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    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

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R U Amygdalized?

Messages
30
Location
Canada
Who was that guy who claimed he had healed himself by laughing? I have investigated and passed on a lot of the mind/body things, but laughing, singing and sharing love just make sense. I know they make me feel better.

His name was Norman Cousins :)
 

Cort

Phoenix Rising Founder
If our sympathetic nervous systems (fight or flight) are over-activated then it makes sense that these things can help. I'm really surprised how much better my body feels with I'm having a positive frame of mind. Mind you there are many times it either doesn't seem to help that much - or I simply can't do it - put myself in that position - but sometimes its remarkable how the feelings of arousal and the fatigue and pain diminishes. Are I ready for the rigors of daily life? No - still can't exercise but I do feel so much better.
 
Messages
43
Location
San Diego, California
AR different from other known treatments?

Hi folks, I'm new here. I googled Ashok's work and landed here. I've watched his three hours of free intro videos and have been pondering purchasing the program at some point, finances allowing. A few questions if anyone might still be around to answer...

Trying to get more a picture of what the training is like compared to some other things I am familiar with like breath meditation, distraction and what sounds like distress tolerance sills. Someone mentioned re-directing. Can anyone who's done his program give an example of the "re-directing"?

Also, did Cort finish the whole treatment program? I had read a blog some time back that i thought was incomplete (?).

Thanks for any info,
Wendy
 
Messages
43
Location
San Diego, California
One other thing...I have tremendous trouble with breath meditation (the fatigue and very severe sleep deprivation make even minor concentration nearly impossible much of the time), I wonder if this program would work for me. Any feedback? thanks! -w.
 

ramakentesh

Senior Member
Messages
534
Here is a free program that is quite similar:

http://arationalapproach.com/

I haevnt tried it but I must admit much of the text did ring true for me. I often find I never really cut myseklf some slack - either im pushing through the non fun aspects of life or im laid up by the illness and thinking about it. Perhaps these progreams at least might help by not focusing the mind as much on the problem which could be a vicious cycle.

Still its much easier to be positive in the early stages rather than after nine years.

I wonder with PEM - if constant exercise would diminish it?
 

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
Here is a free program that is quite similar:

http://arationalapproach.com/

I haevnt tried it but I must admit much of the text did ring true for me. I often find I never really cut myseklf some slack - either im pushing through the non fun aspects of life or im laid up by the illness and thinking about it. Perhaps these progreams at least might help by not focusing the mind as much on the problem which could be a vicious cycle.

Still its much easier to be positive in the early stages rather than after nine years.

I wonder with PEM - if constant exercise would diminish it?

Are you serious or just being sarcastic? If you have CFS, you want to minimize PEM as much as possible! Do what you can for exercise.

GG
 

justy

Donate Advocate Demonstrate
Messages
5,524
Location
U.K
Sorry, but i just tried reading some of the book you linked to above - it really does sound like voodoo to me. Some part of me wishes it where true - that i had thought myself into being ill and could think myself out of it again. But experience of myself and my life tells me this is not true - as do the tests i have had done that DO show abnormalities in the functioning of my bodies systems.
 

beaverfury

beaverfury
Messages
503
Location
West Australia
A big part of the Gupta AR is based around a bloody big poster you lay on the ground and repeat movements on.
Kind of like the mat in the Twister board game you played with your sexy younger cousin. (careful of that tachycardia!)

It utilizes muscle memory/linguistic programming/visualization all in one hit.

I've never seen a brain cell. Not even sure if i have any left. But If we believe all the brain science that is coming out now,
we might conceive growing beneficial new dendritic pathways, bypassing existing hypersensitive pain pathways,
steering groovy interferons into immune receptor sites rather than dumbass, monobrow cytokines!

I'm making this stuff up, but when i learn to cut and paste i will put up links to 'real science'

In the first two weeks of doing the Gupta AR i had made such improvement that i was ready to leave the cfs world
in the dust. After several months of pretty intense practise i felt back to 80-90% better.

It wasnt too hard to see 'a bright future ahead of me', especially as i had just fluked a girlfriend at the time.

Unfortunately..... i went back to work doing labouring. Dumb.

Anyhow, long story short, i'm still trying to deal with illness almost three years later.

