Look at this. What you’re seeing is the brain changing itself in real time. Those connections aren’t fixed. They form, fade, and reshape depending on what keeps running inside the mind. That alone proves one thing: change is not an exception. It’s the default.

Just wondering if you've had any experiences with this type of treatment, or thoughts about its effectiveness. Thanks!

Okay, so this is going to be long, and I'm going to need you to stick with me through the tangent. I promise it's relevant.

I haven't read Howard Schubiner's work directly, but his colleague Alan Gordon was a key speaker at the Migraine World Summit this year. I found his talk interesting enough to buy his book and do some more research on my own, and I found it worthwhile pursuing on my own.

I know enough from my mast cell disorder to know that the body develops 'bad habits' around pain.

In the case of anxiety, stress, or panic, mast cells become more reactive, and this can make pain worse. This is true for everyone*; it's just those of us with MCAS or some other type of mast cell disorder who have more alarming symptoms like idiopathic anaphylaxis.

So, unfortunately, if I, as someone with MCAS, experience an acute pain from an injury or illness, the inherent stress response of the pain and the out-of-balance response from my nervous system can make my mast cells degranulate. They're little fuckers like that.

Mast cells can also put your body on an inflammatory cycle that is counterproductive to healing. They can literally get trained to anticipate reactions and pre-emptively react, because again, they are little fuckers.

To give you an example of this for me: my major migraines, the ones that land me in the hospital, occur on the dot every ten days. There are no hormonal factors to this that can be found or other consistent triggers or stressors, but I was unknowingly being exposed to an MCAS trigger roughly every ten days for a while. When I realized, I removed the trigger, obviously. Problem solved, right? Unfortunatley no. By then, my mast cells had trained themselves into a new pattern, and the migraine now is both the response and the trigger. It's some bastard thing called Innate Immune Memory. But it's also, partly, my subconscious anticipating the event and priming my body for a reaction, which I am susceptible to because of my MCAS and dysautonomia, which is a type of nervous system disorder.

And this is where the neuroplasticity comes in.

I'm currently in the process of trying to unlearn this response and better regulate my nervous system, which unfortunately makes me sound like a TikTok girly with a link in bio to sell you cortisol healing tea, but I promise you the only thing I'm interesting in shilling is my smutty vampire books. (And this post will be how some people learn I write books)

Anyway, why am I bothering to explain mast cell dysfunction like this in relation to neuroplasticity?

Because, yeah, if a pain doctor handed me a leaflet about 'unlearning pain' and I didn't understand how my body is routinely sabotaging itself on a cellular level in response to acute and neuroplastic pain, I'd also be rolling my eyes and feeling like I've just been handed a bottle of snake oil in the market.

God knows I've been handed 'mindfullness' leaflets by enough shitty doctors who don't actually understand what it means when we say "stress affects the nervous system" and just assume the patient is inventing symptoms to be annoying.

Thankfully, that is not what this is. At least I am hoping the doctor sending you there doesn't think you are causing your own pain. What they are hopefully trying to do is introduce you to something that a lot of chronic pain patients are reporting helps them feel more in control of their lives after many years of feeling at the mercy of their pain.

I don't attend the sessions at my brain injury clinic (yet), but I do know they use neuroplasticity therapy to help amputees with the phantom pain they experience from missing limbs. My physical therapist spent an entire session singing its virtues to me while I was fighting for my life on a balance board. Which is also why I decided to look into it after I heard Gordon talking at the Migraine World Summit.

So, do I think Schubiner's methods are hokum?

No, I think there's a lot of merit to the things he talks about and explains, but I also know the only reason I think that is because of the insight I have into the brain-body bundle through the experiences of my mast cell disease that has taught me there is nothing the brain is incapable of fucking up.

Do I think targeting neuroplastic pain will work well for everyone?

No. I think you need to try it and see if it's a good fit for you.

Some people who attended the World Migraine Summit think it's snake oil/just another way for pain doctors to foist us off into the realm of mental health care. Conversely, other people won't shut up about how learning to break the cycle of fear and panic around their pain has been life-altering for them.

For me, it's been more subtle and is part of a broader spectrum of therapies and medical treatment I use to keep my nervous system in check. It certainly hasn't done me any harm. If anything, I found it quite validating to hear someone say, "Oh, the pain is in your head? Of course it is. Let's try to fix that," and then gave me actionable coping methods. They might not work profoundly in the long term. I'm still a sick bitch with multiple acute causes of my pain. But it's also not harming me the way mindfulness was (many chronic pain patients can find it traumatizing).

