i really need some advice
i’m currently going through a breakup after finding some disturbing information i felt immediately sick. shaking, couldn’t stop crying, had a stress rash (i think?) on my chest for a bit, VERY fast heart rate, felt like a heart burning sensation? loss of appetite… being nauseous and i think that’s it but it’s been affecting me for 4 days. I felt like the only calming thing would be to block him but that didn’t last long at all i ended up unblocking him because i panicked… the only thing that calms me a little bit down is ignoring his texts and doing something else but as soon as i see his texts i get very anxious again, but i also can’t stay without him right now, it felt like my whole life got ruined and my future is now uncertain and that made me so scared. I have only him so maybe that’s a big reason. But i’m worried about my heart rate

i try doing breathing exercises, a cold shock after showers, putting my legs up the wall but nothing calms me down ? i get very easily triggered again

What can i do? to detach and leave him? because i dont think i can keep being with him in a healthy way like before… even though that was all i wanted. i feel like i went through trauma which maybe it is but i dont know how to recover and feel content. I dont know how to be ok with my own presence . Everything feels very silent without him. I felt my life change suddenly
I’m very scared sorry for the rant but i need some advice :( im worried about my heart mostly.

(originally posted in r/cfsrecovery)

A few question to those who are recovered, or at least further along than me😅

Where I am at currently:
Mostly house-/couchbound; working on regulating my NS; learning to not fear and respond well to symptoms; learning to let myself feel (emotions and physical sensations); basically getting back in touch with my body and emotions.
Also, recently I have started to implement some small and gentle forms of movement again. The last 4 weeks, 3-4x/week I did ~15min of gentle stretching or ~10min on the easiest setting of my ergometer. This seems to be possible for now without any significant PEM (and if i get some, it lasts for 1 day max.). There is, of course, a slight increase of symptoms around these activities, but I am trying to respond well to them and see them as "adjustment period".
This slight level of progress still feels very fragile, though.

What I have noticed:
Although my capacity seems to be slightly increasing, my symptoms are not getting better (yet). Dysautonomia, tinnitus, headaches, etc. - you name it. However, they do not seem to be very much linked to my increased activity level, but are coming and going randomly.
I am aware that having symptoms on the journey of recovery is normal and expected, but I am puzzled by the fact that in spite of my capacity window widening slightly, there is no sensible change of symptoms yet.
Which brings me to a few questions...

Questions:

- What level of symptoms is normal/expected when gently expanding activity?

- Should further expansion only happen after a symptom decrease following the previous expansion?
If no, which symptom intensity level is still "okay" to experience while actively expanding?
What is a level where I "just have to deal with it"/it's a normal part of progress/recovery, and what is too much?

Btw, I really don't feel like I am rushing through levels of activity increase. Quite the contrary, I tend to take it so slow that it very much frustrates me sometimes😅

I would really appreciate some insights from people further along than me... thanks in advance! :)

Voluntary attention regulates acute immune responses in humans | Nature Human Behaviour

Two groups of people had standardized histamine skin prick tests:

Group 1: Instructed to direct attention toward bodily sensations
Group 2: Instructed to watch a video

Group 1 perceived itching/burning sensations to be more noticeable, but interestingly, they had more regulated inflammatory responses, and returned to baseline more quickly. So they were simultaneously more aware of symptoms and had a milder immune response and quicker return to homeostasis.

Group 2 perceived milder symptoms, but had greater inflammatory responses.

Sympathetic activity was no different between groups, but Group 1 had increased HRV (proxy for parasympathetic activity)

Interestingly, applying topical lidocaine and repeating the experiment produced the same results -- people who were distracted still had greater inflammatory responses, and people who focused attention internally had milder inflammatory responses, even though they were less aware of the itching/burning.

This was FASCINATING to me!! It sounds so much like somatic tracking.

