Nervous system and injury

by Monnica Marwick, MindBody Reconnect (MBR) practitioner

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) consists of two main branches: the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). These two branches work together to regulate various bodily functions, including responses to stress and healing processes.

Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS):

Activation: The SNS is often referred to as the “fight or flight” response. It becomes active during times of stress, danger, or excitement.
Effects: Activation of the SNS leads to increased heart rate, dilated pupils, heightened alertness, and increased blood flow to muscles. It also suppresses digestion and other non-essential functions temporarily.
Role in Healing: While the SNS is crucial for survival in acute stress situations, its prolonged activation can interfere with healing processes. Chronic stress and sustained sympathetic activity have been linked to slower wound healing, impaired immune function, and increased inflammation.

Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS):

Activation: The PNS is often referred to as the “rest and digest” response. It becomes active during periods of relaxation, rest, and normal bodily functions.
Effects: Activation of the PNS leads to decreased heart rate, constricted pupils, enhanced digestion, and relaxation of muscles.
Role in Healing: The PNS promotes healing by conserving energy and supporting essential bodily functions. It enhances digestion, improves nutrient absorption, and facilitates the repair and growth of tissues. PNS activation also supports immune function and reduces inflammation, creating an optimal environment for healing.

Healing and the Balance Between SNS and PNS:

Optimal Balance: Healing is most efficient when there is a balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. While the SNS prepares the body for action and responds to immediate threats, the PNS ensures that resources are directed towards repair and regeneration once the threat has passed.
Chronic Stress: Prolonged activation of the SNS due to chronic stress can disrupt this balance, leading to delayed healing and increased susceptibility to infections and other complications.
Promotion of Healing: Techniques such as relaxation exercises, mindfulness, Mind Body approaches, adequate sleep, and stress management practices can help promote PNS activity and support healing processes. These approaches reduce sympathetic dominance, allowing the body to allocate resources towards recovery and restoration.

In essence, while both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems play crucial roles in regulating physiological responses, the parasympathetic system is particularly important for creating an environment conducive to healing and recovery. Achieving a balance between these two systems is essential for maintaining overall health and facilitating optimal healing responses in the body.

Chronic illness, particularly conditions involving persistent pain, often involves complex interactions between the brain, nervous system, and other bodily systems. Here’s a brief exploration of how the brain’s patterns and cycles can contribute to chronic illness, especially in the context of pain:

Neuroplasticity and Pain Perception: The brain exhibits neuroplasticity, meaning it can adapt and reorganize in response to experiences. In cases of chronic pain, repeated pain signals can lead to changes in the brain’s structure and function. This can amplify pain perception and create a cycle where the brain becomes hypersensitive to pain signals and generates symptoms of illness on repeat.
Central Sensitisation: Chronic pain conditions can lead to a phenomenon known as central sensitisation, where the central nervous system becomes more responsive to pain signals over time. This heightened sensitivity can lead to increased pain perception even in response to mild stimuli, perpetuating the cycle of pain.
Emotional and Psychological Factors: The brain’s response to pain is influenced by emotional and psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, and depression. These factors can interact with pain pathways in the brain, exacerbating pain perception and contributing to the maintenance of chronic pain states. Emotions and pain are processed by the same areas in the brain.
Maladaptive Brain Patterns: In chronic illness, the brain can develop maladaptive patterns where pain responses become ingrained and habitual. These patterns can involve areas of the brain responsible for processing emotions, memory, and decision-making, further reinforcing the experience of chronic pain.
Cognitive and Behavioral Contributions: The brain’s involvement in chronic illness extends beyond pain perception to include cognitive and behavioral aspects. For example, negative thoughts and beliefs about pain can influence how individuals perceive and cope with their symptoms, potentially exacerbating the illness.
Therapeutic Interventions: Recognizing the role of the brain in chronic illness underscores the importance of holistic therapeutic approaches. Techniques such as the MindBody Reconnect aim to identify the triggers which keep pain and symptoms going and address the emotions coupled with symptoms so that appropriate actions can be taken to reinforce safety and naturally retrain the nervous system back to full health.