I will say, I am concerned that some doctors will use the treatment of neuroplastic pain to dismiss treating acute pain with physical causes.

Just like how mindfulness has been abused by an overworked, underfunded medical system not equipped to handle chronic patients, there's also the risk of neuroplastic therapy being tossed over the fence in a similar fashion as a last ditch Hail Mary to treat patients they don't have time for. But I don't think it's widespread enough yet for that to be the case.

I dunno. Give it a try. If it's not for you, it's not for you.

Personally, I hate anything that revolves around group therapy, but I did find the book "The Way Out" by Alan Gordon insightful in helping me figure some things out. Maybe see if your local library has it before you drop money on any sessions?

_ _ _

Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize its structure, function, and connections in response to experience, learning, or injury.

Neurons form new pathways, strengthen existing ones, and prune those that are no longer used. The brain is continuously adapting.

This is what allows recovery after injury, habit formation, and skill acquisition. The same mechanism that helps someone relearn movement after a stroke is the mechanism behind changing behavior and thought patterns.

The brain does not stop adapting in adulthood. It is constantly updating based on input. Structural changes occur in how neurons connect. Functional changes occur in how those connections are used.

This adaptability is neutral. It does not select for what is “good” or “bad.” It reinforces what is repeated and what is attended to. This is why the same system that builds skill can also reinforce negative patterns, chronic stress responses, or maladaptive habits.

How Does It Work?

Neuroplasticity follows use.

Repeated thoughts and actions strengthen specific neural pathways. The more something is activated, the more efficient that pathway becomes.

Novelty forces the brain to form new connections. Learning a new skill, language, or environment increases neural flexibility.

Attention determines what gets reinforced. What you consistently focus on is what the brain prioritizes and stabilizes.

Lifestyle factors such as movement, social interaction, and nutrition support the brain’s capacity to adapt, but they do not determine direction.

Direction comes from repetition and focus.

Neuroplasticity gives you the ability to change. It does not decide what you become. That comes from what you repeatedly engage with.

Neural Pathways vs Neural Networks

A neural pathway is a specific route through which signals travel. These are structured, often long-range connections that carry information between different regions.

A neural network is a broader system. It is a pattern of interconnected neurons working together to process information.

Pathways handle transmission.

Networks handle processing. When you repeat a behavior or thought, you are not just strengthening a single pathway.

You are reinforcing a network.

Over time, that network becomes more efficient, more dominant, and more likely to activate automatically.

This is where patterns begin to stabilize.

Neurotransmitters

Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that allow neurons to communicate across synapses. An electrical signal reaches the end of a neuron, triggers release of these chemicals, and they bind to receptors on the next cell.

This either increases the likelihood of that neuron firing or reduces it.

This process is fast and continuous.

Neurotransmitters do not just pass information.

They influence whether connections strengthen or weaken over time.

Repeated activation of the same circuits strengthens synapses.

This process underlies learning and memory.

It is also what stabilizes patterns of thought and behavior.

Repetition & Neuroplasticity

Repetition is the driver.

Hebbian Learning explains why this happens. Often summarized as “neurons that fire together, wire together,” it describes the process through which repeated activation strengthens the connection between neurons.

The more frequently specific neural circuits are activated, the more efficient and automatic they become.

This is the neurological basis of repetition turning temporary actions or thoughts into stable patterns.

When a thought or action is repeated, the connections involved become stronger and more efficient.

This creates a physical change in the brain.

What starts as effortful becomes automatic.

Processes move from conscious regulation to systems responsible for habit and routine.

The brain prioritizes efficiency. It automates what is repeated.

If something is not used, it weakens.

Connections are pruned. Patterns lose dominance.

This is not selective. It applies to everything.

How This Shapes Identity

Identity is not fixed.

It is a stabilized pattern of repeated neural activity.

What you repeatedly think, do, and focus on forms consistent networks.

Those networks become your default way of interpreting and responding.

That is what feels like “who you are.”

Saying “I am a runner” is not just language.

It reinforces a pattern that biases behavior toward consistency.

The brain does not verify whether a repeated thought is accurate. It encodes frequency and relevance.

