What are the 5Fs that fuel the fire of chronic neuroplastic symptoms?

At the end of our latest group course, we asked participants about concepts from the course that had really landed with them ... ideas that had made a material difference to how they understand and treat their chronic symptoms. Dr Howard Schubiner's 5Fs were mentioned numerous times - and so we wanted to dedicate a blog to this helpful topic.

So what are the 5Fs that can perpetuate chronic symptoms - and how can we work with them to support mind-body healing?

Introducing the 5Fs

The 5Fs, coined by Dr Howard Schubiner, are ways that we naturally respond to chronic symptoms:

Focusing on...

Fighting...

Fearing...

Trying to Fix and...

Getting Frustrated with the symptoms.

Some people might add in a couple more Fs: endlessing trying to Figure out symptoms - along with a sense of hopelessness and helplessness (feeling Forlorn).

It is so incredibly natural and human to respond to chronic symptoms with despair.

All of the Fs are deeply relatable human responses to debilitating pain and symptoms.

If these responses resonate with you, have great compassion for yourself. Chronic symptoms are deeply unpleasant and we naturally want them to end.

The difficulty is that these responses unintentionally fuel the fire of chronic symptoms by keeping the nervous system activated and our threat physiology turned on.

How can we work with these responses to support neuroplastic healing?

The natural next question is, so how can I shift these responses to support healing?

1. Bring compassionate awareness to your responses to symptoms.

Notice when you are worrying, searching for answers, catastrophising - and offer yourself compassion for your humanness.

2. Feel the emotions in your body rather than getting lost in overthinking them.

Notice how frustration, fear, worry, anxiety and resistance feel in your body. Sit with these feelings. Observe their sensations without trying to change them. Let them process through.

Emotions are expressed as physical sensations - racing heart, tightness in throat, knots in stomach, etc. - and the body has an innate ability to process these sensations.

3. Pause the response - and shift.

Kindly interrupt the thinking pattern - and shift yourself towards a more helpful response. This might look like:

• Reassurance (based on the neuroscience): “these symptoms are a learnt response to stress, emotions and overwhelm - and I’m unlearning them”

• Safety messaging: “Neuroplastic symptoms are a false alarm; there’s nothing here to fix”

• Regulation tools: breath-work, connecting with your senses, grounding, a pleasant visualisation, leaning into nice/neutral sensations (warm sunlight on skin, tingles in toes...)

• Curiosity: why might the danger level in my brain be high? (Think psychologically and emotionally about threats that might exist in your life - not physically.)

• Connection with a trusted person for co-regulation

• Compassion and care for yourself: what could you do to feel safer right now, perhaps by taking some pressure off or doing something light and easy that you enjoy?

• Distraction: redirect yourself towards any kind of pleasant or engaging thought or activity that has nothing to do with symptoms.

4. Retrain these responses on repeat

With patience and consistency, we can retrain our brains to respond to symptoms with safety, reassurance and regulation.

Overtime, this can break the cycle of fear and symptoms by shifting the nervous system out of high alert mode - and towards greater ease and balance.

All of which actively supports neuroplastic healing.