Cort
Phoenix Rising Founder
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I posted this in my blog but wanted to throw it into the general circulation as well 
I've use this little technique more often and more successfully than any other. It's not as powerful as the Amygdala Retraining technique but it's easier and for me it's more consistent.
The neuro- reprogramming technique came to me while I was reading a book by Norman Doidge called "The Brain That Changes Itself". It describes the sometimes amazing effects mind training techniques can have on stroke and other patients. People who have injuries to one part of brain - such as stroke patients - can train other parts of the brain to take over those functions. It turns out that the brain is very malleable; virtually any part of it can take over an entirely new function if it needs to.
So my question was if one part of the brain in CFS is damaged can you actually train another part of the brain to take over the damaged areas functioning? An alternate question is if one part of the brain is overactive - which is what I believe is happening to me - could I turn its activity down and correspondingly turn the activity of another (better) part of the brain up.
What also struck me were passages describing scientific studies which indicate that changing your "behavior" causes changes in your brain. For instance anytime you take up a new skill the areas in your brain devoted to that new skill will start to grow. If you took up pottery, say, the neurons in your brain devoted to touch would grow tremendously.
I've long like I was kind of stuck in this anxious, unable to calm down, over activated mode. I wondered if I could neurally 'grow myself' out of ME/CFS by consciously activating other parts of my brain and establishing new neural connections just as the stroke patients did? The key to do that is obviously activating other parts of the brain.
How to do that? (A) First by recognizing those patterns - those same old body sensations and patterns of thought and then invoking the possibility of 'neural reprogramming'. (I actually say to myself 'neural reprogramming'). It simply involves settling down and doing something different - putting one's attention elsewhere hopefully building a connection to a different part of the brain.
For instance, by brushing the back of your hand across a table - you light a different part of your brain. If you do that enough you establish a strong connection to that part of your brain. The idea is simply to light up different parts of the brain than are currently being light up by paying attention to new and different parts of the environment.
I started out simply paying attention to things I usually don't pay attention to like the fine sense of touch, the sounds around me and and objects I'd ordinarily never look at. That would usually instantly leave me more relaxed - allowing me to step outside of ME/CFS (to some extent) briefly.
I've done it enough that now when I invoke the idea of neural reprogramming its associated with a new mode of being; my breathing and heart rate slow down, my body straightens up and my energy increases: I step outside of ME/CFS a bit simply by invoking the process. I can sense when my body is beginning to get caught in those old patterns and often find a way to slide at least somewhat out of them.
These are like alot of little wins -temporary and usually small wins that I can't but think can be very helpful over time. Every time I feel a bit healthier I win!
This technique is just one of several mindfulness techniques I use daily
I've use this little technique more often and more successfully than any other. It's not as powerful as the Amygdala Retraining technique but it's easier and for me it's more consistent.
The neuro- reprogramming technique came to me while I was reading a book by Norman Doidge called "The Brain That Changes Itself". It describes the sometimes amazing effects mind training techniques can have on stroke and other patients. People who have injuries to one part of brain - such as stroke patients - can train other parts of the brain to take over those functions. It turns out that the brain is very malleable; virtually any part of it can take over an entirely new function if it needs to.
So my question was if one part of the brain in CFS is damaged can you actually train another part of the brain to take over the damaged areas functioning? An alternate question is if one part of the brain is overactive - which is what I believe is happening to me - could I turn its activity down and correspondingly turn the activity of another (better) part of the brain up.
What also struck me were passages describing scientific studies which indicate that changing your "behavior" causes changes in your brain. For instance anytime you take up a new skill the areas in your brain devoted to that new skill will start to grow. If you took up pottery, say, the neurons in your brain devoted to touch would grow tremendously.
I've long like I was kind of stuck in this anxious, unable to calm down, over activated mode. I wondered if I could neurally 'grow myself' out of ME/CFS by consciously activating other parts of my brain and establishing new neural connections just as the stroke patients did? The key to do that is obviously activating other parts of the brain.
How to do that? (A) First by recognizing those patterns - those same old body sensations and patterns of thought and then invoking the possibility of 'neural reprogramming'. (I actually say to myself 'neural reprogramming'). It simply involves settling down and doing something different - putting one's attention elsewhere hopefully building a connection to a different part of the brain.
For instance, by brushing the back of your hand across a table - you light a different part of your brain. If you do that enough you establish a strong connection to that part of your brain. The idea is simply to light up different parts of the brain than are currently being light up by paying attention to new and different parts of the environment.
I started out simply paying attention to things I usually don't pay attention to like the fine sense of touch, the sounds around me and and objects I'd ordinarily never look at. That would usually instantly leave me more relaxed - allowing me to step outside of ME/CFS (to some extent) briefly.
I've done it enough that now when I invoke the idea of neural reprogramming its associated with a new mode of being; my breathing and heart rate slow down, my body straightens up and my energy increases: I step outside of ME/CFS a bit simply by invoking the process. I can sense when my body is beginning to get caught in those old patterns and often find a way to slide at least somewhat out of them.
These are like alot of little wins -temporary and usually small wins that I can't but think can be very helpful over time. Every time I feel a bit healthier I win!
This technique is just one of several mindfulness techniques I use daily