When the Nervous System is the Root Cause

If all your tests come back clear, but you’re still dealing with debilitating symptoms, it can be incredibly frustrating. You might receive a diagnosis like Fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), or Long COVID — and yet be left with very few answers and even fewer treatment options.

But there is one thing these conditions often have in common: They are rooted in nervous system dysregulation.

The symptoms are real. The suffering is real. But what’s often missed — even by some healthcare professionals — is that these are not conditions of organ failure or structural damage. They're conditions where the autonomic nervous system (the part that runs things like digestion, heart rate, and stress response) has become overactive, hypersensitive, and stuck in a survival loop.

Image by Ribhav Agrawal from Pixabay

First Step: Recognising the Root Cause

Understanding that your nervous system is at the centre of your illness is the first step toward healing. This isn’t about blaming yourself or being told it’s “all in your head.” It’s about recognising that your body is stuck in a protective mode — responding to a perceived threat, even when no immediate danger is present.

That threat might have come in many forms: emotional stress, a virus or infection, physical trauma, overwork, overexertion from intense training or exercise, or even environmental stressors like noise, light sensitivity, or chemical exposure. Often, it’s not one thing — but a build-up over time.

Eventually, the brain and body adapt to these stressors by staying on high alert. It’s a learned, protective pattern — and while it once served a purpose, it can become chronic and dysfunctional. This is the hallmark of a sensitised or dysregulated nervous system.

It’s Not “Thinking Yourself Better” — It’s Rewiring the System

People often say, “You can’t think yourself better. "And they’re right — to a point.

But when it comes to nervous system recovery, they’re also missing the point entirely.

This isn’t about toxic positivity or pretending everything’s fine. It’s not about snapping out of it or ignoring symptoms.

It’s about neuroplasticity — the nervous system's ability to change and rewire itself. And it’s real. Backed by science. Documented in rehabilitation for chronic pain, trauma, and even stroke recovery.

You don’t “think your way out” of illness. But you can send your brain and body consistent signals of safety — and over time, these signals can shift the wiring of your system.

Tools that support this include:

• Mindfulness and breathwork – proven to regulate the autonomic nervous system and reduce sympathetic (fight/flight) activation.

• Pacing – helps avoid crashes by working with your energy limits, not against them.

• Visualisation, calming self-talk, somatic tracking – all ways to train the brain that your body is safe.

• Brain retraining programmes – such as DNRS, Gupta Program, or ANS Rewire, which use neuroplastic principles to calm overactive neural circuits.

• Diet and gut health – the gut-brain axis plays a huge role in regulating inflammation and nervous system sensitivity .

• Sleep hygiene and nervous system “hygiene” – consistent routines, light exposure, boundaries, and downtime all help re-regulate the system.

  
  

These aren’t “just thoughts” — they are inputs to a biological feedback loop. And over time, consistent positive inputs help shift the system from threat to safety.

The Chemistry of Hope: How Positive Emotions Help Rewire the Nervous System

There’s a reason joy, connection, and even laughter can feel like medicine — because, chemically speaking, they are.

When you experience positive emotions, your brain releases chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins — and these have a direct and powerful effect on the nervous system.

In particular, dopamine plays a key role in:

• Neuroplasticity – It helps the brain learn what feels good and safe, reinforcing new neural pathways.

• Motivation and reward – Dopamine is what drives us to keep doing something that feels good or hopeful.

• Nervous system regulation – It can reduce stress signals and support parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) activity.

So when you laugh, connect with someone, feel proud of a small win, or even enjoy a moment of calm — you’re not just feeling better emotionally, you’re helping your body shift out of survival mode biologically.

This is why things like:

• Doing something enjoyable (within your energy limits)

• Spending time with someone who makes you feel safe

• Listening to music that lifts you

• Engaging in gentle creativity or nature

• Feeling hopeful or inspired

...are more than just “nice extras.” They’re therapeutic.

Even just imagining something positive — a future version of yourself, a safe memory, a peaceful place — can trigger the release of dopamine and other calming neurochemicals.

This is part of how visualisation and mindset feed into healing, not through wishful thinking, but through real biochemical processes.

When you combine these small positive inputs with nervous system retraining and pacing, you create the ideal environment for healing: one where the brain learns that safety is possible again.

Healing Is Possible — But It Looks Different

Recovery doesn’t come from willpower. It comes from understanding. From compassion. From gently guiding the system back to safety, again and again.

It’s not always linear. There will be setbacks. But healing is possible — not because you force your body to work harder, but because you start working with it.

Step by step. Signal by signal. Day by day.

References & Further Reading

1. Breathwork and the ANS: Russo, M. A., Santarelli, D. M., & O'Rourke, D. (2017). The physiological effects of slow breathing in the healthy human. Breathe, 13(4), 298–309. https://doi.org/10.1183/20734735.009817

2. Neuroplasticity & Brain Retraining: Moseley, G. L. (2007). Reconceptualising pain according to modern pain science. Physical Therapy Reviews, 12(3), 169–178. https://doi.org/10.1179/108331907X223010

3. Gut-Brain Axis: Cryan, J. F., & Dinan, T. G. (2012). Mind-altering microorganisms: the impact of the gut microbiota on brain and behaviour. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 13(10), 701–712. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3346

4. Dopamine and Neuroplasticity: Wise, R. A. (2004). Dopamine, learning and motivation. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 5(6), 483–494. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1406

5. Visualisation and Positive Affect: Holmes, E. A., & Mathews, A. (2010). Mental imagery in emotion and emotional disorders. Clinical Psychology Review, 30(3), 349–362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.01.001