How Does cPNI Work?
Clinical PNI (psychoneuroimmunology) therapists work with preventive and regenerative protocols that encompass diet, exercise and techniques that encourage restful sleep and emotional balance, together with therapeutic dosages of nutritional/phytonutrient supplementation to influence disturbed biochemical pathways. Disturbed pathways underpin chronic low-grade inflammatory states fundamental to the development of cardiovascular disease, some cancers, mental health and autoimmune conditions, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis.
Using the ‘Meta Models’
The Clinical PNI approach includes helping a client to understand the five ‘meta models’ and how these work in relation to one another to restore balance. The five meta models are:
- Physical
- Cognitive
- Emotional
- Social
- Sexual
The Physical ‘You’
Every ‘physical’ symptom has the ability to interfere with or prevent you from engaging in activities you enjoy or love. It may be the way you feel about your appearance in relation to others, or the fact you rarely feel good about yourself physically. Something as simple as feeling bad about how your hair looks or the fact you feel bloated and drained of energy each time you eat a big meal is enough to cause a physical reaction that then has an emotional impact. Whatever your physical reality, the effects on your social, family and/or professional life can be debilitating. That acute pain may be triggering fear (the emotional you), which may then cause hyperventilation (physical you again) and affect your ability to think straight (cognitive you). Social withdrawal may feel like the only way for you to cope. Physical symptoms can open up a Pandora’s box of problems, throwing up bigger roadblocks that become increasingly harder to dodge. If your ‘physical’ health has been flagged as a focus area for you, consider if any other areas of your life (emotional, social, cognitive or sexual) are being impacted, too.
The Cognitive ‘You’
Your brain attempts to rule in almost every situation. Your brain likes being the chief commander, giving orders to control everything in your body through a complex series of signals. But did you know that your heart actually sends out more signals than your brain? How you think and how often you think about your reality can impact your physical brain structures, changing the chemical messages being sent through your body networks to systems and organs. Emotional health is often affected, further exaggerating physical effects to where chronic disease can set in. The mental merry-go-round and the negative self-talk that follows can flood our brain and take over from the things we need to be focusing on and doing. Such self-talk doesn’t usually have a conclusion and is self-perpetuating. No wonder stress, upset and anxiety set in. The only real solution to be found is when we let go and detach. By detaching from the merry-go-round in your head, your negative self-talk is also silenced. With expert guidance from our PNI therapist(s), you have the ability to identify further tools and take more action to change your situation to improve your mental health.
The Emotional ‘You’
There’s no pain without fear. There’s no pain without fixation. It’s just that the reasons for the fear and fixation aren’t always known. We all know how emotions can easily overrule your more rational mind at any given moment – especially in the presence of physical or emotional pain. The grief and anguish experienced from the loss of a loved one or family pet. The heartbreak from a relationship ending or messy divorce. Losing your job. All of these events can all unleash a torrent of emotions and physical effects to knock you sideways. The pain created from any of these situations all hurt. It may not even be our own pain, but someone else’s that we’re carrying. Sometimes emotional pain is created because we’re just not listening to our internal messages, especially our own heart song. Whatever the reason, the emotional brain takes control, and your current problem may be that extra item that you just can’t squeeze into your ‘backpack.’ It’s never comfortable for you or others around you when raw emotions begin to spill out all over the place because of being overburdened. Don’t be hard on yourself. You may just need a little ‘re-wiring’. What’s the ‘tool’ you need to be able to feel differently in your situation?
The Social ‘You’
Is your social network the most important part of your life? Or does it feel like a giant hole? It all depends on how you or others see your problem and how much it may be affecting your social life. Your social network represents all of your external networks in one – your family, partners, friends, acquaintances, professional contacts and even the unknown yet to come. It also includes people interested in what you have to offer them. Can you figure out how and when to prioritise yourself? Could your partner, children, parents, friends, or all of these people be struggling with your reality themselves? Think about the people you are close to, and who may be involved with you in your reality. You may be thinking and feeling too much about aspects that make you unhappy, which may be exacerbated by the people around you. What’s the ‘tool’ you need to be able to feel different in your situation?
The Sexual ‘You’
You may be struggling with sexual health problems that may include reduced libido, erectile dysfunction and/or premature ejaculation, and/or fertility problems. Hormone imbalances are commonly at the root of such problems and can have a huge and even devastating impact across many areas of your life, which is why the ‘sexual’ meta model straddles all other meta models in the diagram that your PNI therapist will show you in your first consultation. The way we ‘feel’ (emotional) and ‘think’ (cognitive) about the physical problems listed above - and others within the whole spectrum of sexual health – do not only impact our self esteem and confidence. It can have a profound effect on our relationships with others (social).
Get started today on balancing your mind and body. Contact us to book your time or find out more!
