Brain Retraining for Chronic Pain and Fatigue

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Last Updated on November 16, 2024 by melissanreynolds

I’m often asked, directly and indirectly (in groups I’m in) what i think about brain retraining programmes for chronic pain and fatigue.

brain retraining and fibromyalgia cfs

I’ve done quite a bit of research on the topic.

Let’s be clear, this is my personal experience, research and thoughts. If something has helped you, I am so happy about that for you. I share this post because I get frustrated by the programs that advertise themselves as a cure (and cost a lot of money).

Brain retraining seems to boil down to two things.

One- It appears to be a mix of breathwork, meditation, visualisation and affirmations. Essentially teaching the parasympathetic nervous system to switch on and the concept of neuroplasticity (the brain can change).

Two – If one does it, then it should be alongside the right treatments. NOT in place of and NOT attempting to ignore your condition.

Because it calms the nervous system, I can see the sub set for whom it feels like a cure. Many of these will be those for whom their condition was precipitated by trauma. Perhaps their bodies just needed a chance to heal with the additional parasympathetic work. Or maybe their pain was driven by neuroplasticity (learned pain after a healed injury?) All my theories.

Fibromyalgia as not solely neuroplastic

Research is disproving fibromyalgia as solely a neuroplastic pain condition, meaning working with neuroplasticity will be only part of the answer. There are physiological processes happening in the muscle which need to be addressed. Read more here

Dr Ginevra’s presentation helped me to see that, in fibromyalgia, our muscles never fully relax and the intramuscular pressure is higher than that of healthy controls. But then our sympathetic nervous system is also on high alert and sending danger signals to the muscles. Both of which make sleep difficult, which in turn exacerbates the muscles and sympathetic overactivation.

The nervous system cannot be continually bombarded with danger messages if it’s to regulate. So we must work on the physiological factors to fully regulate the nervous system.

My example

I’m a prime example of this played out – nervous system regulation alongside working on the physiological factors.

My chiropractor said all the work I’ve done to this point is what’s enabled my nervous system to accept her adjustments so well.

brain retraining for fibromyalgia and cfs

What I’ve done

>low dose naltrexone
>getting some sleep with sleep hygiene and quetiapine
>consistent yoga nidra meditation and breathwork practice
>gentle stretching and movement to show my nervous system its safe to move
>endometriosis excision surgery and hysterectomy removing traumatic periods every month
>removing food intolerances
>improving nutritional deficiencies
>removing things that drive anxiety, I’ve done some work around growing up with an alcoholic and being unwell and ignored for so long
>keeping my sacroiliac joints in place
>reducing the “noise” from my spine, particularly my neck
>trained as a yoga and meditation teacher (several meditation courses)
>done the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction programme online and using the book (mentioned below)

My chiropractor expects me to make a full recovery in time. I’m hopeful.

You can see though, that it wouldn’t have been as simple as visualising away my condition. You can’t meditate away real structural issues like endometriosis and sacroiliac joint dysfunction.

The problem here is that unless one is sure that they only have neuroplastic pain then there are things to figure out and address. With more and more research showing that fibromyalgia actually does cause structural changes, you can hopefully see that regulating the nervous system will only be one part of it.

This all requires appropriate diagnosis and treatment. Which we can’t currently rely on.

brain retraining for fibromyalgia CFS

Brain Retraining for Fibromyalgia and CFS

Back to brain retraining, hopefully you can see its one puzzle piece rather than the cure for most of us.

The full programmes for sale are also so expensive. And I cant figure that out.

They also require a big commitment. Many people in my sphere have way too much going on for that.

If you’re looking for a full, supportive programme then some of them may provide what you’re looking for. Especially if you find it difficult to commit to self-study. Having access to a community of people with the same goal and outlook as you can also be helpful.

My suggestion

But if its a combination of making your body feel safe and switching on the parasympathetic nervous system, why not try Yoga Nidra?

It’s got breathwork, visualisation, meditation and affirmations all rolled up into a tidy package that offers profound rest at the same time.

Do it daily, alongside your other treatments.

Perhaps watch the way you speak about your condition and symptoms. Maybe add a gratitude practice to support the brain’s training toward the positive.

Grab my free nidra for you here

See what happens?

Affiliate notice, please note that some of my links may be affiliate links. if you make a purchase using one of these links, I may make a commission at no extra cost to you.

You could pick up The Full Catastrophe Living Book and work through Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction prorgramme. A programme he has run in a hospital outpatient clinic for many decades that has helped people with all kinds of conditions find improvement.

Or you could grab my manual for using mindfulness for chronic pain and fatigue specifically.

Set a goal to treat your nervous system like your best friend and see what happens (alongside appropriate treatment plans for your condition) and see what happens.

What’s your opinion? (I am more than happy to hear if you’ve had a great experience with brain retraining programmes).

More reading for you

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