Stepping Stones to Recovery
There are many resources on this work already out there, so we don’t plan to reinvent the wheel here. Below we offer a brief summary of the main stepping stones we took on our journeys towards recovery. But be aware, these stepping stones are not always in a straight line! People using this approach often have to go back and forth or cover a few stones at once. It can feel like going in circles for a while, but we stuck with it and it worked.
Learn
In our experience, knowledge is the foundational tool in combatting neuroplastic conditions - as we are working with the brain. Through understanding the neurophysiological processes in our brains and nervous system, we can start to ‘unlearn’ the unhealthy responses, and move our bodies back towards full heath. There is a wide range of low-cost or free resources and tools available to help people learn about this approach.
Be open
For us it was crucial to have an open mindset in our recoveries. For the knowledge to take hold, we need to be open to it. Keeping an evidence diary as we progress is a great way to reassure our brains that there really are links between our thought processes, our emotions, our stress and our physical symptoms. If we start noticing variation in our symptoms - for example, that some days are better than others - this is good evidence that our symptoms are neuroplastic and that the cause is in our brain and nervous system. Then we add it to the evidence diary!
Regulate your nervous system
Neurophysiological symptoms are rooted in nervous system dysregulation. Symptoms persist because the nervous system is stuck in stress mode, responding to our emotions, thoughts and overwhelm with symptoms. Therefore, a key part of the recovery process is learning to listen in to your nervous system and discover what it needs to feel safer in the world. There are many beautiful mind-body practices we can use to communicate safety to the nervous system, such as breathwork, mindfulness and somatic (body-based) techniques like grounding and orienting. There might also be shifts we need to make within our lives to help ourselves feel safer, such as reducing stress and pressure, including self-imposed pressures like perfectionism, people pleasing and being overly self-critical.
Retrain the brain
We tend to respond to chronic symptoms in fearful ways: with worry, preoccupation, frustration, ongoing efforts to figure out and fix the symptoms... And this is only natural. Only human. Unfortunately, these responses reinforce danger to the brain and can fuel the fire of neuroplastic symptoms as these symptoms are a stress response.
Therefore, to heal, we need to train the brain away from fear and focus on symptoms - and towards responses that communicate safety and reassurance. When we do this with consistency, overtime we rewire the neural pathways that keep chronic symptoms alive. ​
Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) is a psychological treatment approach developed by psychotherapist, Alan Gordon, that can be used to retrain the brain. Through PRT, we learn how to observe sensations in the body from a standpoint of safety (rather than danger) - and how to gravitate towards positive sensations and emotions in order to build new, healthy neural pathways - all of which helps to break the vicious cycle of chronic symptoms. A randomized controlled study at the University of Colorado in Boulder validated the effectiveness of PRT as a treatment for chronic pain. Visit the PRT Center's website to learn more about this treatment approach. ​
Process your emotions
Emotions past or present that we are repressing or holding onto can activate the nervous system and cause a continuous flow of stress chemicals through our system, which can contribute to physical symptoms. Learning how to access and release these emotions in healthy ways is a key part of the recovery process for many. Journalling is an excellent technique to help do this; again, lots of information on our resources page.
Conquer the fear
​​Many of us stopped doing certain things in our lives, because of the fear that they would exacerbate our symptoms. In order to retrain our brains, we needed to start reintroducing those things. It was important not to overdo it! Instead, to re-introduce activities in a gradual and safety-minded way (with lots of reassurance of our brains!). By doing this, we let our brains know that it is actually safe to exercise or move or lift or bend or jump or swim or whatever we have been avoiding: that our bodies are strong and that there is no threat to our lives from these activities.
Learn to live more mindfully
Learning to live in a way that nourishes the nervous system is part of the healing process. This includes better managing our stress and reducing pressure in our lives. This might involve, for example, maintaining healthy boundaries, learning to voice our 'no' or limiting exposure to triggering media. It might also mean learning to moderate personality traits that create inner tension such as perfectionism, people pleasing, overworking and excessive worrying. It's also about finding what lights you up in life, what brings you joy and peace - and leaning in. Life with chronic symptoms can become quite dark and intense. Recovery requires us to re-find the light ... our joy, pleasure, passions, connections and identity outside of symptoms. Doing this sends a powerful message of safety to the nervous system and supports healing.
What else?
We have used a wide range of different resources to help us towards full recovery. Many of these are featured on our resources page, and can appeal to different learning styles. Everyone takes information in differently so you might prefer to read, listen to podcasts, or engage via an app. Many of the resources we list are free to use, or come with a very low cost such as the price of a book. We strongly believe everyone should have access to this information, regardless of their circumstances.