6 Limbic Exercises to Reverse Your Autoimmune Disease
Living with an autoimmune disease can feel like navigating an unpredictable roller coaster of symptoms and emotions. I understand the struggles you face, and I'm here to tell you that there's a potential ray of hope to explore.
Have you heard about limbic brain retraining? It's an innovative approach that's gaining attention for its ability to bring relief and emotional healing to those with autoimmune conditions. In this article, we’ll talk more about your limbic system, limbic exercises, and how you can reverse your autoimmune disease with them.
Definition of limbic retraining
Imagine being able to hit the reset button on your brain, to rewire it in a way that promotes emotional balance and well-being. That's the power of limbic retraining. By focusing on the limbic system - the part of our brain responsible for emotions, memories, and motivation - we can take charge of our emotional responses and break free from the chains of chronic stress, anxiety, and trauma often associated with autoimmune challenges.
The importance of emotional balance for overall well-being
But why does emotional balance matter so much? Well, emotions are threads that weave our experiences, shaping how we perceive and interact with the world. Achieving emotional balance isn't just about feeling better; it's about building resilience and finding strength to cope with the complexities of living with an autoimmune condition.
Autoimmune conditions are also frequently correlated with higher HPA-axis (stress response system) dysregulation and an overactive limbic system. Therefore, finding emotional balance by balancing an overactive limbic system can help alleviate the symptoms related to your autoimmune condition.
How limbic retraining can positively impact mental health
Engaging in specific limbic exercises can lead to reduced anxiety, improved stress management, and a boost in overall mental well-being. It's like discovering a secret weapon that complements every medical and nutritional modality, offering you a chance to take back control of your health, embrace a more hopeful future, and reduce the symptoms related to your autoimmune disease.
Today, we're going to dive into six incredible limbic exercises that have the potential to reverse the course of your autoimmune challenges and unlock emotional healing. Together, we'll tap into the brain's plasticity and create new pathways toward a brighter, healthier tomorrow.
What is the Limbic System?
The limbic system located deep within the brain is a crucial network of limbic structures that has significant control over our emotions, behavior, and memory. Understanding its functions is key to unlocking its potential for emotional healing and overall well-being.
Understanding Its Role in Emotions and Memory
The limbic system comprises several interconnected brain areas, each playing a unique role in shaping our emotional experiences and memory. These neural pathways work in harmony to regulate our emotional responses, motivations, and reactions to the world around us.
The autonomic nervous system, an essential component of the limbic system, plays a significant role in coordinating our body's involuntary functions. It controls processes such as heart rate, breathing, and digestion, which are intricately tied to our emotional states.
The Connection Between the Amygdala and Stress Responses
At the core of the limbic system lies the amygdala, a small yet powerful structure responsible for processing emotions, especially fear and stress. When the amygdala perceives a potential threat, it triggers the body's fight-or-flight response, preparing us to confront or escape from danger. The heightened threat reflex initiated by the amygdala plays a crucial role in our survival instincts.
Maladapted Stress Response and the Vagus Nerve
While the fight-or-flight response can be life-saving in dangerous situations, chronic stress can lead to a maladapted stress response, also known as HPA dysregulation. This prolonged state of stress releases more stress chemicals which can have adverse effects on our physical and emotional well-being.
The vagus nerve, a vital part of the autonomic nervous system, acts as a key mediator in calming the stress response. By engaging the vagus nerve through specific techniques like deep breathing or relaxation exercises, we can counterbalance the fight-or-flight response and promote a sense of calm and well-being.
Neuroplasticity and Your Brain's Ability to Change through Limbic Retraining
The human brain possesses an incredible capacity for change and adaptation known as neuroplasticity. This fundamental quality allows the brain to reorganize itself and form new neural connections in response to experiences and activities. Just like any muscle in the body, with practice, your brain can rebuild, grow, and stimulate new neural connections. Limbic retraining harnesses neuroplasticity, enabling individuals to rewire their emotional responses and promote healing over time.
What is Limbic System Retraining?
Limbic retraining, also known as deliberate brain retraining or brain retraining, is an innovative therapeutic approach that taps into the brain's innate ability to change and adapt. It involves intentionally rewiring the brain's neural pathways to promote emotional healing, resilience, and improved overall well-being. Effective brain retraining programs focus on creating new beneficial neural pathways that replace negative emotional patterns with healthier responses.
Limbic retraining offers a transformative path to emotional healing and improved immune health. In this blog, we will explore the importance of limbic exercises in maintaining emotional balance and reversing autoimmune conditions. Discover how simple practices can unleash the power of your limbic system, paving the way to emotional freedom and a stronger immune response.
Why Are Limbic System Exercises Important?
A properly functioning limbic system is crucial for emotional balance and overall health. If the limbic system is impaired, it can lead to issues like anxiety, depression, and weakened immune function, making the body more susceptible to diseases like autoimmune disorders. Limbic exercises play a vital role in strengthening the limbic system, supporting emotional well-being, and enhancing the body's ability to fight off diseases.
