Somatics vs Brain Retraining - Q&A with CFS School co-founder Karden Rabin

While I typically share recovery stories, I mixed it up this time with an expert Q&A! Nervous system healing expert and CFS School co-founder Karden Rabin came on my channel to answer key questions about Somatics, how this modality is different from traditional top-down brain retraining, how it fits in, and other important q's for those healing from chronic illness. TIMESTAMPS:

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Getting out the jitters
0:05 Intro
1:00 Definition of Somatics
3:00 Peter Levine's somatic experiencing
3:26 Making sense of it with Chesire the cat
6:19 Examples of different somatic practices
7:20 Why somatic practices are effective, Karden talks about the Vagus nerve and polyvagal system
8:42 We're not built for overstimulation, a deer joke
10:52 People don't know how to feel
12:46 What really causes chronic illnesses like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome to develop? Karden's hypothesis. (Note: I appreciate different perspectives - this is not an endorsement of one perspective over another.)
18:02 What Karden theorizes causes the Cell Danger Response
19:37 Liz: But I didn't have big T trauma. I did experience this though. Karden responds.
21:37 Liz: The one thing I never had in common with most people with chronic illness or so it seems. But I think I'm not alone!
22:05 Karden gives me (Liz) advice on the proper expression of anger (Thanks Karden)
24:47 Karden says do this instead when triggered / activated
26:54 Powerful words
27:41 How can a top-down brain retraining approach fit with Somatics?
30:05 Why brain retraining isn't just positive thinking -- Karden made me realize it works when THIS happens
33:43 Karden's candid thoughts on other "positivity only" brain retraining programs
37:45 When positive state shifting can help
38:00 The structure of CFS School with Karden Rabin and Jen Mann
42:17 Karden's final messages to people listening
46:37 Thank you and Goodbyes.

Guest bio: Karden Rabin is a Nervous System Medicine Practitioner and co-founder of Chronic Fatigue School. Over the last 15 years he has combined principles of bodywork, brain retraining, and somatic trauma therapies to help thousands of clients all over the world heal from chronic pain and illness. He is a regular contributor to Bessel Van Der Kolk’s Trauma Research Foundation Blog and YouTube channel and has led programming for The Wounded Warrior Project, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, and Starbucks.

*New: CFS Recovery Programs Guide by Heal With Liz & Lindsay Vine*

[JohnFitzgerald-vdhm]

😮 The way Karden explained the person being stuck on high in the sympathetic state for 3 decades of high energy is exactly what lead to my CFS. It’s actually amazing we can last that long in that state until it all comes crashing down! And he also describes exactly the tell tale signs of the smaller crashes before the big crash. It’s pretty safe to say my CFS was a gradual onset leading into a perfect storm of stressors. Even the virus at the end was just the straw that broke the camel’s nervous system.

[HegeMolstad-trkx]

This was so good! Understand so much more now, and why brain retraining only helped for a little while. Love Karden!😊🙏💙

[northernflicker]

Adored this interview, please bring him back ☺️. I appreciate a person that's not afraid to use swear words 😆💓

[SplendidlyBright]

Brilliant Karden, as always! Explains it all so clearly & shows the path out!!

[janethansen]

Thank you. There seem to be two separate camps but applying both makes sense to me. We are the combination of mind and body after all.

[justbecauseican]

Cfs school is legit the best program next to primal trust

[becoming_a_betty]

"Wow this steak tastes like s**t again" 😂🥩 I love Karden! You two together is the best combo. I started IFS after a long time brain retraining and can see now how healing it is to really give those little ones the love they really are craving and not just keep covering them in tomato sauce❤️ its a beautiful thing getting to your core needs, but takes time to build the trust I'm finding. I so appreciate Kardens explaination of all of this so much and for the combination of approaches he advocates. xx

[JohnFitzgerald-vdhm]

Interesting how the body keeps the score and stores feelings, emotions and trauma. Brené Brown used this quote on her show ‘Although many of us think of ourselves as thinking creatures that feel, biologically we are actually feeling creatures that think.’

[MariaSotiropoulou]

Karden you are quite the comedian 😅 I can only imagine how fun coaching with you is. Thank you both for this fascinating and practical conversation. Wonderful tips about handling anxiety❤🎉

[SplendidlyBright]

Oh and Liz, another great interview, thank you!

[johnmacgregor]

Very nicely and effciently explained, thanks.

[princessdee]

I love his explanations. So easy to digest. ❤

[meganobrien]

Wow this was a awesome interview ❤️🙌🦄 was holding onto every word 🙏 super grateful if liz or karden could answer : if youve been taught brain retraining and bee doing it dilligently for ages and have plateaued after recoveringmaybe 50% with it(yes i understand from thus convo that bottom up approach may now need to be intergrated) but say still do anxiety of say going on a walk or something and we do a brain retraining technique or brain rehearsalof it going well and can get the emotional and physical/somatic sensations up of a great past walking experience, ill come out of the visualization and feel good or confident for a few seconds /minutes but then notice the anxiety or indecision about doing the walk or how enjoyable its gonna be come up again-obviously there is like a deep belief that im still fragile /have to be careful /might not go that well and not sure how to resolve this belief while still experiencing sensations: so like what do we do here in these situations of limiting beliefs/predictions or i guess old traumatic feelings coming up? Because obviously theres something not shifting underneath thats creating this continued response even when often walks might go ok or are even enjoyable ?Hope this question makes sense and so incredibly grateful for a answer 🙏

[philershadi]

Positive feeling > positive thinking

[KatharinavonKrogh]

really awesome video. Explained so much for me ❤

[justbecauseican]

Some people dont have traumtic events, but are triggerd very often with little things and have already sensitive nerveous systems. A virus can simply be enough the set you out of balance. And it takes somatics and neuroplasticity to get back into balance.

[Blvd]

So what kind of self- healing practices do you use to meet the core need that is at the heart of emotion expression like at 24:47?

[lindapelle]

Listening to your parents yell every single day, I know what that’s like I lived it is very traumatic to a child a teenager or young adult.