I too have tried Gupta's programme (though I admit, not all day every day for six months). Here's my take.
I think Gupta has made a real contribution to helping people with ME/CFS. I liked a lot of things about the program; the DVDs contain a lot of sound advice. His techniques can have powerful effects on your perspective on the illness and can help you feel better, which has a lot of value. But, I don't think they can cure my core ME/CFS symptoms (inability to produce normal amounts of energy, POTS, cognitive deficiencies, and PEM).
The technique helps with the stress response, which, as we all know, is much more easily triggered than it was before ME/CFS. So, faced with day to day situations like "can I make it through a 3 hour outing to my doctor's appointment?" doing the technique definitely helps control the stress response, and I find that I can get through the activity with fewer symptoms and better endurance. Same for dealing with more subtle or fleeting sources of negative thoughts.
Similar with so-called brain fog. In the year I've been sick, I've experienced various forms of cognitive dysfunction, which for me are distinct from the very specific experience of brain fog. I have not yet found a way around the cognitive problems. But I have found that controlling stress and excess thoughts (Gupta style, though not using his specific techniques) has almost eradicated brain fog episodes.
But I don’t think his techniques can fix the disease itself (I'm also just not capable of thinking only positive thoughts all day long)
In my early 20s, I went through an anxiety-like disorder for about 6 months with all kinds of strange symptoms: flulike malaise, non-stop headaches, pain in my muscles, hyperventilation episodes. All of it made me feel awful, but I still made it to work every day. I bet this technique could have cured the disorder I had then. But ME/CFS is an entirely different beast.
I think a lot of ME/CFS patients have an anxiety component to their illness, to differing degrees. I think Gupta's techniques work effectively with that component, and they provide relief from symptoms connected to it. But at least for me, they haven't worked in increasing my stamina (in the long term) or preventing PEM.
The amygdyla hypothesis is clever. I think a lot of us can relate to his explanation of the typical sudden onset. There is anecdotal evidence galore that for many of us, the convergence of a virus, a stressful lifestyle, and/or emotional trauma immediately preceded the onset of ME/CFS. The stress hormones and/or abnormal immune responses probably did cause damage, including possibly trauma to the amygdyla or other brain structures.
But I find it overly simplistic to conclude that simply changing our thought patterns can "reset" a brain structure which in turn will fix everything. It’s a fascinating idea and I would love to be proven wrong. I think the power of the mind to affect our bodies is huge. But many of Gupta's explanations supporting his hypotheses and proposed cure for ME/CFS just do not pass a straight face test for me.
Again, I appreciate Gupta’s real contribution and think he is sincere. I’m glad I tried the techniques. My main beef, like I have with Dr. T., is that I have a real distaste for providing false hope for a cure or near cure, or offering a scientific-sounding hypothesis without scientific backup. Sure, we are sophisticated consumers and he shouldn’t be blamed for doing his utmost to market his product, which is helping some people. But I am a stickler for ethical marketing, especially when it comes to marketing to a vulnerable patient population.