DNRS

Mindset and emotional work are two vital components of the healing process that are often ignored in chronic illness protocols. Even if you've done everything right — you've opened your drainage pathways, cleared out parasites, detoxed heavy metals and chemicals, cleaned up your diet, and followed the proper lifestyle tools — you still need to work on healing your mind and your spirit.

If you've been chronically ill for some time, or if you've suffered acute traumatic experiences while being sick, it's likely a limbic system impairment could be holding you back from optimal wellness.

Your limbic system is a grouping of structures in your brain that are responsible for your fight or flight response, survival behaviors, emotions, memory, autonomic response, and many other things. It involves parts of your brain like the amygdala, hippocampus, cerebellum, hypothalamus, and cerebrum. It's less important that you know what each individual area does and more important that you understand how it works as a whole, and what you need to do to get back on track.

I'll warn you that retraining your limbic system is not a simple, overnight task. It requires dedication, time, and mental fortitude.

Many people find buying and following a specific program is very helpful, as the steps and plan are clearly laid out. Especially if you're dealing with a limbic system impairment, cognitive function, brain fog, neurological symptoms, anxiety, depression, and fear are common. A program makes it simple in this regard, because it's comforting and takes away the guesswork.

The most popular program amongst clients is called the Dynamic Neural Retraining System. This program was developed by Annie Hopper, and has been used for a wide range of cases, including Fibromyalgia, POTS, Lyme disease, panic attacks, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, mold toxicity, food sensitivities, and more.*

PROS:

• Can be done from home (no traveling)

• Supportive online forum community

• Workbook

• Clear steps and an easy-to-follow layout

CONS:

• Time-consuming

• Large commitment (an hour a day for 6 months)

• Slow progress likely

This system begins with education on neuroplasticity, which basically means that if your brain can change one way (from healthy to anxious with a mal-adapted stress response, for example) that it can change back. The neurons in your brain can "rewire" back together and reorganize their connections through cortical remapping. This is great news, because however poorly your brain, limbic system, and stress response is functioning now, there is hope!

In this system, you'll watch a series of DVDs where Annie Hopper tells her story about her own health journey (she had to live completely alone on a houseboat away from her family due to very severe sensitivities), as well as the steps you need to take to recover. This includes not only a daily practice of steps, which you'll learn in the program, but also stopping and recognizing negative thoughts and mindset.

You'll learn to get out of the victim loop and focus on the positive: healing.

You can purchase the full program here.

Other tips for retraining your limbic system:

• Ask your friends and family to stop mentioning your health while you heal. This reinforces the fact that you're sick, and you want to break out of that pattern as you heal your brain.

• Focus on gratitude. Keep a daily journal!

• Visualize very positive memories. For neurons to rewire, they need to fire at the same time, but a positive emotion will help lock in the change quickly.

• Stop writing down your symptoms. I know the inclination is to continue to track every single thing, trying to figure out what you did or ate or took to cause it.

• Try other supportive therapies, like EFT tapping or EMDR.

• Laugh! Try to watch funny shows or videos. Avoid negative or scary videos while healing. Fake it if you have to.