How Brain Retraining Helps Chronic Illness:

1. Interrupts the Chronic Stress Cycle

• Chronic illness often keeps the nervous system in a state of sympathetic overdrive (fight-or-flight mode), impairing healing and contributing to inflammation.
• Brain retraining techniques, such as mindfulness, meditation, and visualizations, help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which supports rest, repair, and recovery.

2. Rewires Maladaptive Neural Pathways

• In many chronic illnesses, the brain can “learn” pain, fatigue, or immune dysregulation due to central sensitization or overactive signaling pathways.
• Techniques like neurofeedback, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and positive visualizations help replace these maladaptive pathways with healthier patterns, reducing symptom intensity over time.

3. Reduces Inflammation

• Chronic activation of stress-related neural circuits can drive systemic inflammation, a key factor in many chronic conditions.
• By calming the nervous system and reducing the production of stress hormones like cortisol, brain retraining lowers inflammation and allows the immune system to rebalance.

4. Improves Autonomic Nervous System Regulation

• Chronic illnesses often disrupt the balance between the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) branches of the autonomic nervous system.
• Brain retraining approaches, such as vagus nerve stimulation (e.g., humming, breathing exercises, eye exercises) help restore autonomic balance, improving digestion, sleep, and overall resilience.

5. Shifts the Brain Out of Danger Mode

• The Cell Danger Response (CDR), as proposed by Dr. Robert Naviaux, describes how cells and the nervous system can remain in a “danger” state long after the initial trigger.
• Brain retraining helps signal to the brain and body that the threat has passed, allowing cellular and systemic healing processes to resume.

6. Addresses Psychological Components

• Chronic illness often comes with secondary effects like anxiety, depression, and fear of symptoms, which can worsen the condition.
• Brain retraining programs, like The Primal Trust Regulate Program  include techniques to shift mindset, reduce fear-based thinking, and promote positive mental states that enhance recovery.

7. Enhances Resilience and Coping Mechanisms

• Brain retraining helps individuals build resilience to stress and symptoms. Techniques like gratitude journaling, affirmations, and self-compassion reframe the brain’s perception of challenges, reducing the burden of the illness.

There are many brain retraining programs on the market and I think I have tried them all; DNRS, GUPTA and others. By far my favourite is The Primal Trust Regulate Program!

I joined The Primal Trust Regulate Program a year ago and I love it. I interviewed one of the coaches, Niki D’Agastino and she shares more on how Primal Trust Regulate Program can help people to deal with and even cure chronic illness. We even shared some breathwork practices. To view the interview click here

To learn more about Primal Trust Regulate Program which is now offering a sale click here

To download the free ebook on How Healing Happens, click here