Limbic rewiring for natural immunity stimulates specific brain structures, releasing hormones like oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine, which help the body respond appropriately to stressors. By practicing limbic exercises, individuals can reduce inflammation, improve mood, and strengthen their immune system, making them an effective tool in reversing autoimmune diseases.
Who can Benefit from Limbic System Exercises?
Everyone can improve mental and emotional well-being and brain function, but these practices are especially necessary for:
Autoimmune diseases: Hashimotos, Ankylosing spondylitis, Dysautonomia/POTS, Myasthenia gravis, Autoimmune hemolytic anemia, Crohn's, Celiac, Sjogren's syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, Lupus
Detoxing from mold or chemical sensitivities; symptoms of brain fog
Lyme disease, MCAS/MCAD
Dysregulated nervous system, PTSD
Constant rumination, fight or flight, or freeze
Emotionally irritable or overly sensitive to stimulus
Over-reactive
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic Pain
Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Severe negativity bias
Jumping from multiple healing modalities but nothing seems to stick
Limbic Exercises to Reverse Your Autoimmune Disease
To maintain optimal limbic system function and reverse autoimmune diseases, engaging in regular exercises that target specific brain structures such as limbic response is crucial. Limbic system retraining refers to these researched backed practices:
1. Deep Breathing
Deep breathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting a sense of calmness and releasing hormones that reduce inflammation. It also improves circulation and oxygenation throughout the body, supporting immune health. Practice deep breathing by inhaling deeply from your abdomen and exhaling slowly through your nose, focusing on relaxation and stress reduction.
2. Meditation
Meditation is a powerful tool for reducing stress and enhancing limbic system function. Taking just a few minutes each day to sit quietly and focus on slow, deep breaths can lead to improved mood, better focus, and a stronger immune response. Meditation helps you stay present, enabling you to handle stressors with greater ease and effectiveness.
3. Visualization
Visualization exercises involve immersing yourself in a specific image or memory, promoting relaxation and mental clarity. By focusing on peaceful and calming images, you can relax your body and improve your limbic system's function. Visualization is an effective way to reduce stress and promote healing.
4. Yoga
Yoga combines physical movements with breathing, relaxation, and meditation techniques. Regular yoga practice reduces stress, improves circulation, and boosts the immune system. Choose yoga classes that specifically target reversing autoimmune diseases, ensuring maximum benefits.
5. Tai Chi
Tai chi, a martial art focused on gentle, slow movements, improves balance, coordination, and flexibility. It reduces stress and enhances concentration, making it an excellent limbic exercise for immune health. Participate in classes tailored to improving the limbic system and supporting your immune response.
6. Cardio and Strength Training
Cardio and strength training exercises release endorphins that improve mood, reduce stress, and boost immunity. Cardio enhances circulation, while strength training helps build muscle mass, which aids in fighting off infections. Engage in activities like walking, jogging, swimming, and incorporate free weights or resistance bands for strength training.
7. EFT Tapping
Practicing Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), also known as tapping, can amplify the benefits of limbic exercises, providing additional support in alleviating stress, anxiety, phobias, trauma, and chronic pain.
Embrace the liberating effects of limbic exercises on your emotional well-being and immune health. By incorporating these practices into your daily routine, you can cultivate emotional freedom and embark on a journey toward a stronger, resilient you. Unleash the transformative power of your limbic system and savor the profound impact on your well-being and overall life.
Healing Chronic Illness and Autoimmune Diseases through Limbic System Retraining
Living with chronic illnesses and autoimmune diseases can be an arduous and challenging journey, not only on a physical level but also on an emotional one. The impact of emotional dysregulation and emotional stress on health is profound and can significantly affect individuals suffering from various chronic conditions, including chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic pain, Lyme disease, and more.
Understanding the Connection Between Emotional Balance and Autoimmune Diseases
Emotions play a pivotal role in our overall health, and when emotional imbalances are present, they can exacerbate physical symptoms and hinder the body's ability to heal. Chronic illnesses such as chronic inflammatory response syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivities, and mast cell activation syndrome can be particularly influenced by emotional dysregulation, intensifying their effects on the individual's well-being. These conditions are marked by limbic system impairment. Emotional balance becomes a critical aspect of managing autoimmune diseases like those related to the endocrine system, electric hypersensitivity syndrome, and mold exposure.
How Chronic Stress Response Can Exacerbate Chronic Illnesses
Chronic stress is a common companion of many chronic health conditions, including postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), irritable bowel syndrome, and chronic infections. The persistent activation of the stress response can lead to inflammation, weakened immune function, and further complications in managing these conditions.
The Power of Limbic Retraining in Supporting Healing
Despite the challenges posed by chronic illnesses and autoimmune diseases, Limbic System Retraining Exercises offer a transformative and hopeful approach to address emotional dysregulation and improve overall well-being. Limbic System retraining exercises can help positively impact even complex chronic illnesses by directly addressing the symptoms related to limbic system impairment.
