Hey everyone!

I’m so excited at how many followers have been signing up to follow my Mast Cell Healing Journey.

I began this blog back in 2019 to chronicle my recovery from secondary Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. I wasn’t sure I could do it at the beginning. But, with the help of a great medical team, I researched and literally did every single thing I could, and clawed my way towards remission.

A big part of my recovery at that time was following the principles of the Dynamic Neural Retraining System, or brain retraining.

As a result, I’ve tried to keep this blog DNRS-compatible. I remember what it felt like to be caught in that doom loop, when your brain goes into panic mode you’re terrified wondering if your symptoms will ever get better.

A big part of what I learned is that every time your brain goes into that doom loop, it can actually perpetuate your MCAS. So part of healing, particularly if you’re using brain retraining, is to learn how to consciously interrupt that doom loop, and replace it with a positive narrative.

And I definitely don’t want to change this too much – I get feedback from all my clients that they find the hopeful tone of my blog so helpful.

However, since I came through this journey, I have come to realize that there are multiple angles with which to view MCAS, and sometimes it can be highly intertwined with other chronic, underlying conditions.

In my own case, I was fortunate to have what is called secondary mast cell activation syndrome, which means that it isn’t necessarily permanent in its own right. Rather, it’s a transient condition that reflects another condition event, or trauma that triggered it.

And that is also the type of context where DNRS, and really all neural retraining programs, are meant to work.

That’s because, if you do have another underlying condition that’s triggering your mast cells, it can be premature to say that “all you have to do is rewire your brain, and it will go away.” Mast cells are our first responders; they have a job to do and sometimes, they’re reacting to tell us if something is wrong in the body.

That’s not to say that if you have another condition, there’s nothing you can do. Rather, I want to be sure I address the full breadth of the human experience here. Some people are going to have more chronic, ongoing conditions that will trigger their mast cells – and you know what?

That’s okay. There are still things we can do.

I’ve been learning so much, lately, about the different things people can go through. So I want to make sure I strike a balance between keeping things positive, but also addressing the complex realities many people are navigating.

What do you think?

Do you find the brain-retraining-compatible approach to be helpful?

Would you like to hear more about how MCAS can relate to other chronic, ongoing conditions?

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I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line, or share your thoughts in the comments below 🙂