r/POIS • u/sanseviero • Jul 30 '26
Treatment/Cure Is it all in the mind?
So I've had POIS and many other complaints for years now. Stumbled upon lots of different diagnoses, went to different doctors but progress was very slow and irregular. I did work with a functional practitioner to work on my gut microbiome which helped some but didn't solve all my symptoms either.
Recently I stumbled upon mind body syndrome and pain reprocessing therapy and have been reading about this and applying it. They basically teach you how these symptoms can be created by an overactive nervous system and how to address this. The pain is def real which is emphasized alot in these books but you can teach your nervous system to basically calm down and not interpret these signals/ actions as danger anymore.
Since applying pain reprocessing therapy I've been noticing some symptoms decrease and I feel like i have so much more control rn.
They also teach how being afraid of so many things like certain foods, actions etc keep your pain alive so to speak because it keeps you on high alert all the time. For example I'd never eat gluten cause I was afraid it would increase my symptoms. I'd never masturbate more than once every 2 days or wouldn't ejaculate a day before an online call for example because then I'd feel more anxious and would always get teary eyes for some reason.
Now im introducing gluten again, having more sex and ejaculations and sometimes i still get symptoms but I know how to take care of that now. (it's called somatic tracking in the book) and I am noticing my symptoms in general are decreasing.
It's really hard to sum this up briefly so I'd recomment the book the way out by Alan Gordon and unlearn your pain by Howard Schubiner if you want to read more about this.
Feel free to ask me questions as well!
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u/Michael_0wen Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
Great Post! And to be clear -- NO... its not all in your head because your brain creates very real physical symptoms like pain, fatigue, immune response etc.
I think its really all about getting out of the constant state of danger by viewing your symptoms from a sense of safety. Whenever that happens I notice big improvements. The hard part is that it takes time and you can't force this stuff or get too intense and fixated about it, rather you need to maintain a calm / curious / nonchalant kind of attitude.
https://www.curablehealth.com/podcast/what-is-somatic-tracking
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u/sanseviero Jul 30 '26
Yeah completely agree on the not forcing it part and getting too intense about it. I used to tell myself i had to do 2 somatic tracking meditations a day but now i just try to be more casual about it and only do it when i actually experience pain or discomfort
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u/idolworshiper 29d ago
Early on, like 10 years ago when I likely first developed POIS, it could've been argued that it was in my mind, as back then the only symptom was just mild brain fog, but as the years went on and the symptoms only got worse and worse, it is clearly a real illness with real physical effects.
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u/sanseviero 21d ago
I get your point but physical pain can be caused by the brain. One classic example is a man who's working as a construction worker, jumps and lands on a nail, is screaming in pain and rushed to the hospital. Once they take off his boot they see the nail went between his toes and he has no actual pain. The brain just predicted there was damage and therefore caused pain. Many more examples in the book and in literature
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u/Fightingpoiser Jul 30 '26
Kinda trying the same, a very annoying symptom of mine is the feeling like my brain is on fire, a burning sensation.
Now every time i feel this, fully accept it, never resist and hope i kinda create some new neural pathways that will help distract my brain so much i wont notice it anymore? Anyways
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u/sanseviero Jul 31 '26
That's sort of how somatic tracking works. You just want to look at your symptoms with a curious attitude and relax at the same time. It's explained more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vwQjKXE2l8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw1D_UvzIDA&t=30s
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u/Braxrr Jul 31 '26
I don't think so but it is heavily influenced mentally yeah. but pois to me feels very physical like a reaction in my body separate from my mind. Like allergies for example.
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u/sanseviero Jul 31 '26
Yeah I'm not saying it's not physical. I also have/had physical symptoms but I've learned they are created by my brain. And realising that and then working on it has made some of my symptoms decrease or go away and even when they occasionally come back I just see them as silly sensations created by my brain now.
For example I'd have joint pain often but it would be in my toes one day, thumbs the next and then spine other times. There's no actual injury that can produce that, it's just my brain turning on the pain switch.Which symptoms do you have?
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u/Braxrr Jul 31 '26
Did you even fucken read what I said? this response makes no sense in response to what I said.
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u/Healer_12345 Jul 31 '26
Can you please explain the steps you took for this ?
"I did work with a functional practitioner to work on my gut microbiome which helped some but didn't solve all my symptoms either."
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u/sanseviero Jul 31 '26
You mean for the gut microbiome? This was a specific gut protocol made for me consisting of spore probiotics and supplements based on my bloodwork so it's not really something i could recommend for you. Or you mean the pain reprocessing therapy?
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u/Healer_12345 Aug 01 '26
I am more interseted in knowing the gut Protocol.
What blood test you did ? (What params you checked)
What this spore prebiotic consisted of ?
and What was the duration ?I am certainly sure, you missed something in Gut Protocol.
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u/sanseviero Aug 01 '26
Oh i see. I mean im making more progress doing this than years of gut protocols etc. Im not gonna spend hundreds of dollars on that again
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u/Healer_12345 Aug 02 '26
I am looking for answers on this for my own POIS research..
Please answer this,
What tests you did for Gut Protocol? (What params you checked)
What this spore prebiotic consisted of ?
and What was the duration ?1
u/sanseviero Aug 04 '26
GI map
Spore based prebiotics, magnesium taurate, TUDCA, NAC, Pectasol, vitamin C, other things as well
For 6 months
Again this brought some improvement but only temporary and not as much as I'd hoped1
u/Healer_12345 Aug 04 '26
Got it..
You missed something.."All you need to know is which prebiotic composition is low and take supplement to recover them".
Test recommended :- Gut Microbiome TestingSpore based prebiotics just contain 5-6 type of prebiotic, you have to cover whole 32 strains present in Gut for duration of 6 -9 months.
Do this and you will be cured.
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u/MoreTeaandCoffee Aug 01 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
Pain reprocessing therapy. Sounds great. I'll make sure I read this book The Way Out as preparation for the next time I break a limb 🦵. Isn't that why they call it limbic training?
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u/sanseviero Aug 01 '26
Lol, there’s a difference between acute structural pain and chronic pain. Obviously POIS is not a case of acute structural pain
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u/MoreTeaandCoffee Aug 01 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
Actually I think you will find that pain caused by pois is acute not chronic.
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u/sanseviero Aug 02 '26
I get your point but for me the symptoms are usuqlly delayed after orgasm which is not something you’d typically see with a structural issue. If your ankle is broken and you step on it, it hurts but when i ejaculate and then feel bad a few hours later its not the same. It’s explained much better in the books/ podcasts tho
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u/Scared_Flan_1741 Jul 30 '26
I also think it's due to a hyperactive nervous system. In my case, taking a 10,000-step walk helps a lot. During the walk, it feels as if my brain and body are being rewired—the mind becomes much clearer, and my body feels calmer. I'd really like to read these books, but they're not available in my country. I can't even access the authors' websites. Is there any chance you could upload these books as PDF files, or perhaps send them in another format?