Repeated self-concepts, even if initially untrue, can become stabilized as part of identity.

This is why negative self-talk can become embedded.

It is also why it can be changed.

Identity is built through repetition.

It is maintained through reinforcement.

Because the brain remains plastic, identity is always being updated.

What you consistently engage with now becomes the structure that defines your future responses.

You are not uncovering a fixed self.

You are stabilizing patterns through repeated input.

What Trauma Actually Does To The Brain: An Educational + Deep Dive Into the Nuerobiology of Survival

2/9

When people say trauma “rewires your brain,” it’s not metaphor. It’s neurology.

Understanding trauma’s impact on the brain helps to demystify our reactions — and lift the weight of shame. Trauma survivors often ask, “Why am I like this?” The answer is: because your brain adapted perfectly to danger. Let’s break this down.

Chemically Speaking: What changes?

1.Cortisol & Adrenaline Override

Trauma floods your system with stress hormones, primarily cortisol and adrenaline.

This is useful short-term: it sharpens reflexes and numbs pain. But in chronic trauma? These chemicals get stuck on high.

🔸Result: Hypervigilance, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, poor digestion, high heart rate, emotional flooding.

2. Neurotransmitter Dysregulaion

Repeated trauma interferes with:

Serotonin (mood stability)

Dopamine (pleasure & motivation)

Norepinephrine (alertness)

Oxytocin (trust and bonding)

🔸Result: Depression, low energy, difficulty feeling joy, trouble connecting with others or yourself.

3. Histamine & Immune System Overreaction

Many trauma survivors experience mysterious allergies or sensitivities. That’s because trauma activates mast cells and increases histamine, which is meant to fight threats—but in trauma, the body starts treating life like one big emergency.

🔸Result: Skin flare-ups, food sensitivities, digestive issues, headaches, overeating.

Structurally Speaking: What gets rewired?

Amygdala (Fear Center)

The amygdala becomes overactive. It constantly scans for threat — even when you’re safe.

🔸You feel: Startled easily, overwhelmed by crowds, panicked by “nothing.”

Prefrontal Cortex (Logic & Decision-Making)

This part shrinks with chronic trauma exposure, making it harder to regulate emotion or make clear decisions.

🔸You feel: Scattered, impulsive, like your thoughts run too fast or not at all.

Hippocampus (Memory & Context)

This structure gets damaged by cortisol, shrinking over time.

You may struggle to remember things clearly—or feel hijacked by memory fragments or body sensations.

You feel: Disoriented, like past and present blur, or like your body “remembers” things you can’t explain.

You are not broken.

You’re adapted.

If you’ve:

Lost your appetite or have food aversions

Felt “frozen” when trying to make a simple decision

Reacted strongly to sound, smell, texture or light

Needed rigid routines just to feel okay

..your brain is doing exactly what it was trained to do.

Trauma isn’t just emotional pain. It’s a full-body reprogramming for survival.

The Good News: Neuroplasticity

The brain is not fixed. Healing is possible.

With:

Trauma-informed therapy (EMDR, somatic work, IFS)

Regulation practices (breath work, safe ritual, or co-regulation)

Nutrition and movement, when accessible

..your brain begins to rewire itself back toward safety.

Every time you listen to your needs, rest, hydrate, name your truth, or say no—you’re re-parenting your nervous system.

Instead of:

“Why am I like this?”

Try:

“What did I survive that made this necessary?”

Let this serve as both science and sacred permission.

To be soft. To be patient.

To be a body learning how to come home again.

Things to research when you want to understand the mind better!!

⊹ the neuroscience of falling in love and what it does to the brain

⊹ why we forget dreams within minutes of waking up

⊹ the phenomenon of false memories and how easily they form

⊹ what happens in the brain during meditation

⊹ the science of why music gives you chills

⊹ why some people can visualise things in their mind and others can't

⊹ the psychology of decision fatigue and why it gets worse throughout the day

⊹ what sleep actually does and what happens when we don't get enough

⊹ the neuroscience of creativity and where ideas actually come from

⊹ why the brain is better at remembering incomplete things than finished ones

⊹ the psychology of nostalgia and what it actually does for us emotionally

⊹ how the brain processes grief differently from other emotions

⊹ the science of gut feelings and whether they're actually reliable

⊹ why boredom is neurologically necessary and what happens without it

⊹ what happens in the brain in the moments before sleep