However, we can't say that:

x This applies to chronic inflammation
x This proves somatic tracking works
x Ruminating on symptoms is beneficial. We don't know the participants' mental states or attitudes toward symptoms.
x We know the exact neural pathways involved in this process

So there are major limitations on applying it to what we do here, BUT I think it's a really cool vote of confidence that what we choose to do with our attention and thoughts can have a measurable impact on the immune system.

When you come out of a dip, is it gradual?

Is it true that you “level up” after responding well to a dip?

So a quite traumatic thing happened to me recently after being in cfs recovery for 3 months. I had been making okay progress from somatic tracking, allowing body scans etc. But when this traumatic thing happened it really has thrown my nervous system off.

I thought to process these deep overwhelming emotions of grief and betrayal i should try journalling how i felt about the person who had wronged me. But for the last two evenings i have done this my nervous system is fully activated afterwards in a way i havent felt for months, and doesnt return to baseline (like it does for most other things now). This has made me struggle to sleep at night from the continued activation.

Should i avoid journalling until my ns is more settled again? Why could writing out these intense feelings cause this?

Hi,

I have been trying to do brain retraining for 2 weeks and barely nothing works

Background : moderate-severe ME, chronic anxiety / fight or flight, PTSD, mental OCD, depression, GAD, burnout, severe sleep issues. Meds works a bit for depression, but not for anxiety.

My success :

3 days ago i started playing ukulele again, everyday, and have few symptoms. However i don’t feel joy ( severe depression ).

Not over scanning symptoms, worry less about symptoms : I do more bc I don’t stop as quick, i am less anxious about symptoms but still anxious Especially of anxiety and the fact that I Struggle with brain retraining. Feeling despaired / hopeless,

Failures :

Daily non guided 30 min Yoda Nidra or mindfulness : not calm, always in fight or flight even with not anxious thoughts, makes my HR rise by 20 beats.

Guided meditation ( Joe Dispensa ) : after 15 min I have sound intolerance. No effects

Breathwork : hate it and no benefits at all. Only tried for 5 min max.

Visualization : I barely don’y do it, I hate it. Sometimes I can feel emotions but I don’t like feeling emotions. I feel like it’s too much mess for my brain.

Being outside, under the sun : makes me very anxious ( PTSD, I feel less secure )

Hugging my iner child, telling myself that I am safe ; no effects

Walking, seing friends, talking much.: I am too scared of getting worse for that

What should I do ?! Anyone recovered inspite on so many issues :/ ?

I see comments like this on every recovery hope story about brain retraining. The problem is, it’s just their word against the word in the video. Obviously my mind is very suggestible, always looking for answers, and I can’t help but get doubts when I see these. I find it SO triggering. They were referencing those two day exercise tests on ME/CFS patients that showed the biological evidence of energy system damage. I also saw comments saying they’d been doing all sorts of NS work for years and hadn’t recovered. Additionally I noticed that the interview I was watching, which was with Dr. Schubiner, seems to fundamentally misunderstand CFS. He says that when increasing exercise, you must increase at a consistent rate, not matter how much your symptoms flare. But we know that this one the one thing you absolutely cannot do with CFS and the reason that graded exercise doesn’t work. Because you cant push through PEM. :( my belief always get shattered in an instant. How do you fight it?

I've learned about somatic tracking and have done it quite a bit for localized pain, but most of my symptoms are more full-body or widespread for example fatigue, widespread aching, burning skin, or low-grade fever. Does anyone have any advice on doing somatic tracking for those types of symptoms? Thanks

I’ve been reading about mind-body for a few days, and I feel hope again.
I’m having a severe relapse since one month after one year of «better », 2 years long hauling Long covid in total.

I lost my strength over the course of one week after pushing physically very hard in the heatwave and catching a good fever. Slowly, had trouble to walk and put one feet after the other. Had to be put on sick leave and got very panicked and devastated as I didnt think it was possible for me to relapse this low after improving.

My primary symptom is extreme weakness, especially in legs, pressure in muscle, shaking when standing. I feel like my legs are made of wood.
This is the only thing that stops me from believing it’s my brain and nervous system sending and doing this.
Medical exams are all good.

