“Neuroplasticity is the property of the brain that enables it to change its own structure and functioning in response to activity and mental experience.”

Canadian psychiatrist and researcher NORMAN DOIDGE, from “The Brain’s Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity”

The Hope for Healing Explained

NOTE: Each neural retraining program uses a slightly different term to describe essentially the same condition: the Gupta Program refers to “Neuro-Immune Conditioned Syndrome” (NICS); DNRS refers to “limbic system impairment” or “limbic system dysfunction” or “limbic system trauma loop”; the Lightening Process refers to “physical emergency response” (PER); the Curable app and followers of Dr. John Sarno refer to “psychophysiologic disorders” (PPD); and various functional MDs have their own methods of describing the same chronic brain response. My hope is that in the near future, the medical community will designate a single official diagnostic code for the condition.

For this website, I adopted the GUPTA PROGRAM description of NICS (Neuro-Immune Conditioned Syndrome), as I believe this description most closely captures the essence of the condition.

Neural- and amygdala-retraining programs are based on the idea that traumas of all sorts (bacterial and viral infections like Lyme Disease, Mono and now Long Covid; toxic exposures like mold or VOCs; physical injuries like concussions, car accidents, and surgeries; the illness or death of a loved one; generalized anxiety, etc.) can trigger an impairment in the part of the brain called the limbic system, over activating a subconscious “fight or flight” protective response. When this occurs, the brain may begin perceiving even non-harmful stressors and stimuli as potentially life-threatening, heightening the brain’s “fight or flight” response and resulting in very real illness, pain and other physical dysfunctions as downstream effects (see videos below). As the body experiences the resulting physical symptoms, messages are sent back to the brain indicating that the body continues to be in danger, thus creating an unproductive protective loop. Neural retraining programs are based on the science of neuroplasticity – they are designed to change the way the limbic system interprets and responds to stimuli, by physically changing the neural pathways. These programs have helped many, many people recover from things like Long Covid, Chronic Lyme Disease, CIRS, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Migraines, Electric Hypersensitivity Syndrome, POTS, Adrenal Fatigue, IBS, Chronic Back Pain, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Anxiety, Pelvic Pain, PTSD, various autoimmune conditions and other chronic and debilitating conditions

If you are curious to see if neuroplasticity-based neural retraining might help you or your loved one regain physical and/or mental health – either alongside or once you have exhausted traditional Western medical approaches or natural therapies for your condition(s) – my advice is to invest in a program such as the Gupta Programre-originDNRS, the Curable app, or the Lightening Process … and to open your mind to the possibility of your own journey of the healing brain

Note: We do not receive reimbursement from any of the programs listed. We simply believe these are lower-cost investments compared to the hundreds and often thousands of dollars that people regularly pay in out-of-pocket expenses to traditional and natural specialists when dealing with chronic or mysterious illness. Many programs offer a free intro trial, as well as a money-back guarantee for those who follow the program as outlined – something not offered by medical practitioners. See the Resources page for more details.

1. The Limbic System.

The limbic system is the home of the autonomic nervous system which controls respiration, heart rate, urination, endocrine function, sleep-wake cycles, memory and the "fight or flight" response among other things.

2. "Fight or flight" happens in the SUBCONSCIOUS brain.

Current scientific thinking is that approximately 95% of the brain operates BELOW the level of consciousness ... including the "fight or flight" response. It is literally as if the brain has a mind of its own, doing what it thinks best to help us function well AND to protect us from "harm."

3. How the normal "fight or flight" response works.

When a person (or animal) is in the “fight or flight” response, a host of biological changes kicks in to help protect the body, including:

  • nonessential systems (like digestion and immune system) shut down to allow more energy for emergency functions
  • heart rate and blood pressure increase
  • pupils dilate to take in as much light as possible
  • blood-glucose level increases
  • trouble focusing on small tasks (brain is directed to focus only on big picture in order to determine where threat is coming from)
  • veins in skin constrict to send more blood to major muscle groups (responsible for the “chill” sometimes associated with fear — less blood in the skin to keep it warm)
  • muscles tense up, energized by adrenaline and glucose (responsible for goose bumps — when tiny muscles attached to each hair on surface of skin tense up, the hairs are forced upright, pulling skin with them)
  • smooth muscle relaxes in order to allow more oxygen into the lungs

4. How a limbic system trauma loop can lead to a persistent subconscious "fight or flight" response and result in chronic conditions and illnesses.

When a person is in a frequent or constant state of stress and/or "fight or flight" – even at low levels – this over-protection can actually become not only emotionally but PHYSICALLY damaging, and it can create an increasingly-harmful loop. Often, this limbic system trauma loop is triggered without a person realizing it, as a result of something such as a head injury, car accident, illness, infection, etc.

5. Neuroplasticity can be the cause AND the solution.

This video illustrates how neural pathways form over time – even the harmful subconscious ones – and how they can be CHANGED for the better. There is HOPE FOR HEALING.

NOTE:  While DNRS, Gupta and similar programs utilize a combination of many established psychological techniques it … “is not an exercise in positive thinking or a form of denial [or avoidance]. It is an exercise in rerouting the commonly traveled pathways that the brain has habitually taken,”[1]and that are leading to chronic conditions. 

[1]Annie Hopper, Wired for Healing: Remapping the Brain to Recover from Chronic and Mysterious Illnesses (The Dynamic Neural Retraining System, 2014), 102.

"The Perfect Storm": One big event, or several smaller factors, can lead to NICS

A hyper-vigilant limbic system can be triggered by a single event, such as a car accident, concussion or virus. Or it might be triggered by several events over the course of weeks, months or even years – the illness or death of a loved one, on top of a serious illness yourself, on top of a stressful job, on top of a divorce, on top of a global pandemic, etc. Those who have suffered from and have subsequently recovered from NICS can often look in hindsight and see their own “perfect storm.” 

 

What about the gut brain???

Can we recover from chronic illness and conditions by helping our brains super evolve in how they respond to threats? Or, is it more about our diet?  

Is it the brain … or the gut brain???

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