In many mold and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) groups, the idea of treating the illnesses with brain retraining often comes up.
Before I go on, let me make the connection between the program in the article below about young Cherry from North London (Lightning Process) and the program that seems to be popular in mold and MCS groups.
“The Lightning Process is based on the philosophy that participants with diseases like ME, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain or depression can train their brains to overcome their physiological disease by thinking positive thoughts about their health, and counteracting negative ones by establishing ‘new neural pathways’.” https://www.meaction.net/2019/01/23/the-effects-of-graded-exercise-therapy-and-positive-thinking-on-a-young-girl-with-me/
“Techniques used in the Dynamic Neural Retraining System™ are based on neuroplasticity therapy, which rewires the limbic system to build more functional neural pathways.” https://retrainingthebrain.com/how-the-program-works/
New neural pathways are the goal of each.
While I believe much good can be done treating stress, anxiety, PTSD, and depression, the retraining programs cannot do much good for the physical side of these illnesses beyond the measure of relief from stress reduction (which CAN be significant for some people).
So some people in the groups say, “Well, why not just try it?”
Because these programs can also do harm, and it is hard to know before hand what will happen.
The problem is that some are more susceptible from harm from these programs than others, just as some are more likely to be helped.
Some risk factors for harm, I believe, are: Severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), high body loads of toxins (which is very hard to tell), and compliant and highly-motivated people because their natural humility may cause them to believe others and ignore their own bodies’ warning signs of physical (rather than emotional or stress-related) problems.
Some people with mold illness and MCS get ME/CFS and some do not. Those who do not have ME/CFS, IMHO, are less likely to suffer bad effects from brain retraining programs.
Poor Cherry’s life was ruined by trying to establish new neural pathways.
“’Cherry was really angry and confused because they made it seem like it was her fault that she had not recovered,’ said Cherry’s mum. ‘She was young. She felt confused because she had always put her heart and soul into everything. She can’t speak for herself now but she feels very angry at how the Lightning Process played with her mind and made her doubt herself.’
“Four years after attempting to override her system with willful physical and mental exercise, Cherry, now 21 years old, spends 24-hours per day in a darkened room, 100 percent bed bound, too weak to speak or swallow, and surviving on a feeding tube.
“’It seems innocuous – how can gentle exercise or good thoughts possibly be dangerous?’ Cherry’s mum said. ‘The problem with the disease is that you can do massive damage to your body systems, but it often doesn’t show up until months later….’ (emphasis mine)
“Research shows that people with ME [same thing as CFS] have an abnormal physiological response to exercise. Studies show that after exercising people with ME have reduced blood flow to the brain and heart (Neary et al., 2008; Peterson et al., 1994), reduced oxygen uptake in hemoglobin (Miller et al., 2015), reduced oxygen utilization (Snell et al., 2013, Vermeulen & Vermeulen, 2014), and abnormal gene expression related to immunity, metabolism and the nervous system.
“Two-day exercise testing (CPET) shows that patients cannot perform the same activity two days in a row, whereas healthy, deconditioned people tend to do better on the second day than the first. The test measures metabolic products and does not rely on the patient’s effort.”
This means our very efforts at life–at metabolism and energy–are compromised. Reduced blood flow to the brain and heart are fine–said no one, ever.
Christa Upton Black Hills Picture Books Edgemont, SD 57735
