Pacing 101 - Brain Training as a Tool to Pace Better

Brain Training -- Another Pacing Tool

TLDR: 

• Brain training is one of many tools to help pace better by reducing wasted mental and emotional energy.
• The brain is small, but it is an energy hog that can eat through spoons faster than a sprint up the stairs.
• The science behind most "brain training" is sound.
• Most brain training programs oversell what they offer.
• You do not need an expensive program to learn this science.
• Outside of the "tools" that brain training programs teach you, which you can learn for free, the main benefit is accountability and the support of a coach. Some people might benefit from hiring a coach whom they can afford and feel a connection with.

Brain training is not the boogeyman. It is just another tool to add to your healing toolbelt. Don't expect miracles. Stay away from programs that promise quick results and learn what you need for free.

Like every other "cure" out there... people like to show off the big success stories because it makes you feel good and gives hope. The benefits go both ways, those desperate for healing need hope to continue and those who are trying to help fellow sufferers love to see that their efforts are having an impact on the lives of others.

This video gives a good quick overview of the different kinds of "brain training" and the red flags to look out for when listening to or hiring a "coach".

Red Flags VS REAL SUPPORT - What to Watch For! (With Lindsay Vine)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpSYc3y9vsA 

Get the tools for free!

However, I suggest learning the fundamentals/tools from free resources on YouTube, the internet and from books on the topic. This is nothing new... "Brain training" has been around for a long time and it has been used for TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury, chronic pain, phantom limb pain, etc.

And... as Lindsay Vine mentioned in the Raelen Agle video. There are many kinds of Brain Training tools. Find what works for you, add it to your toolbelt and move forward. 

*Trauma/PTSD/and trauma with a small "t" are often brought up as roadblocks to healing. Unfortunately, some seem to think that their LC/ME was caused by "Trauma". However, that is not the case. The damage that caused all this is physiological. It is not "in your head". The reason that dealing with trauma is beneficial is because it helps with healing and pacing.

Awkward analogy time (see image at top): 

A small aeroplane has a fuel leak. They must reduce the load/weight to make it to the island with a landing strip! The pilot orders everyone to throw out all the luggage and cargo. 

The reduced weight helps the plane reach the landing strip... just in time. They all survive...
Yeah! Break for commercial...

Dealing with trauma is like the luggage and cargo. The cargo did not cause the plane to have a fuel leak! This deadweight is an "innocent bystander" that needs to be taken care of for the plane to land. 

Dealing with trauma is the same as dealing with the luggage. The reduced load helps pace and heal faster. Therapy to deal with trauma is just another way to pace.

A personal example that might make it clearer:

Before I accepted my LongCovid and I truly learned to pace --thanks in part to free "brain training" tools -- I would get myself into binds by pushing too hard during a walk and then pushing even more because I was too cheap to pay for a taxi, bus or many of the other options that would have gotten me home faster and with less energy. 

I learned that a couple "small t" traumas that are deeply ingrained were holding back my recovery and making it harder to pace. These traumas had nothing to do with the original illness. They were only innocent bystanders making it harder to pace and heal. 

A person with "big T" Traumas will have a harder time since dealing with Trauma also takes energy. It is a catch-22. In those cases, professional help, especially someone who understands MECFS will be needed. If I had to deal with these "big T" Traumas then I would probably look at EMDR, somatic release and psychedelics like psilocybin with a trained specialized therapist.

Luckily, most of my traumas are the "small t" variety.... at most "medium t" on some scales. 

And thanks to brain training, nicotine patches, fasting, various meds and supplements. a clean diet, cold exposure, etc. I am doing very well and I have lots of tools in my toolbelt to keep getting better. The 80/20 pacing rule also helped... Each day spend 40% for mental tasks, 40% on physical tasks and leave 20% in the tank for healing at night. Important, 0% on emotions... thus the need for brain training.

Good keywords Free Sources to look for on Google/YouTube to help you hack your way to better health:

• Brain training (ME/CFS Explored, Simon explains lots of the tools.) The book "Reverse Therapy" explains the basics without upselling a program. Their upsell if trauma counselling.
• Yoga Nidra! Guided meditation that actually helps you rest while doing brain training!
  Insight timer app is free... lots of different videos on YT. Start with a 40-minute or more session.
• Visualizations. Not because of toxic positivity... only because it is less taxing on the mind to imagine everything going perfect instead of worrying about "possible" future problems. 
• Journal emotions. In bullet journal format, take note of things that happened and the emotions you had/have with respect to them. This AI journal can help guide your daily journalling: Rosebud
• Tapping. The free tapping on the Tapping Solutions app lets you track anxiety before and after guided tapping... This is a good short mindfulness break. The tapping also helps with lymph flow.
• Neuroplasticity=Focus+Safety pairing... the brain will not rewire if any threat is keeping the brain's attention. Basic neuroscience, has nothing to do with "toxic positivity."
• Polyvagal theory (Dr Stephen Porges)... how it relates to trauma
• TRE Trauma Release Exercises (Dr David Berceli)
• "Gradual Exposure Therapy" (Exposure, not exercise... and not pushing through!)
  
• Somatic Tracking...(an active form of Yoga Nidra or body scanning)
• Somatic release exercises (Dr Peter Levine's work)
• Pendulation: (Also Dr Levine)
• Vagal nerve exercises: (Garlgling, humming. etc.)
• Grounding (there is actually science behind this!)
• Sunlight! (Dr Seheult is a very good source of medical science from Medcram.com)
• Forrest Bathing
• Acceptance...curiosity about symptoms instead of fighting them: (Life With Kyle focuses on this subject... after a couple videos it gets repetitive, but helpful in pacing)
• Muscle testing from "The Emotion Code" book (to get yes/no answers from your subconscious/lymbic system) I prefer the Sway Test. The basics is science based... after that it can get quite woo-woo, too woo-woo for me 😉
• Mindfulness/stoic philosophy (this is the basis of CBT)
• CBT tools: Emma McAdam, a therapist with ADHD, has a great YouTube page (Therapy in a Nutshell) with all the CBT tools ... this helps with the mindfulness and mental pacing.
• Foods that aid in neuroplasticity (Oily fish, berries, nuts, eggs broccoli)
• Self-compassion: (many variations... find what suits you... one from Buddhism.
  
• Inner Child Meditation: Learn to love yourself as much as you love your children.
• Rain meditation: Jeff Waren or Tara Broch 

To delve more into the Trauma-Body Connection:

• The Book "The Body Keeps the Score", by Dr Bessel van der Kolk...(YT interview)
  
• The Book "When the body says no", by Gabor Mate (YT interview)

Self coaching:

• "The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self," by Martha Beck

Don't believe everything you hear/read on these topics. 

Good luck on this woo-woo path to health! In my opinion, most woo-woo is based on something real and science-backed... but then they add in some aspects that are less sound. Take what you need and leave the rest.

Remember, we are stronger together!

Troy Roach

Take care of yourself, and if you can, someone else too! --Stephen Dubner