to something forgotten. But the healing they long for will not come from smoke meant to shroud, but from substance meant to anoint. Not every use is misuse. But every use invites intention.

If you listen closely, your body is not asking for escape.
It’s asking to be restored.

Not numbed.
Remembered.

Gut-Brain Axis Dysfunction

Your gut is your second brain. And when the microbiome is out of balance, the entire symphony of neurotransmission begins to falter. Dysbiosis closes the sacral chakra , stalling joy, passion, and creativity.

The gut produces over 90% of the body's serotonin. Imbalances in gut flora increase inflammation and cortisol levels, which disrupt the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and can lead to depressive or anxious symptoms mistaken for bipolar disorder.

Chakras Affected: Sacral, Solar Plexus
Endocrine System: Adrenals, Pancreas
Neurotransmitters: Serotonin, Dopamine, GABA
What this supports: Emotional resilience, digestion, inner creativity
Top 10 Foods for Gut Healing: Kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha, garlic, leeks, Jerusalem artichokes, fermented miso, psyllium husk, and bone broth.

When we neglect our gut, we’re often neglecting how we process the world—literally and emotionally. We must restore the soil of the inner garden to restore the soul.

Vitamin & Nutrient Deficiency

Vitamins are lightcodes made flesh. Without them, the body forgets how to communicate with itself. B-vitamin deficiencies, vitamin D deficiency, and omega-3 imbalances can all mimic or worsen mood symptoms that overlap with bipolar disorder.

Deficiencies in B6, B9 (folate), B12 , and vitamin D disrupt serotonin synthesis, while low zinc and magnesium contribute to anxiety and mood instability. The crown chakra begins to dim, along with the heart , when the body feels undernourished and unprotected.

Chakras Affected: Crown, Heart
Endocrine System: Pineal, Thymus
Neurotransmitters: Serotonin, Dopamine, Norepinephrine
What this supports: Brain resilience, mood regulation, immune alignment
Top 10 Foods to Replenish: Pasture-raised eggs, salmon, nutritional yeast, pumpkin seeds, cod liver oil, shiitake mushrooms, spinach, almonds, sardines, and sunlight itself.

When we starve the body, we inadvertently starve the soul. And the soul—desperate to speak—begins to echo through symptoms.

Trauma, Guilt, Shame & Lifestyle

These aren’t just emotional scars. They are energetic blockades. Childhood trauma, unprocessed guilt, and chronic shame close the heart chakra , disrupting love, trust, and peace.

Unresolved trauma chronically activates the amygdala and reduces hippocampal function—causing heightened fear response, emotional reactivity, and memory distortions. These patterns can look like bipolar dysregulation but are rooted in spiritual wounding.

Chakras Affected: Heart, Root
Endocrine System: Thymus, Adrenals
Neurotransmitters: Cortisol, Serotonin, Oxytocin
What this supports: Trust, safety, forgiveness, self-love
Top 10 Supportive Foods: Beets, cacao, raspberries, basil, chamomile, hemp seeds, oats, lemon balm tea, rosehip, and aloe vera.

Every trauma we avoid becomes a seed. But healing allows us to choose what grows from that seed: fear or compassion.

Anxiety, Avoidance, and Personality Overlap

Avoidant personality traits and chronic anxiety often arise from environments where one's authentic self was not welcome. This can mimic the lows and volatility of bipolar disorder—but the root is often energetic abandonment.

This chronic vigilance shuts down the solar plexus and throat chakras , silencing truth and weakening boundaries. Over time, avoidance becomes a strategy for survival that traps the spirit in stasis.

Chakras Affected: Throat, Solar Plexus
Endocrine System: Thyroid, Pancreas
Neurotransmitters: Norepinephrine, GABA, Serotonin
What this supports: Confidence, expression, boundary setting-keeping the heart chakra open, in balance with truth, and healthy enables one to trust in their intuition and properly cut toxic karmic cycles-detach-and embrace renewal.
Top 10 Foods to Ground & Strengthen: Brazil nuts, brown rice, chamomile, celery, carrots, ginger tea, blueberries, eggs, sage, and sunflower seeds.

When anxiety silences our truth, our body tightens in defense. But the soul doesn’t want to hide—it wants to be known.

Closing: The Path Forward

Healing is not linear. It is not one-size-fits-all. But it is possible.

You do not need to be perfectly diagnosed to begin the process of coming home to your body, your breath, your spirit. Whether the roots of your suffering are clinical or karmic, chemical or emotional—there are ways to soften the storm and listen more deeply to what it’s trying to teach you.

Begin where you are. With what you eat. With what you think. With how you rest. With the water you drink. With the questions you allow yourself to ask.

Consider this and renew your mind each day:

Eat to remember, not to numb.
Breathe to open, not to escape.
Move to feel, not to perform.
Speak to release, not to defend.
Rest to receive, not to avoid.
Observe to witness, not to judge.
Forgive to dissolve, not to forget.
Choose to heal, not to hide.

This path does not require perfection. It requires presence.

The body remembers how to heal. The spirit longs to rise. All it needs is for you to return—to step forward not with fear, but with curiosity, with love, with willingness.

The storm mimics the disorder. But the truth?
You are not the storm. You are the sky it passes through.

The stillness is not after the storm. It is alway within you—quiet, waiting, unchanged.

📚 Bibliography

⚗️ Iron Deficiency and Mood Disorders — NCBI

⚗️ Nicotine’s Effects on Neurotransmitters — NCBI

⚗️ Chemical Toxins in E-cigarettes — CDC

🔬 Dopamine, GABA and Addiction — NCBI

⚗️ Nutrition and Mental Health — Harvard Health

⚗️ Gut Microbiota and Bipolar Disorder — NCBI

🗿 Chakras and the Endocrine System Correlation — NCBI

📖 Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory — Simply Psychology

⚗️ Vitamin Deficiencies and Mental Health — PubMed

🌐 Cannabis-Induced Psychosis — NCBI