At age 25, my life completely changed. I’d gone from being a healthy, active surfer and fitness trainer to experiencing widespread pain throughout my body and ultimately becoming bedbound and chronically ill. I jumped through the hoops of the healthcare system, trying every treatment from antidepressants to acupuncture, and even powerful supplements and pain medications like gabapentin, but nothing seemed to work.
Months turned into years. I’d received a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, demyelinating polyneuropathy, and rheumatoid arthritis. My symptoms included debilitating pain that seemed to migrate throughout my body: Back pain, IBS, restless leg syndrome, and a terrible sense of weakness in my lower arms and legs. The discomfort led to insomnia and severely impacted sleep quality.
Unable to do any physical exercise or eat a normal diet, I ended up losing about 40lbs of lean body mass and becoming even weaker. I had all but given up hope until I found something that actually worked for me.
WATCH: My TED Talk One Deep Breath at TEDxBushwick
At re-origin, we’ve helped thousands of people retrain their brains and reclaim their health from chronic conditions like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic pain, food and chemical sensitivities, and more. Learn about the re-origin program here.
Treatments I Tried
Throughout my health journey, I tried a wide range of treatments, most of which did not pan out. Some of those treatments included things like:
- Pain medications
- Dietary supplements
- Cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT
- Antibiotics
- Massage therapy
- Pain management
- Physical therapy
- Aerobic exercise and tai chi
I did find some improvement with slow, deliberate movements such as tai chi, but extreme fatigue and brain fog made it very difficult to practice these exercises consistently at first, and I found little enduring relief from the other treatments on this list.
How I Cured My Fibromyalgia
Brain Retraining
Since learning my condition stems from dysfunction in the limbic brain, it made sense to me that retraining this region of the brain out of “fight or flight” could help. I was first introduced to the idea of neuroplasticity through neurocognitive rehabilitation at NY Langone Medical. While receiving treatment there, I learned that self-directed neuroplasticity or “brain retraining” was being used with great success for a wide range of applications, including stroke rehab and pain reprocessing therapy (PRT).
The concept was both simple and revolutionary: if my brain had learned these protective patterns that were now causing symptoms, it could also unlearn them. Through consistent daily practice of specific techniques designed to calm the limbic system, I began to notice my nervous system’s hair-trigger responses starting to soften. What once felt like an automatic cascade of symptoms began to feel more like a choice; neural pathways I could consciously redirect.
My experience corroborated what many recent studies have shown, that chronic pain is surprisingly treatable when patients focus on the brain.
Visualization
Visualization is used with great success across diverse fields, from elite athletes who mentally rehearse their performances to achieve peak results to military personnel who use it for stress inoculation and tactical preparation. The technique has proven equally powerful in healing and recovery from a wide range of chronic conditions, including chronic pain syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, anxiety disorders, and post-viral syndromes.
The underlying principle is the same across all applications: when you imagine yourself engaging in activities calmly and confidently, your nervous system starts to believe it’s possible before you physically do it. This mental rehearsal helps create new neural pathways that support your recovery goals.
Visualization can be a powerful tool for recovery, and you can learn more about visualization for nervous system regulation in our detailed guide.
Detoxification
The field of Biological Medicine offers a fascinating perspective on why chronic conditions develop and persist. At its core, the theory suggests that many health issues stem from what’s happening inside our bodies at the cellular level, what experts call our “internal environment” or “internal milieu.”
Think of your body like a fish tank. When the water becomes too acidic or polluted, the fish get sick. Similarly, when our internal environment becomes compromised, our cells struggle to function properly.
Here’s what happens: Chronic stress keeps us trapped in “fight or flight” mode. When your nervous system is constantly on high alert, you’ll notice that it affects your emotional or mental state. The less obvious effect is that it also creates measurable changes in your body’s chemistry. Your system becomes more acidic, and your natural detoxification processes start to break down.