Embracing Neuroplasticity for Emotional Healing
The brain's incredible ability to change and adapt, known as neuroplasticity, forms the foundation of Limbic Retraining. This remarkable quality allows the brain to reorganize itself, forming new neural connections and pathways. Through deliberate brain retraining exercises, individuals can actively engage in neuroplasticity, promoting emotional healing and resilience in the face of chronic illnesses and autoimmune diseases.
The limbic system, as a crucial part of the brain responsible for emotions, memories, and motivation, plays a central role in the process. By targeting specific limbic structures and neural pathways, individuals can gradually reduce the emotional burden caused by chronic conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic pain, and Lyme disease.
Moreover, Limbic Retraining is an effective tool to address emotional trauma, stress responses, and chronic stress response associated with chronic illnesses. By engaging in exercises that promote relaxation, deep breathing, and meditation, individuals can actively counteract the heightened stress response system, leading to reduced inflammation and improved immune function.
Reducing Inflammation and Enhancing Immune Function
Inflammation lies at the core of many chronic illnesses and autoimmune diseases. Limbic Retraining has shown promise in reducing inflammation and potentially enhancing immune function. By actively rewiring the brain's responses to triggering stimuli, individuals can mitigate the body's inflammatory reactions, leading to a calmer immune response.
For individuals dealing with conditions such as chronic inflammatory response syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivities, chronic lyme disease, mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), irritable bowel syndrome, and chronic infections, the ability to reduce inflammation can significantly impact their day-to-day well-being and quality of life. Moreover, by promoting emotional healing and reducing emotional stress, Limbic Retraining creates an internal environment that supports the body's ability to heal and regulate immune responses more effectively.
Strengthening Coping Mechanisms and Resilience
Living with chronic illnesses and autoimmune diseases demands a high level of resilience and effective coping mechanisms. Limbic Retraining empowers individuals to cultivate these essential skills, enabling them to navigate the complexities of their health conditions with greater confidence and adaptability.
Through targeted exercises that focus on mindfulness, visualization, cognitive disorders, and self-compassion, individuals can develop a stronger emotional foundation. This newfound resilience not only aids in managing the emotional challenges of chronic illnesses but also enhances the individual's overall well-being.
Moreover, as individuals engage in Limbic Retraining, they may discover new pathways for restoring proper function in the body. The brain's ability to improve through neuroplasticity can lead to improved brain function, brain imaging, and drug-free approaches, which can have a positive impact on other bodily functions, such as regulating blood pressure and promoting a healthier immune system and immune response.
Conclusion
Living with an autoimmune disease can be an uphill battle, both physically and emotionally. However, there is hope in the form of limbic retraining—a transformative approach that can bring relief and emotional healing to those facing autoimmune challenges.
By understanding the overactive limbic system's role in autoimmunity, we can tap into its potential for emotional healing and overall well-being. Achieving emotional balance becomes crucial for coping with the complexities of living with an autoimmune condition.
Engaging in specific limbic exercises, such as deep breathing, meditation, visualization, yoga, tai chi, and cardio/strength training, can positively impact our mental health and immune system. These practices help reduce anxiety, stress, and inflammation, providing powerful tools to reverse the course of autoimmune disease.
Limbic system retraining, grounded in the concept of neuroplasticity, allows us to rewire our emotional responses and create new beneficial neural pathways. By doing so, we can break free from the chains of chronic stress and embrace a more hopeful and healthy future.
The journey towards healing chronic illness and autoimmune diseases may be challenging, but with limbic retraining, emotional freedom, resilience, and improved immune health are within reach. Embrace the power of your limbic system, and discover the transformative impact it can have on your well-being and overall life. By taking charge of your emotions and cultivating emotional balance, you can pave the way to a brighter, healthier tomorrow—empowered to face the challenges of your autoimmune condition with newfound strength and hope.
Limbic System Impairment - where to start balancing your nervous system?
If you've been trying various methods and diets but nothing's helping you feel better, you feel stuck or have plateaued in your healing journey, you might be dealing with limbic system impairment.
Limbic system impairment occurs when chronic stress or trauma disrupts the brain’s emotional center, keeping the body in a constant state of fight-or-flight. This hinders healing, leading to persistent symptoms like anxiety, chronic pain, reactivity, and fatigue.
Limbic work can often be the missing piece needed to achieve robust health.
I’m thrilled to share a tool that provides extensive information on how you can begin healing your limbic system.
My colleague and dear friend Courtney Jacobs is a Functional Nutritionist, Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP), and Certified Life Coach, has worked in the health and fitness field for 18 years.
She has trained and helped thousands of people heal their limbic system impairment, transform their lives, and feel better.
This self-paced Limbic Brain Retraining Course is packed with information and designed to provide both foundational knowledge and advanced limbic strategies.
What’s Included:
7 Weeks of Limbic Retraining Foundations
5 Advanced Limbic Work Classes
AND +6 Bonus Limbic Education Videos
Lifetime Access so you can revisit the foundations and always have a tool to reset your nervous system
This course is a great place to start your limbic brain retraining so that you can get unstuck and feel better right away.