If you’ve ever been told that brain retraining could help with a condition like Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, or long COVID, it might sound a bit confusing at first. Many of us get diagnosed with these issues after something very physical—a car accident, an injury, overexertion, or a virus like COVID. It’s totally understandable to question how something like brain retraining could help, especially when it feels like a physical issue through and through.
But once you understand what happens to the nervous system in these conditions, brain retraining starts to make more sense. And as the recovery stories show, brain retraining is more than just a theory—it’s making a real difference in people’s lives.
The Link Between Physical Stressors and Nervous System Dysfunction
When a physical stressor hits—like an injury, virus, or major stress—our nervous system, which manages the body's stress response, often goes into high-alert mode to “protect” us. This is what’s known as the "fight-or-flight" response. But sometimes, that high-alert mode doesn’t turn off once the threat is over. The nervous system can get stuck in this hypervigilant state, keeping us in a constant cycle of tension, fatigue, and stress.
When this happens, the body doesn’t just feel stressed—it can experience real, physical symptoms. The nervous system’s overdrive can impact sleep, digestion, energy levels, and even our immune response, creating a cycle of symptoms that feels difficult to break.
How Brain Retraining Calms an Overactive Nervous System
So, what exactly is brain retraining? It’s a way of helping the brain learn to interpret everyday signals more calmly, rather than reacting with that automatic “danger” response. When the brain rewires in this way, it gives the nervous system a chance to recalibrate and stop reacting with extreme responses.
Here’s a breakdown of how brain retraining works:
Breaking the Cycle of Overreaction: Brain retraining techniques, such as Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) or the Lightning Process (LP), work to interrupt these automatic responses. They train the brain to recognise, “Hey, I’m actually safe right now.” This helps the nervous system calm down, which in turn can lead to a reduction in symptoms.
Training the Nervous System to Respond Differently: Techniques like meditation, visualisation, and LP activate the parasympathetic nervous system (the “rest and digest” part). When this system is activated, the nervous system learns it’s okay to take a breather, and this helps reduce things like pain, fatigue, and that wired feeling over time.
Improving the Gut-Brain Connection: When the nervous system is constantly on edge, the gut often feels it too, leading to digestive issues and even more inflammation. Brain retraining has a calming effect on the whole system, including the gut. As the nervous system calms, the gut and digestion often improve as well.
Building Resilience Over Time: Brain retraining isn’t just about reducing symptoms today—it’s about creating resilience that lasts. When you train your nervous system to react calmly, it gradually becomes less reactive to stressors. This resilience helps prevent future setbacks and gives you more confidence to do the things you love.
The Power of Positive Experiences in Brain Retraining
But brain retraining isn’t just about calming down the nervous system in stressful moments. It’s also about guiding the brain to recognize safe, positive experiences and gradually “relearning” that the world—and your own body—can be trusted again. One powerful way to support this process is through intentionally creating new, positive experiences.
How this works and why it can be such a game-changer:
Creating Positive “Anchors” for the Brain: When you’re stuck in a cycle of symptoms, the brain can get hyper-focused on threats, expecting discomfort around every corner. Engaging in enjoyable, calming activities—even small ones like a walk in nature, trying a new hobby, or spending time with friends—can act as “anchors” for the brain, reminding it that there are safe, pleasant experiences to be found. These moments help rewire the brain’s default patterns and reduce its tendency to remain on high alert.
Building Confidence and Resilience: Positive experiences build confidence in the nervous system, showing that the body can handle new activities without automatically triggering symptoms. These moments help to reshape your brain’s responses, creating a foundation of resilience. Even small wins—like an enjoyable conversation, time spent in a peaceful setting, or a creative project—help reinforce the idea that not every experience is a threat.
Reinforcing Healthier Patterns: Each positive experience gives your brain a little nudge toward new, healthier responses. Think of it as teaching the brain to create a “new normal” that includes calmness, joy, and ease. Over time, these positive experiences can build up, helping to support the nervous system as it becomes less reactive and more balanced.
One of the great things about this approach is that it doesn’t have to be something grand or difficult to be effective. Small, positive shifts have the power to create a ripple effect in your body’s healing response.
Real-Life Recovery Stories
To see the potential of brain retraining in action, let’s look at some recovery stories, where people who once struggled with severe nervous system dysfunction found real improvement through brain retraining.
One powerful example comes from a father’s story about his daughter, who struggled with ME/CFS for eight years. She was so severely affected that she needed to be tube-fed and spent most of her time lying in a dark room. After trying the Lightning Process, a brain retraining method designed to help with unconscious nervous system patterns, she was able to begin her recovery. Today, she’s well and living a normal life. You can read her full story here if you’d like to learn more about how brain retraining helped her transform her health.
Other inspiring stories comes from Recovery Norway, a community that shares success stories of people who have used brain retraining techniques to overcome conditions like fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, and long COVID. Many of these people had tried everything, from medication to strict rest, but brain retraining was what helped them finally break the cycle and move forward.
These recovery stories show that brain retraining can play a role in “resetting” an overactive nervous system. People don’t just experience temporary relief—some have gone on to experience lasting change.
How Brain Retraining Uses Neuroplasticity to Heal
The success of brain retraining comes down to the concept of neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to adapt and form new connections. Brain retraining taps into this capability, creating new pathways that promote calmness, resilience, and balance. It’s a way of teaching your brain that it’s okay to stand down from fight-or-flight mode, which allows the nervous system to recalibrate.
Ready to Try Brain Retraining? Here’s Where to Start
If you’re considering brain retraining, there are different approaches you can try. Structured programs like the Lightning Process and Neuro-Linguistic Programming are widely used, but you can also start with basic mindfulness practices and relaxation techniques at home. These methods require time, patience, and practice, but the effort can be incredibly rewarding as you begin to feel more in control of your recovery.
In summary, brain retraining might sound unusual for something that feels as physical as ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, or long COVID. But when we look at how the nervous system and brain work together, it becomes clear why retraining these systems can actually help. It’s a real, evidence-based approach to calming an overactive nervous system—and, for many, it’s been a vital key to recovery.
References:
Recovery Norway: Personal recovery stories that highlight the effectiveness of brain retraining methods like LP in treating ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and other conditions.
Neuroplasticity and Pain (Source: American Psychological Association): An overview of how neuroplasticity works to retrain responses and reduce chronic symptoms.
Gut-Brain Connection (Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine): How nervous system balance directly impacts digestion and health through the gut-brain axis.
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