Alice Bowley- The MindBody Reconnect
What is The MindBody Reconnect (MBR)?
MBR is a technique successfully used to teach and guide people to understand and reconnect their mind and body for the purpose of treating symptoms of ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia, Long Covid, Post-viral Fatigue, IBS, anxiety, insomnia, migraines, depression and other chronic conditions. I take an holistic approach to health and empower people to make changes in their life that rebuild connections between their emotional, mental and physical self leading to improved health and wellbeing. It was founded by Clare Caldwell and inspired by the teachings of Dr Gabor Mate.
How does it work?
During one-to-one online video sessions I will teach you the knowledge and guide you in using the tools of The MindBody Reconnect, tailored to your needs. You will then practice these techniques in your daily life and we will work together to discover your route to becoming symptom free.
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The practice involves connecting with yourself in the present moment and noticing what your body is communicating with you in the form of symptoms or emotions. I will guide you in forming new habits and taking appropriate action to keep yourself physically and emotionally safe and fulfilled, which supports your body to return to a healthy, symptom free state.
Everyone's journey is different and tailored to their circumstances but this may involve (amongst many other things!) noticing and responding to unfair treatment with clear but compassionate boundaries; becoming aware of how your past may be influencing your perception of situations and triggering unhelpful thought patterns; and connecting with what is unstimulating versus what brings you joy and fulfilment and feeling empowered to create a life that meets your needs.
We use somatic techniques to connect with sensations in the body and use this information as a guide as to what action needs to be taken in your life. In this way we are changing the pattern of behaviour, often triggered by trauma, that is causing symptoms to be generated.
I offer a free 30 minute consultation to explain more and answer any questions you may have. If you are interested or curious email me or book a session through the website.
What role do the mind and body have in creating illness?
The role of our mind and body is to keep us safe, both physically and emotionally. When working well together they sense what is happening in a situation and we use that information to respond appropriately to protect ourselves and increase our chance of survival and fulfilment. Difficult events in our lives can cause the mind and body to become disconnected and these messages can be lost or ignored, often generating negative emotions or leaving us in a state of emotional numbness. There is no clear message getting to our brain so we end up in a constant state of survival mode, where it is preparing us to use all our resources to survive a potential threat but because the threat is internal we get stuck in a constant state of preparation, leading to symptoms of illness and potentially a constant symptom state.
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In scientific terms...
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This is known as psychoneuroimmuniology- the interaction between thoughts and feelings and our nervous and immune systems (or our psychological and physical selves). The hypothalamus in the brain is responsible for homeostasis- our ability to maintain internal stability whilst responding to what's going on outside of us, for example causing us to shiver in order to warm up the body when it's cold outside. The hypothalamus picks up on signals throughout the body through our nervous system so that it knows when we need more or less hormones, glucose or oxygen, for example. When we are in a crisis situation our sympathetic nervous system is activated (also known as fight/flight/freeze mode) where some of our body systems become very active in order to respond to an emergency and others partially shut down to reserve energy. When the hypothalamus can't clearly receive these messages, because of a disconnect causing some emotions to be repressed, we can experience this activation or reduction of various body systems as symptoms of illness that often cannot be measured medically.
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The good news is that although our brains can change to create this disconnect, often leading to chronic illness, they can also change back. This is known as neuroplasticity- the brains ability to reorganise itself. Changing the way we think and feel through the techniques of MBR supports our brain to reorganise in a way that leads to a healthier and more fulfilling life.
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“Emotional stress is a major cause of physical illness...The brain and body systems that process emotions are intimately connected with the hormonal apparatus, the nervous system, and in particular the immune system.”
― Dr Gabor Maté
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How does it work?
Always seek the advice of a healthcare professional about any health concerns before contacting me.