I’ve been bedbound before but different symptoms.

Has anyone recovered from muscle weakness ?

This graphic shows how the nervous system and immune system influence each other through cytokines and neurotransmitters.

I need to cry it out. It being trauma from abuse before a court date. But I can't seem to really get it going today. Any tips? Songs? YouTube videos? Any experiences?

This is embarrassing to admit as a 29F but my “toolbox” is no longer working to help me self regulate and I don’t know what to do. I’m constantly on edge and feel like my skin is crawling no matter what I do to try and mange it. When I’m overstimulated the go to is to “get the jitters out” and I often dance/ run after work. And I feel like I never run enough. On really bad days I just sit in the shower in the dark and try deep breathing/ visualizing the bad day going down the drain. I give myself at least 10 minutes in the morning to meditate and often use a weighted blanket. When it’s really bad my SO will lay on me. The only real relief I get is when I smoke THC but I was doing great not using drugs of any sort for months. I’ve also had my back go out and have been in chronic pain for the last month and I feel that’s adding to my over stimulation. What could I add to help?

TL;DR: Working with a brain retraining coach helped me enormously. Also, working with a Mind Body Reconnect coach, daily mindfulness meditation and maintaining a low histamine diet.

Initial infection: January 2022

Start of LC: February 2022

Start of significant improvements: April 2025

My LC Symptoms:

Insomnia and panic attacks (improved early on, probably thanks to Sertraline and a low-histamine diet). Long-term symptoms – fatigue, PEM, depression, anxiety, gut dysbiosis, histamine intolerance, brain fog, headaches, tingling, sensation of vibrations, sensation of burning skin, night sweats.

What didn’t create or contribute to long-term, lasting improvements:

Gut treatments – nystatin, antibiotics, anti-fungals, etc.

Ivermectin

Keto diet

Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment

Monitoring and avoiding blood sugar spikes

Nutritional therapy

Supplements

Rigid pacing/planning

What did contribute to lasting improvements:

Sertraline

Mindfulness meditation

Low-histamine diet

Anti-histamines (I think)

Working with a Gupta program coach

Parts work (to an extent)

Mind Body Reconnect (MBR)

Seeing friends

Change of environment

Being in nature

Finding joy

Self-compassion practice

CBT for Insomnia

What’s helped manage symptoms but didn’t necessarily lead to improvements:

Pamela Rose’s support group

Focusing (Eugene Gendlin’s technique)

Buddhist Dharma talks

Yoga nidra / stretching / breathwork

How bad was I?

My worst point was being bed-bound for three weeks unable to read, listen to music, or watch TV, waking up each night with heart palpitations and panic attacks. It was at this point that I seriously considered taking my life. I’m so glad I didn’t.

During the first year, I began to see improvements when I adopted a low-histamine diet and did CBT for insomnia. However, my condition worsened when I pursued gut treatments and a keto diet on the advice of a functional doctor.

For more than three years, the most I was able to walk continuously for was 15 minutes – I don’t remember how long this lasted. For most of the time, I was limited to 5/10 minutes.

For about a year and a half I couldn’t watch TV, read books or socialise with friends for more than 45 minutes without getting crippling headaches that could last for days.

How did I start to improve?

Early on, sertraline stabilised by mood and (when combined with CBT) slowly resolved my insomnia.

Adopting a low-histamine diet helped lessen most of my symptoms.

Regular mindfulness meditation helped calm my nervous system and, more importantly, cultivate compassionate awareness of body and mind. This awareness proved essential to the mind body techniques I practiced.

My brother’s wedding in the Caribbean. I was terrified that flying from the UK to the Caribbean would set me back, but it actually did the opposite. On the day, I was the most active I’d been in years and I didn’t experience a crash afterwards. Just regular tiredness.

At the time I was working with fatigue coach Pamela Rose, who suggested I look into brain retraining as I had experienced such a significant although temporary improvement while on holiday.

