About Limbic System Injury & Retraining

The concept of brain plasticity is relatively new: it has only been about twenty years since neuroscientists discovered that the brain is not hard wired for life, and that we are constantly growing new neuronal pathways throughout adulthood and into old age. . . . This discovery has completely transformed the field of stroke rehabilitation and phantom limb pain. . . . Inspirational stories of people overcoming extreme physical challenges using therapies based on simple brain plasticity concepts fill the book The Brain that Changes Itself by Dr. Norman Doidge, M.D., a must-read for anyone interested in learning more about the power of neuroplasticity.

Now programs with immensely exciting potential are being developed to help those with . . .disease processes initiated by neurotoxic injuries. 

The theory behind . . . these therapies . . . is that there is a class of related illnesses that are catalyzed by an acquired neurotoxic injury to the brain centers that control our responses to perceived threats, whether they be viral, bacterial, fungal, chemical, immunological, physical, or other types of threats. 

These areas of the brain are located in the limbic system. A hallmark symptom of these illnesses is an overactive amygdala, stuck in "overdrive" and creating increased electrical activity in the brain. The overactive amygdala keeps us in a state of emergency, and various systems in the body – our detoxification system, our immune system, etc. – are tamped down in order to focus on the emergency at hand. Our ability to detoxify environmental toxins becomes compromised, and we can quickly become. . . [subject to] . . . multiple bacterial, viral, fungal, chemical, and immunological assaults which are extremely challenging to manage.

Certain disease processes appear to correlate to the type of injury incurred:

• chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis is commonly associated with viral injury; 
• fibromyalgia is often precipitated by a physical trauma – such as a car accident;
• chemical sensitivity is often induced by a chemical injury (including by neurotoxins with a structure very similar to certain synthetic chemicals produced by toxic mold, or by pathogenic bacteria like the Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete that causes lyme disease).

Once the original brain injury is received, repeated fight or flight responses to the new distressing and destabilizing symptoms further entrench the neuronal pathways set up during the injury . . . multi-organ symptoms mysteriously increase, pushing many towards total disability. 

With regard to chemical, electrical and other environmental sensitivities, a process of sensitization often occurs where the sufferer will find himself reacting to more and more classes of substances (e.g., synthetic fragrances, smoke, pesticides, etc.) which increasingly limits the quality of life. . . .

The brain retraining programs help us to "rewire" our brains, creating new, healthy neuronal pathways to take over previously damaged functions. We learn how to send . . . [the brain] . . . new messages about how to react to perceived threats like chemicals, mold, and electromagnetic fields. We train our limbic system to be at rest when not faced with real emergencies . . . [which allows]. . . . our detoxification, immune and other body systems return to normal.

[ Excerpt from "About" on Limbic Retraining.com ]