Long Covid and the Path to Healing

Experiencing chronic pain, flu-like symptoms and fatigue, especially in the context of Long Covid, can be incredibly debilitating. However, understanding the underlying mechanisms can offer a pathway to healing. One such mechanism involves the mind-body connection and how our brain responds to stress.

The Nature of Long Covid and Internal Stressors

Long Covid is not just about physical symptoms; it’s also about how our brain and body respond to stress. When we experience significant stress, our brain can create physical symptoms as a way to distract us from these internal stressors. This is where the concept of Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) or MindBody Symptoms comes into play.

Introducing TMS

TMS is a condition where the brain generates physical symptoms to protect us from confronting deep-seated emotional stress. These symptoms can manifest in various ways, such as pain, fatigue, flu-like symptoms, depression, vertigo or other chronic conditions. In the context of Long Covid, TMS can explain why some symptoms persist even after the initial infection has cleared.

Why Internal Stressors Surface

After a short period of stepping out of survival mode, internal stressors come to the surface. The body enters the parasympethetic mode of the nervous system, and as a result, you have experienced a brief moment of rest and peace. At the same time, the body no longer suppresses the immune system, and this allows the body to clean itself from a long period of physical and emotional stress.

Following a fever, previously stored emotions often emerge from the tissue. Unfortunately, the brain perceives these old stressors as a danger and creates symptoms to protect you. This causes people with long COVID to have the feeling that they never recovered from the viral infection.

This is because our brain is trying to protect us from emotional pain. We have, over time, taught the brain (via a form of brain retraining) that certain feelings and emotions are not wanted and even dangerous. We rather didn’t want to feel certain stressors such as fear, shame or anger for example. As soon as these stressors come to the surface, you brain creates physical mindbody symptoms. This is a protective mechanism, but it can lead to a cycle of chronic symptoms if not addressed. For instance, the symptoms may evoke fear, prompting the brain to defend against further fear. This mechanism can start a long, negative cycle if not turned around.

The Role of Belief in Long Covid and TMS

These symptoms also deflect your attention away from the emotion. The protection mechanism makes you focus on more extreme and overwhelming symptoms. This mechanism forces you to retreat to a safe place, like your bed. As distractions, symptoms must be something you believe in. If you don’t believe in them, you’re confronted with your stressors in the unconscious mind, and the distraction loses its effectiveness. This is why symptoms often appear in areas where you have pre-existing beliefs or knowledge, such as old injuries or common ailments, especially in the context of Long Covid.

The Cycle of Symptoms and Stress in Long Covid

Storing emotions in the body for years or even decades is going to make your body an uncomfortable place to be in. You will develop coping mechanisms to avoid experiencing these stressors. A coping mechanism serves to prevent you from experiencing certain emotions. People with Long Covid tend to have the following coping mechanisms: perfectionism, achievement, people pleasing, working hard, or overthinking. These coping mechanisms will engage you from a position of resistance, which will trigger the fight or flight response in your nervous system. Over time, your brain gradually learns to perceive the feelings you are avoiding as dangerous. That is why, as soon as your stressors come up, your limbic brain and amygdhala are going to create mindbody symptoms.

It is normal to have these kinds of symptoms in society; other people experience, for example, back pain, migraines, or headaches. We all accept these as a part of life. However, when this protection mechanism starts working on steroids, we call it a chronic illness.

Breaking the Cycle of Long Covid Symptoms

To break this cycle, you need to stop caring about the symptoms and stop wanting to heal in the traditional sense. Instead, focus on releasing stress step by step. This involves creating positive experiences to allow stressors to surface and then actively working to let them go. You can prepare your brain to release old stress and emotions by making them safe. You can for example do this via gentle exposure in the form of journaling for only a few minutes a day.

Post-Viral Stress and Long Covid

Post-viral conditions, such as mono or chronic fatigye syndrome, are not a new phenomenon. However, we do see that COVID and the fearful phase of the lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 increased the number of cases dramatically. Instead of trying to differentiate between certain labels, it is wiser to see the similarities; inform yourself about mindbody symptoms and why they are slightly different for everyone. After that, the only thing that is important is to engage in a release journey, to once and for all leave all the old stress behind you.

The Healing Process for Long Covid

Healing from Long Covid is not about completely eliminating symptoms but about not being stuck in a healing phase. You may still get triggered and develop symptoms, but the key is to release them and move on. After every full release, your symptoms will immediately dissipate because it no longer serves a purpose. This doesn’t mean that this is the end as the next stress layer will (hopefully) arise soon, this causes you to have symptoms again until you manage to get another release. This process with many ups and downs can take time, especially if you have a long history of stress suppression.

Practical Steps for Managing Long Covid

Stop Focusing on Symptoms: Shift your focus away from the symptoms and towards releasing stress.
Avoid new Stress: Implement new stress free habits and avoid coping mechanims. (see Leon’s recovery story)
Prepare the Limbic Brain: Connect with the unconscious mind and prepare yourself for the release process.
Release Stressors: Implement a release tool as soon as symptoms increase or on a bad day. (See Phil’s & Julian’s recovery story)

The Role of Support in Long Covid Recovery

Don’t wait for a magic pill from politics or medicine. Be proactive in your healing journey. Join programs like the Release Program, which helps you release stress and heal yourself. It takes time and new skills, but with consistent effort, you can become adept at releasing stress and understanding your symptoms.

Conclusion

Understanding Long Covid and the role of stress in your symptoms can empower you to take control of your healing journey. By focusing on releasing stress and not getting stuck in a healing phase, you can improve your quality of life and move towards true healing. Embrace the process, seek support, and discover who you can be on the other side.