Author: Dr. Amy Reidhead

The Limbic System Reaction to Chronic Illness

We often hear stories about people whose limbic systems are overactive due to chronic illness without knowing that is the cause. 

People with overactive limbic systems might struggle to go out without a mask and hand sanitizer. They may not feel comfortable going to new places, avoid going outside to avoid tick bites, or stay bedridden for years with a chronic illness. 

The people who have yet to leave their houses since the COVID shutdown or who smell mold in every building that they enter most likely are struggling with an overactive limbic system.

Most people might hear these stories and think that the problem is all in their heads. And while that is partially true (your brain is inside your head after all) the real culprit is physiological, not psychological.

Where is the limbic system located? Your limbic system wraps around the brain stem and contains several essential cerebral structures including the amygdala, hippocampus, and other structures that are located within the brain’s temporal and frontal lobes. 

The amygdala is the “fight or flight” part of the brain responsible for hunger, arousal, and emotional responses. When you are ill, the amygdala becomes hypervigilant. Chronic fatigue syndrome,  biotoxin illness , Lyme disease, and other chronic illnesses turn on fight-or-flight. Your body sees the infection as an enemy and reacts to protect you from the perceived danger.

You become emotionally wired to react to certain triggers related to your illness. You might panic in large crowds, cringe when hiking in wooded areas, or flinch at the smell of mold.

The triggers activate a vicious cycle in the limbic system. One whiff of mold and you start to experience symptoms of  biotoxin illness  – muscle aches, joint pain, headaches, brain fog, anxiety, depression, gut problems, or insomnia. In this example, these symptoms are often seen as limbic systems disorders, rather than a byproduct of an overactive limbic system. 

This reaction will remind you of your illness and make you feel sicker. The limbic system keeps you from healing because it keeps you in a constant state of fear about your illness. Limbic system retraining focuses on healing the amygdala using therapeutic techniques to alter the way the limbic system processes and responds to stressful stimuli. 

What is Limbic “Retraining”?

Commonly referred to as “Limbic System Therapy”, limbic retraining relies on the concept of neuroplasticity – or the idea that we can change our brains. Using limbic retraining techniques, we can “rewire” the way that the brain processes stressful stimuli. 

If you are frozen in fight or flight, the symptoms you feel in response to your triggers are not made up. They are a very real reaction to the trauma of illness. Simply put – you are not crazy, you are simply caught in the limbic system feedback loop.

The structure, functions, and connections made in the brain in response to an illness don’t have to be permanent. Limbic retraining interrupts the cycle of symptoms and illness to help you heal.

Is it Possible to Have a “Damaged Limbic System”?

The reality is, some people are genetically predisposed to a hyperactive limbic system. Others may experience disease, illness, or trauma that activates it. In both cases, the limbic system turns on and stays on. 

Imagine the smoke alarm going off in your house all day while your dog is home alone. They cannot escape the never-ending drone of the alarm and, when you return from work in the evening, your pup will most likely be stressed, shaking, and hiding in a corner. 

The same is true for people with hyperactive limbic systems. They cannot focus on getting better because they are in a constant state of fight-or-flight. Their quality of life suffers and they may end up on disability, bedridden, or chronically ill.