posted
If I understand the Gupta concept correctly, with CFS or really any chronic illness, the amygdala and HPA axis is theorized to get out of balance and "get stuck on stupid" and can't reset itself as nature designed it to do.
Not being able to "reset" is theorized to cause illness and interferes with effectiveness of treatments.
In an interview with Cort Johson, Gupta stated the following:
"I looked into the latest research on what causes severe anxiety - the answer was the amygdale. I read Joseph Ledoux's work and said to myself you know this stuff is exactly what's going on in my body and I looked at all the CFS literature and put all that together as well and said there is a really obvious mechanism. I challenge anyone to read Joesph Ledoux's work and not see parallels with CFS. He looks at the HPA axis and says the HPA axis is simply a response unit of the Amygdale."
Though he is talking about CFS, I wonder if this theory could present any resolution of some of our symptoms with lyme disease, virals, mold sickness, etc.???
Cort Johnson, a well known CFS blogger, has posted online that he personally has used the Amygdala Retraining techniques and found them over time to be very helpful.
Cort's website is: http://phoenix-cfs.org/ He has an excellent website with good analysis of current research and doctors protocols etc (not lyme related).
The amagdyla retraining program is 16 hrs of labor intensive process with daily meditation and mental and writing exercises that are designed to guide our reset button back into a healthier place. The cost is approx $200, not cheap.
There are some free GUPTA YOU TUBE clips online, but the comments/feedback link is disabled so that made me very suspicious as well.
Initially I thought this program had to be total snake oil, and maybe it is.
Cort is very well respected by those who know him personally in the CFS community. He is not known to hype or promote things.
For example, whenever I have accessed his site, which is not often, I have not ever noticed product ads or click throughs to purchase links on his website. Not saying there aren't any it. I don't know. But, he seems to have objective personal policy about not promoting things.
His site is not splashed with ads and click through purchase opportunity links. Nothing wrong with that, many of my doctors have sites that retail things. Just saying his site doesn't have the usual array of click throughs, ads, or promoting things he may have tried.
Therefore, many were surprised when Cort went public with his reports that he had personally tried the Gupta program and had good results.
There are still no Gupta click-through links through his site that I can see. Again, not saying there isn't one somewhere.
Basically, if I understand it right, the Gupta process suggests you set everything else aside for about 6 months while you focus on healing and do the progoram. It is recommended that one does no researching, no online message board participation, just focus on the healing and the meditation exercises.
Cort, of course, was not able to be that strict with the Gupta program since he is very active in ME/CFS advocacy and administers his website. Despite not fully doing the entire program as recommended he still reports he still received good results. Good enough that he has publicly written about his experience.
Apparently, Ashok Gupta was invited to recently present on his program. Cort writes the following on his website:
"The cognitive behavoral therapy studies presented at the IACFS/ME Conference did not have good results. Ashok Gupta's - admittedly using quite primitive statistics - did. Are therapies utilizing neurolinguistic programming (NLP) the next step in the mind/body efforts to tame this disease (ME/CFS)? Ashok Gupta thinks so and he was busy trying to get funding for a study that he believes will show that the program can make a difference in this disease."
I read on another message where doctors specializing in CFS around the world are now perking up and taking interest in the Gupta program as some of their patients report success with it.
This new information has definitely caused me to rethink my potential interest in the Gupta program. But, $200 is a lot of money to invest in it at a time when all resources are going to mold remediation books/dvds/doctors/supplements, finding another place to live, etc.
I am willig to do it if it will help me. This would be a constructive thing to do with my time after I am relocated while my house undergoes mold remediation. I am bedridden, so lots of time.
I checked for used DVDs for sale (Craigslist, Amazon, and Ebay). None. Does anyone know if there other website sources to check for "used books/dvds, etc." ?
More importantly, does anyone have any personal experience with this Gupta amygdala retraining program???
Thanks for any comments/considerations about it.
[ 05-11-2009, 04:05 PM: Message edited by: jam338 ]
Posts: 495 | From SF Bay area, CA | Registered: Dec 2007
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CD57
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11749
posted
was this the guy who a few years back was willing to come to the US and treat groups of CFS/Lyme patients? There was a post on Lymenet about a few years back. I am not sure if it ever happened but may be worth searching. I think the cost was $1100 or so to be part of the group.
Posts: 3528 | From US | Registered: Apr 2007
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posted
Gabrielle, thank you so much for your kindness in posting this for me!
I just contacted the person selling it and made the purchase.
So glad I posted this inquiry, and I am happy to read in your other posts where you feel it has helped you in managing some of your symptoms.
I know it is time consuming and one must make big changes if it has a chance of working. That appears to be why most can't complete it; time. But, being bedridden gives you time. This would be a healthier alternative to TV and online that a bedridden person is exposed to. I am not a TV person, but hubby (retired) has it on all day.
I will have lots of alone time soon when mold remediation begins on my home and my husband will be busy all day with that. This will be a perfect time for me try the Gupta DVDs.
Thank you again for the help!
I will let everyone know what my experience is with this new journey and if brings any relief.
Please everyone who reads this say a little silent prayer for me that this will help me, thank you.
Posts: 495 | From SF Bay area, CA | Registered: Dec 2007
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