This creates a vicious cycle. Your body struggles to eliminate the toxins it naturally produces (endogenous toxins) as well as harmful substances from your environment (exogenous toxins). As these waste products accumulate, they further stress your system, keeping you stuck in that hypervigilant state. The result is an internal environment where chronic illness can take root and thrive.
In addition to switching to a whole foods diet and drinking plenty of clean water, I also practiced relaxation exercises whenever possible alongside my neuroplasticity brain retraining. This combination seemed to allow the cells of my body to ‘exhale’ and release whatever they had been holding onto. Over time, I found myself feeling lighter, freer, fitter, and more joyful.
Mood Elevation
A positive mindset and elevated emotions are not just “nice to experience”, but also shift our brain and body’s chemistry and ways that can improve our innate ability to heal. Studies have even been done on how dwelling on stressful events increases inflammation in the body.
When I caught myself spiraling into worry about symptoms or catastrophizing my condition, I learned to gently redirect my attention to moments of gratitude, a loved memory, or simple pleasures. This wasn’t about toxic positivity or pretending everything was fine.
By consciously redirecting my thoughts and attention to areas that made me feel calmer and more pleasant, I found myself actually feeling less inflamed and less symptomatic.
Spending Time in Nature
Nothing seems to calm the nervous system like being outside and surrounded by nature. I grew up in New York City and then moved to Long Island. Every breath I took outdoors felt like a huge exhale for my nervous system, which helped to further calm my symptoms and increase the energy I had each day.
Research now shows that exposure to natural environments can lower cortisol levels and reduce inflammation, but I didn’t need studies to tell me what I could feel happening in my body.
Now, in the re-origin community, we encourage and celebrate spending time in nature. It’s become an important practice, and for good reason. Whether members are sharing photos of nature walks, animals in backyards, or blooming flowers, there’s healing that happens when we connect with the natural world.
What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and tenderness in localized areas. The CDC estimates that roughly 4 million people in the United States, or 2% of the population, suffer from Fibromyalgia syndrome, also referred to as “fibro.”
What Causes Fibromyalgia?
The exact cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, but it is thought to be related to abnormal levels of certain chemicals in the brain that affect the way the body perceives pain. Unlike pain that stems from peripheral pathology (physical damage in the body), fibro-related symptoms are thought to be derived from central sensitization or an increased level of sensitivity in the limbic system – the region of the brain responsible for detecting and processing pain.
This does NOT mean that the symptoms are “all in one’s head.” Rather, the symptoms are very real and can even lead to a physical change in the body due to chronic inflammation. The demyelination and arthritis I experienced are examples of this.
Common Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
Because fibromyalgia has to do with the limbic system and how the brain processes sensations coming from the body through the central nervous system, the symptoms that one can experience are not limited to what is actually taking place on a physical level and can include mental and emotional symptoms as well. Here is just a small handful of the symptoms that so many people with fibro experience:
- Chronic pain and tenderness in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons
- Debilitating Fatigue
- Sleep problems or insomnia
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Headaches
- TMJ problems
- Brain fog or “fibro fog”
- Sensitivities to foods, chemicals, light, and sound
- Tender points around the joints
- Weakness or numbness in the hands and feet
- Migraines
How Do I Know If I Have Fibromyalgia?
If you’re dealing with persistent pain and fatigue that’s affecting your daily life, our fibromyalgia self-assessment quiz can help you determine whether it’s worth discussing fibromyalgia with your healthcare provider.
My Conclusion, and Paying it Forward…
Because these treatments worked so well for me and many others who I met on my journey along the way, I dedicated myself to studying them, working with Ph.D. neuroscientists and clinical psychologists to learn everything I could about the brain and body’s interactions. This decade-long journey ultimately culminated in the assembly of the re-origin Brain Trust and the creation of the re-origin brain retraining program.
If you or someone you know is struggling with a chronic condition such as fibromyalgia, I want to let you know that I know what you’re going through, you’re not alone, and most of all… There is hope.
If my story resonates with you, please share this website and join our community of super-powered self-healers to learn how you can activate your healing potential and resume the life you are meant to live.
Learn all about the re-origin program here.