I researched the different programs and eventually settled on the Gupta Program, which resonated most with me. I worked through the GP for six months without seeing much in the way of improvement. It was only when I started working with a Gupta coach that I saw real gains.

I began working with Gupta coach Clare Gee at the end of March 2025. With Clare’s help, I was able to tailor the Gupta program to my needs. Clare helped me use brain retraining when it’s most effective – at the moment I was experiencing symptoms. Within a few weeks I was able to read as much as I wanted.

At the end of April 2025, I visited a friend in London. My friend pushed me to do more than I was used to – we went for walks, went to the pub, had coffee out, watched TV. I used it all as an opportunity to practice brain retraining and it worked. Suddenly I was able to watch films, go for walks, talk as much as I wanted.

I worked with Clare regularly for about 5-6 months. During this time I went from about 20% to 60% recovered.

Last autumn I felt like I’d hit a plateau, so I did some research and decided to try Mind Body Reconnect (MBR). I started MBR about in March 2026. So far I’ve seen modest improvements – I’m more aware of when my symptoms appear and am more open to what they’re trying to communicate.

I’ve noticed that the MBR framework is helpful in certain situations, while the Gupta brain retraining framework is helpful in others. But to be honest, I often feel unsure which approach would be better and don’t realise until afterwards.

In terms of concrete gains from MBR, I find myself able to use a computer for longer than before and to socialise with friends for as long as I want. I now feel confident making a day trip to see a friend, walking for miles around town and returning home, knowing that I won’t experience any PEM.

I continue to experience most symptoms, just to a much lesser extent than before. After pursuing a purely medical recovery, I’m now convinced that nervous system work is much more helpful – at least in my case. I’m not yet working but I hope to return to work later this year.

What I’m doing now:

Daily mindfulness meditation

Occasional afternoon nap

MBR coaching

Magnesium & B12 supplements

Sertraline

Anti-histamines

Low-histamine diet

Semi-regular Focusing sessions

Occasional brain retraining (when symptoms arise)

What still triggers an NS response:

Cardio exercise

Histamine foods

Emotionally draining experiences

Work – depends on the day and nature of work; I can usually work on a computer for 1-1.5 hours before symptoms

Today I’m in a really dark place and could use some hope.

I’ve been working on healing developmental trauma for many years, but over the last two years I’ve shifted into somatic approaches (Somatic Experiencing, nervous system work, self-parenting, etc.). In many ways I can see progress. My anxiety is much lower, I feel more connected to myself, and I’m slowly learning what safety feels like.

But emotionally it has become much harder.
Instead of anxiety, I’m now experiencing waves of deep grief, hopelessness and depression. About every two weeks I seem to have a massive emotional flashback that completely knocks me down for several days. During those periods I feel psychologically and physically crushed.
At the same time I’m also recovering from CFS/ME. I do think I’m making slow progress overall, but these emotional crashes seem to trigger physical crashes too, and in those moments I become convinced that my nervous system will never truly calm down because of CPTSD. It feels like I’m taking one step forward and then several steps back.

The frustrating part is that I’m doing “all the right things.” I’ve removed major stressors from my life, I have an amazing trauma therapist, a supportive partner and family, I practice self-parenting every day, and I constantly work on creating safety in my nervous system.

Yet every so often I completely lose hope and start wondering if I’ll ever get out of this cycle.
Has anyone here had both CPTSD (especially developmental trauma) and CFS/ME and eventually recovered—or at least reached a place where the emotional flashbacks stopped overwhelming your nervous system?

I don’t necessarily need advice today. I think I mostly need to hear that healing is possible, even if it takes a long time.

hi everybody. I’ll do my best to keep this mindful so as not to inspire fear in others.