In summary, chronic illness, particularly conditions involving pain, is influenced by how the brain processes and responds to sensory signals, emotions, and cognitive factors. Understanding these complex interactions can inform more effective treatment strategies that target both the physical symptoms and the brain’s contribution to the illness.

What is The MindBody Reconnect (MBR)?

MBR is a technique successfully used to teach and guide people to understand and reconnect their mind and body for the purpose of treating symptoms of ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, Long Covid and Long Vaccine, post-viral fatigue, IBS, anxiety, insomnia, migraines, depression and chronic pain conditions. The therapy helps empower people to make changes in their life that rebuild connections between their emotional, mental and physical self leading to improved health and wellbeing. It also addresses and educates clients on the basic functions of the brain and why it continues to generate symptoms of illness. The MindBody Reconnect was founded by Clare Caldwell who worked in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) and recovered from 15 years of chronic fatigue syndrome and functional neurological disorder. MBR is a complementary therapy to Allopathic Medicine.

The brain’s primary function is to ensure our safety by constantly assessing both our internal and external environments for potential threats. One key area responsible for maintaining this balance is the hypothalamus, often referred to as the “master gland.” When our body needs something, the hypothalamus swiftly initiates responses to meet those needs.

For instance, when the brain perceives a threat like an unfamiliar barking dog, it triggers our sympathetic nervous system. This activation directs energy to our muscles, increases heart rate, and temporarily halts digestion—a response known as fight/flight/freeze, crucial in acute situations. However, in chronic conditions, such as prolonged illness, this response becomes counterproductive. Continual release of adrenaline and hormones by an overactive hypothalamus can lead to perceiving minor stimuli as threats to our system.

This phenomenon is scientifically termed Psychoneuroimmunology, highlighting the intricate connection between our psychological processes, nervous system, and immune response. The mind and body, often treated separately, are interconnected. Psychoneuroimmunology explores how emotions, nervous system function, and the immune system interact, showing the significant role of emotions in immune function. Chemical and physical messengers like hormones and neurotransmitters facilitate communication between them. Research has mapped neural networks linking the cerebral cortex to the adrenal medulla, influencing the body’s response to stress. This connection highlights how mental states like stress and depression affect organ function.

How does MBR work?

During therapy sessions, a trained practitioner will help you tune into your symptoms and emotions in the present moment. Together, you will uncover what your body is communicating and develop tailored strategies to create new habits and respond effectively. You’ll practice these MindBody Reconnect tools daily to achieve freedom from symptoms.

These tools aid your nervous system in realising that it’s not under constant threat, enabling you to lead a safe and fulfilling life. By responding to your nervous system in this way, you can reduce fear and effectively alleviate symptoms. The brain’s ability to learn new skills, including how to manifest chronic symptoms, is remarkable — even if this pattern does not serve us. You harness neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to adapt and change its architecture, to promote healing.

Symptoms addressed via MBR

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Long Covid
Long Vaccine
IBS
Tingling, numbness, burning — neuropathies
Brain fog
Migraines
Anxiety
Mild depression
Fibromyalgia
Chronic cain
Post-viral symptoms

Monnica Marwick can be contacted at www.monnicamarwickmbr.com.

Some references on MBR

Finch F, Parker P, Nollett V, Burns S. The novel application of the Lightning Process to treat Long COVID in primary care – Case report. EXPLORE, 20(2) 2024, 248-252. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2023.08.009
Tankha H, Lumley MA, Gordon A, Schubiner H, Uipi C, Harris J, Wager TD, Ashar YK. “I don’t have chronic back pain anymore”: Patient Experiences in Pain Reprocessing Therapy for Chronic Back Pain. The Journal of Pain, 24(9) 2023, 1582-1593. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2023.04.006
Elbers J, Jaradeh S, Yeh AM, Golianu B. Wired for Threat: Clinical Features of Nervous System Dysregulation in 80 Children. Pediatric Neurology, 89 2018, 39-48. doi:10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2018.07.007