Back From Limbic Brain Retraining Retreat
How did I get on? Did it help? What, where etc etc...
Yay, I’m back after my hiding-in-a-lodge limbic retraining sort of retreat to help calm my MCAS. The aim was to get ahead of increasing sensitivity, which I think I have done. Fingers, toes and knees crossed.
TL:DR: I’m back, baby, and the shop is now back open, thank you for your patience! Read on for more on my retreat if you fancy that…
My limbic retreat daily ‘plan’
I say ‘plan’ but I only had a loose idea of what I was going to do. I had resources with me and in mind, but I let myself just choose activities (or not) each day depending how I felt. I know many of us couldn’t afford to go away to a lodge but I have never spent money on myself like that and thought it was about ruddy time. I now plan to work out how to do it at home more!
I had deep sensory rest the first couple of days with sleeping, vooing, eye exercises, physiological sighing etc as per Primal Trust Regulate (see below). No screens, no chatting to anyone. Ooh lovely. It REALLY helped. I felt my whole system just rest.
After that, I spent the next few days doing more active limbic stuff like meditation, visualisation, EFT, WHEE, journalling etc - whatever I felt like - which including singing at the top of my voice to Adele and dancing round the (thankfully very private) lodge to Muse. Amazing how much that can help - that was my joy ‘injection’ if you like. I had a friend visit for a lovely natter so had some social connection - and so I didn’t go mad in my head on my own all week!
I ended each day by watching a success story to show my limbic system people DO get better from much worse positions than me. I always find those help. I also started reading just crappity simple fiction; nothing too taxing.
The last couple of days, I started thinking about purpose, the future and, as my sister put it, remembering who I am. I felt the itch to write, so I did some of that. Plus, I watched some more intensive videos on MCAS and healing generally. As usual, I so enjoyed the science of it all, just wish it wasn’t me suffering with it!
Overall, sensitivity was much lower, but I was a bit lonely and missing cuddles from Winniecat especially - don’t tell P! Pain levels went down, the jangling and tinnitus in my head stopped. I knew that because, when we got there, P said doesn’t the little waterfall sound nice? Er, what waterfall? Then I heard it on the third day - yay! My eyesight became less cloudy (??), my joints became less inflamed, I started to feel less flat, anxious and fatigued. The bloating never left and I still looked 8 months pregnant. Clearly my gut is my real nemesis. Was it ever thus. Anyway, not bad for a week.
My limbic retreat diet
Diet-wise, I ate when I felt like it. I had my ground almond/flaxseed/coconut porridge with blueberries and a tiny sprinkle of coconut sugar every day for breakfast. A salad for lunch every day with our home-grown leaves, radishes etc with some kind of protein every day - mostly king prawns and tuna in olive oil (in a glass jar). I snacked on nuts, fruit and treated myself to a glass or two of wine and some crisps here and there. Because this was not an avoidance week; I’ve got more than enough of that going on already, thank you.
I ate meat every day for tea - only because I’d made a beef casserole with porcini mushroom stock to take away with me to save me cooking for the first few days - and it was so big, it lasted almost all week! I had to eat some haddock twice the last day as I was so sick of meat - I don’t usually eat a lot. BUT there a lesson here - meat does seem to make me feel better. Blood sugar, protein? I shall think about that. I don’t like eating meat for ethical reasons - I was veggie for a long time, so that’s a tough one, but I always feel better when I have it. Doh.
Emotional detox?
Interestingly, the last day I was in a lot of pain in my legs and head again so I’m assuming - as I didn’t eat anything wrongly, but MCAS, so who knows…? - I maybe sparked a kind of emotional detox as I feel more anxious now than when I went! In a way that’s a good thing. In fact, Mrs Universe sent me a video that popped up yesterday about this very thing - here it is in case it helps you.
Essentially, she makes a very good point towards the end that I have often said to patients when they ask: am I getting worse or is this a healing crisis?
If you have been doing a lot of self-care, good-for-you things and you feel worse, it is most likely a release of something or a change in biochemistry as the body starts to heal. For example, it could be an emotional detox or the change from CAM (Cell Alarm Mechanism / Cell Danger Response) to DOPA (Dopamine and related catecholamines) which happens in cells as the body moves out of survival mode to active repair. A kind of healing crisis, as we used to call it.
But, if you have not been looking after yourself that well, have been suffering acute stress etc, then symptoms could well be as a result of that and are more likely your illness.
You don’t really need to know, but it can be a helpful reassuring or wake-up reframe.
I just need to process stuff well I think, so that’s what I’m working on this week. It’s a never ending job, getting the sensitivity down, keeping well, isn’t it? I’ll be starting the Primal Trust Level 2-3 Emotional Processing mini series or maybe the Brad Yates videos that I talked about here.
Primal Trust. Join and begin with the 40 Day Regulate Programme which gives you a daily 4-7 minute video with exercises to follow. I am doing it all over again to keep my system calm whilst I start to tackle the much deeper work in Level 3 on emotional processing. Use code PUREHEALTH10 to get a special Purehealth 10% discount – yay!
Happily, at the lodge, I was also playing at being Mrs Dolittle! I fed goslings - five, swimming along happily with Mum and Dad, I checked anxiously every day there were still five! Also, ducklings (three plus Mum), carp (scary mouths!) roach (when they could get past the carp!), a heron who sat right by my lodge almost every day and was very effective at catching the poor roach I was feeding, two squirrels who visited every morning for their handful of walnuts and tons of birdies tip-tapping on the roof to remind me it was time for seeds. I had a great old time. Nature does it for me - and peace, clearly!
It was a glorious spot - here if anyone is interested. Not cheap but I managed to get 25% off for a late booking, and the last week before it goes up to Summer silly money - yay! We tried to buy a lodge on this site, actually, instead of living in Cornwall full time, but in the end, the sea won out. Lodges are never great investments, are they, but I was definitely re-tempted!
OK, hope that was interesting - maybe if you need such a break, think about where you might be able to go - I was 15 mins away from home, but it felt miles away without the real hassle of travel. With MCAS, you have to take everything with you - water filter, bedding, food, throws to cover washing-powder sofas etc. Thankfully, it was very pong free - these lodges always seem to be pretty good for pongness as all the lodges are cleaned by the same company who use very non-stinky eco stuff because of the lakeside position and conserving the beauty. They let a lot of the grounds run wild and I was surrounded by wildflowers as well as the animals. Bliss.
If you can’t go away, can you make yourself a sensory-restful nook or spare room anywhere? That’s what I’m thinking about now. I always have a sensory shutdown for 20 mins every afternoon as it helps me function for the rest of the day. This break made me realise that I sometimes need longer. I can’t afford lodges all the time - much as I would want to - and I do live in an a place right next to the sea which is fabulous for limbic healing - but I’m now convincing P I might need a sensory spare room or a garden retreat room. I’ll probably end up with a swing-seat in the courtyard, but all good!
Anyway, I came on here really to tell you that I’m back and the shop is back open. But that was a long-winded way of saying it! Thanks for your patience whilst I had a break, sweeties x
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Glad you had a restful break x
Well done you 👏xx