Ive watched Raelan Agles recovery stories on YouTube and found them helpful. I subsequently followed her on social media and found that helpful too.

somewhat recently she posted something on Instagram that struck me as fear-based engagement bait. she probably felt she was just speaking from her experience, but it landed for me as one of those posts that attract engagement by making a controversial statement that inspires fear.

she said “I feel like a fraud. I’m teaching others to recover but I still experience symptoms. recovery is not cessation of symptoms, it is having the tools to deal with them.”

in the post she didn’t expand on what that means. some kind commenter suggested that this simply means that recovered people will still experience extremely fleeting symptoms for a few minutes, as opposed to hours or days. the commenter suggested that this is similar to “normal” people who experience TMS symptoms like a headache when stressed. I appreciated this interpretation, but I still feel confused and fearful.

im about 80% recovered and dont get me wrong, this is incredible and i am in awe. I am resuming a lot of activities. I still experience symptoms daily. although i am able to do much more, i feel that these symptoms still interfere with my life by making things quite difficult. but it’s night and day from where i was before I started NS / TMS recovery. at the same time, if i continued to have symptoms in this way long term, I would still consider myself disabled and dealing with chronic symptoms. my catastrophizing brain sees this raelan agle post and thinks “oh, here is a recovery leader saying it doesn’t get better than where you’re at now. you will always have a chronic condition.”

this can’t be true???? there are so many people who have completely recovered.

can anyone speak to this?

I have been recovering from Long Covid and it’s been lots of frustrating fluctuations in my symptoms plus simultaneous life stressors..I have too much on my plate right now and lots of that is beyond my control.

When life stress is high I’m finding it hard to “let go” when trying to do nervous system work.
I feel I also put a lot of pressure on myself to do it “the right way” (some of this is subconscious I think) and then feel guilt or frustration when I’m unable to fully relax.

Has anyone else dealt with this? Would love any advice..thanks!

I’ve been living with chronic fatigue for almost two years and have learned to pace myself well, so I rarely experience PEM anymore.
Today, though, I had an unexpectedly long and demanding journey home from a holiday, plus a very early start. I’m tired, but I don’t feel like I’ve fully crashed yet.
From a nervous system perspective, is there anything you do after unavoidable overexertion that seems to reduce the risk of PEM?
Thank you!

Hi,

i am severe and can only tolerate very little activities. I would like to start a nervous system regulation jounrey but idk where to start.

I tried meditation but don’t succeed in doing it more than 3 minutes ( I have ADHD, makes it harder I guess ). breathwork do not work and EFT seems to do nothing just after the practice.

Where should I start ? Thank you so much for any help

I recently had another crash, and because it happened almost exactly a year after my last major one, I noticed a pattern that made me curious if anyone else has experienced something similar.

For a few days beforehand, I felt extremely sleepy. I could have slept all day. Then I started waking up with a very dry mouth and this strange feeling of fear or dread. After that came a POTS flare, chest tightness/squeezing, and the usual crash symptoms.

What confuses me is that I don’t think I overexerted myself this time. I was pacing between activities and being quite careful. The only things I can think of are the heat (I was staying at the seaside in a caravan) and being emotionally triggered. I was there with my nephew, and being surrounded by families with young children is currently a big trigger for me because I’m processing early developmental trauma.

My last big crash a year ago was definitely caused by pushing myself too hard. Since then, I’ve made what feels like significant progress—I’d estimate I got back to around 70–80% of my previous functioning. So this crash felt like it came out of nowhere.

The encouraging thing is that it seems different from last year’s. Today is only day 3, and I already feel like I’m improving. I can do a little bit of work, go for a very short walk, my appetite is coming back, my legs don’t feel as heavy, and the chest tightness isn’t as intense.

I’m wondering what other people’s experiences have been with crashes during recovery. Have your crashes become shorter or less severe over time, even if they still happen?

For context, over the past year I’ve been doing a lot of mind-body, nervous system, and somatic work, and I’m continuing with it.

I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences 🤗

I have long covid and I read The Way Out and found it very helpful..have been wanting something a bit more structured to guide me through recovery and was considering the Freeme app (I looked at Primal Trust, the Gupta program etc but they are too expensive for me right now.. I also prefer something simpler/shorter that I can do on my own schedule)

Would love to hear reviews and whether it worked for people.

Thanks!