Amygdala Retraining is a unique program of specific techniques developed by Ashok Gupta for the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and related conditions including fibromyalgia and multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS).

Gupta states that he was diagnosed with ME/CFS himself by two seperate medical doctors and to have now recovered by putting into the practice the techniques he developed. He is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist and Practitioner of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) and holds two Masters degrees. His research into ME/CFS and the development of his amygdala retraining techniques resulted in the publication of a paper on the subject in the peer reviewed medical journal Medical Hypotheses in 2002 (see here).


The Theory

The basis for Gupta's therapy is the theory that the illnesses it is used for are the result of chronic dysfunction (namely chronic activation) of the amygdala, a region of the brain that is responsible for the body's response to threats, both from emotional stress, as well as physiological and environmental stressors such as immunological threats like a viral infection, or exposure to chemicals.

Gupta believes that predisposing genetic factors coupled with stressors of any kind, to which the amygdala responds, lead to its chronic activation and the production of a viscious cycle of illness. According to Gupta key findings in chronic fatigue syndrome and related illnesses including immune dysfunction, oxidative stress, hypothalamic-adrenal-pituitary (HPA) axis abnormalities, and chronic sympathetic nervous system activation are all attributable to this activation of the amygdala - these in turn leading to secondary illness cycles including adrenal exhaustion, mitochondrial dysfunction, allergies/sensitivities, and increased nitric oxide (NO)production, as well as the typical symptoms of these illnesses.


Amygdala Retraining - The Treatment

The aim of the amygdala retraining therapy is to reduce the reactivity of the amygdala to stressors and therefore break the viscious cycle of dysfunction and disease that has been perpetuated by its chronic activation.

Gupta is quick to point out on his website that his techniques are different to both conventional psychotherapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and alternative techniques which have become popular for the treatment of the same illnesses including the Lightning Process and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT).  Amygdala retraining incorporate elements of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques, meditative techniques, mindfulness techniques, yogic techniques, and many others. 

The website states that "The tools and techniques have been custom designed to address the amygdala-based patterns which are occuring in ME/CFS, and therefore cannot come under one particular banner. Some of the processes can really only come under the banner of "Amygdala Retraining" techniques, and therefore it is difficult to describe the techniques without actually being taken through them."

Gupta runs a clinic in Harley Street, London, and also offers a DVD program from his website that takes patients through the amygdala retraining techniques. The clinic reports that preliminary clinical trials are underway in an effort to confrim the effectiveness of the approach.

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 Ashok Gupta's Website

The Lightning Process was developed by Phil Parker who graduated from the British School of Osteopathy in the late 1980s and has since developed an international reputation as one of the foremost osteopaths, hypnotherapists, master practioners of Neurolinguistic programming (NLP), and healers.

It is made clear that the Lightning Process is not a therapy because the patient/client has to actively participate in the process for it to be effective. The official Lightning Process website describes it as a "training program that combines concepts from NLP, Hypnotherapy, Life Coaching and Osteopathy." Clients are provided with step by step training from a qualified Lightning Process instructor in how the process works and are then supported as they learn to apply it in their everyday lives to help with specific health conditions or simply to improve confidence or other factors they deem to be holding them back somehow.

The Lightning Process involves a 3 day training program aimed at getting mind and body to work in harmony to enhance health and well-being. This training is split into two main sections. From the Oficial website:

The curriculum of the seminars focuses on two main phases:

1. Discovery

2. Change

Phase one- Discovery: Training modules

1. Beliefs: Discovering the positive and negative power of beliefs on our health and life.

2. Influence :

a. Discovering which areas of our health and life we feel we can influence, and which areas we feel we have no say in.

b. Discovering if there are new ways to approach these issues which give us more choice and more influence over our well being and future.

3. Inner dialogue: Discovering how much of our inner dialogue is useful and how much is destructive and limits our health and future.

4. Body Posture: Discovering how the way we use our bodies and carry ourselves influences how our body works and how we feel.

5. Expectations alter physiology : Discovering how much we create valuable or destructive expectations about what’s about to happen next which directly prepare our body physically for those imagined events.

6. Responsibility and blame : Distinguishing the difference between being responsible for your health and well being and feeling as if you are to blame for it.

Phase two- Change: Training modules

• How to change any of the above that are keeping you stuck.
• How to make complicated things simple.
• How to dramatically change our perspective and focus when we need to.

The Lightning Process is perhaps most well known for its use in treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome(CFS)/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) but has also been applied to many other conditions.

Again from the Lightning Process website:

Over the years we've discovered that it's such a powerful process that it seems to be effective for pretty much everything where people feel stuck. This includes:

• Low self esteem, self-doubt and even self-hatred
• Fear of failure
• Guilt
• Anxiety & Panic attacks
• Stress & Struggle
• Depression
• Overwhelmedness
• M.E. (Myalgic Encephalitis)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Obsessive compulsive disorder
• IBS [Irrtiable Bowel Syndrome]
• Addiction Smoking
• Procrastination
• Insomnia
• Stage fright

• Happiness
• Business success
• Peak performance issues
• Relationships
• Discovering what you really want
• Interview performance
• Confidence
• Sleep

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