Gupta talks about structuring the brain. If its possible at all, its obviously going to take a lot of work.

Its important to have a strong' bright future' visualization anchor. It was easier when the illness was new
and i had a new relationship. Now that i am girlfriend-less... and three years in, finding a positive anchor
is proving very difficult.
 

beaverfury

beaverfury
Messages
503
Location
West Australia
I'm aware how flaky some of the Gupta AR sounds. But what else can you do ?

I'm probably like everyone else on here, in that ..... in the space of a week i jump from getting into Amy yaskos genes...
want to order some MAF 878 flavoured yoghurt...... try to verse my doctor on Norweigan rituximab trials,( PLoS ONE, thank you very much) .........and organize a neighbourhood seance conjuring up Zoroastian healing magi in floppy hats.

When i read the IACFS/ME clinical primer say ..'improvements are not uncommon, but restoration of full pre-morbid health
is rare in adults' ...i wonder... why dont we all shoot our faces off ?

What a nightmare.

Anyhow, lots more Gupta for me.

Lots more... STOP!......STOP!.......STOP!

....just stop it!
 

susan

Senior Member
Messages
269
Location
Gold Coast Australia
I have improved and regressed with GAR and still believe his theory having seen others do well like yourself. But some glue must be missing. Recently via my GAR coach, I came across the works of Dr Berceli a traumatologist, who says human beings who have had some level of trauma, either soft or hard, can trap energy in the body, in the Reptilian brain. (dysfunctional childhood, bullying, war etc) . Berceli worked in war zones and helped people there become free of trauma. http://traumaprevention.com/

Many of us have PTSD and not know . Counselling wont work because it goes thru the neo cortoex...new part of the brain and the energy is stuck in the Amygdala old part of the brain. He explains that when animals are chased by predators and escape, they shake and tremor and therefore discharge that fear energy. We humans did too at one time but social conditioning stopped us. So he has these exercises that you do to get the body shaking/tremoring. CFS folk only have to do the last one of laying on the floor. There is a DVD too but he gives more in depth info in the book.

I am only doing 2 mins ( 10-20 mins supposed to get to ) a day so far and that is enough for me as my brain gets too overwhelmed and I get toooo relaxed and drunk feeling. Some people laugh after the exercises and some cry, I have shed buckets just out of the blue.. Anger may erupt too I have been told. The exercise focuses on the Psoas muscles where our Nervosus system gets primed for fight/flight and this is what we are releasing thru the exercise......it gets right inside the muscle and shakes out the tension right up into the brain..

Since doing the exercises, my symptoms really hotted up and my coach says that is good as the Amygdla is being threatened., dislodged from its dominant position. I absolutely would reccomend Bercelis book as it explains sooo much that GAR does not. Another expert is Dr Peter Levine his theory is the same but the book is very heavy reading and he takes a different approach.
 

Ian

Senior Member
Messages
282
My problem with the gupta programme is they claim recovery. Even the website is called CFS recovery, this implies after treatment you can go and live a normal life, which is clearly not the case. They should be called management therapies.
 

susan

Senior Member
Messages
269
Location
Gold Coast Australia
My problem with the gupta programme is they claim recovery. Even the website is called CFS recovery, this implies after treatment you can go and live a normal life, which is clearly not the case. They should be called management therapies.[/qI

I have seen some people recover...a friend 13 yrs in bed....but why not some of us. I have given it my best shot.
 

susan

Senior Member
Messages
269
Location
Gold Coast Australia
I know this is a late response to your question. I dont think I want to say how I feel about her clinic only to say there are lots of gimmicks and I spent $1000 in 3 visits for nothing. I would never recommend her. Had friends also go there but never got better. Was a great Dr here but he died and his wife is continuing on and knows heaps about Methylation and bowel tests etc. Ashoks program for change is the best out there, however it has not worked for me so now I am doing much better with Dr. Berceli s TRE....tremoring the body to release trauma that is embedded in the reptilian brain.
 

CAcfs

Senior Member
Messages
178
I have seen this amygdala retraining around for years and years, since being ill. I wouldn't go so far as to label it a scam, because if it helps you, who cares what it is. I say that just after reading some heated discussions on other boards, and looking into it a little myself, and also as someone who has fallen prey to some not-so-smart treatment ideas.