What is the Mindbody Reconnect?
MindBody Reconnect (MBR) is a successful holistic therapy addressing the connection between the mind and body to help healing chronic illnesses such as ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, post-viral fatigue, and autoimmune disorders. Inspired by the work of Dr. Gabor Maté, MBR is based on the idea that unresolved emotional trauma and chronic stress can manifest physically, resulting in long-term health conditions. MBR aims to restore this disrupted connection, helping people achieve a healthier state of well-being by addressing both emotional and physical symptoms.
How does it work?
MBR works by teaching how to reconnect the mind and body through one-on-one sessions. Clients are guided through practical tools and techniques tailored to their specific needs. These techniques help them become more aware of emotional blockages and how their brains perpetuate symptoms of illness. The therapy involves somatic techniques, mindfulness, and reframing pain or fatigue, enabling development of new patterns of thought and behavior. By addressing both the emotional and physical aspects of their health, clients can reduce and fully get rid of symptoms. Neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to rewire itself—plays a key role in this process, as it helps the brain shift from a state of illness to one of healing.
What role do the mind and body have in creating illness?
The primary role of the mind and body is to keep us safe, using coping mechanisms it has acquired so far throughout our lifetime. When working well together they sense what is happening in a situation and uses this information to respond appropriately to increase our chance of survival and fulfillment. However, when they become disconnected - often due to difficult events such as trauma, chronic stress or unresolved emotions- the signals between them can be distorted. This disconnection leaves the body in a prolonged state of fight, flight or freeze, causing stress hormones to flood the system. Over time, this constant state of survival mode can trigger symptoms such as inflammation, pain, anxiety, and fatigue, eventually leading to chronic illness. So emotional numbness, repression, or unresolved trauma can contribute to this state, where the body remains in a constant state of preparation for perceived threats.
In more scientific terms
MBR’s approach is grounded in psychoneuroimmunology, which studies the interaction between the nervous and immune systems and their connection to emotional and psychological states. Dr. Gabor Maté’s theories, particularly in his work When the Body Says No, emphasize that repressed emotions and chronic stress can cause prolonged inflammation and disrupt the immune system, leading to illness. The hypothalamus, responsible for maintaining the body’s internal balance (homeostasis), can misfire when under chronic stress, causing a range of symptoms that medical tests may not be able to detect. The good news is that the brain’s neuroplasticity—its ability to reorganize and rewire itself—allows for healing. Through the techniques of MBR, people can retrain their brains to break free from the cycle of chronic illness. MBR focuses on using the brain’s inherent ability to change to address the root causes of illness, offering a pathway to lasting recovery by re-establishing the connection between the mind, body, and emotions.
What are we treating?
ME/CFS, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, long-covid, IBS, burn outs, post viral symptoms/infections, migraines, insomnia, depression, stress, anxiety, POTS, endometriosis, OCD and more.