First read these two important notes: 

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1) Els, you are saying that you are 100% cured from MCS, how is that possible?

I have done the Gupta brain retraining for almost a year. That helped me fully recover from MCS.

2) How did you find the programme?

First I received information about the training of Annie Hopper, but she only gave seminars and did not have DVD’s for doing the training at home. At that time I was not able to get out of the house to go to a seminar! I have found the Gupta programme through Facebook.

3) Why did you start to do it?

• Because of the many positive testimonials, I started it. What did I have to loose? I just gave it the benefit of the doubt and went 100% for it. If it doesn’t work, it won’t hurt either, was one of my first thoughts.

• Because the website of Ashok Gupta said that the training is NOT like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Reverse Therapy, Psychotherapy, Positive Thinking, Basic Relaxation, Hypnosis or Hypnotherapy etc. I was very sensitive for the “all in the head” theories and Ashok was very clear about that that is NOT the case in his approach and that convinced me to go for it.

• Because the price for what you get is very good! In the DVD programme you will receive the following: • 12 “Fully Interactive DVD Sessions” at the Clinic (over 15 hours), with Ashok Gupta • An A4 Book which contains a copy of the script of the DVDs • An Audio CD with mind exercises  to also help “retrain the amygdala” • Etc.
  Normally if you go to a seminar, or several times (for months) to a clinic, it costs you much more money.

4) How did you like the training sessions?

I liked it very much. It felt like I was sitting in his office and that they were private sessions.
The quality is very high. The sessions are built up slowly and the video quality is perfect. Ashok Gupta speaks clearly and I quickly started to like him. I watched the DVD’s over and over again and every time I felt really content with this material. One of the positive things is also that you will get a book with exactly everything printed what has been told (the script). It is professional study material, suitable for every one.
You can work on it in your own page and time.

5) What is the Gupta Programme in your own words?
The Gupta programme is created for ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia patients, but works also great for MCS. Because of several causes – like toxic injury, viruses etc. – the amygdala (which is located in the unconscious brain) can become oversensitive, with other words: it remains on ‘high alert’ or stays stuck in overdrive. Then it gives too many (wrong) signals to your system and that has many
(and in some cases severe) consequences for all kind of processes in your body.

The immune, detoxification and other systems are down regulated during a perceived emergency state your brain is in, and that once the amygdala is reset to a normal function, the body systems will go back to normal functioning again.

Detailed information about the amygdala and the programme you will find here:

► A complete free session (session 2) about the amygdala via YouTube:
Watch all these parts to get a more understanding what it is:
session 2 part 1 ; session 2 part 2 ; session 2 part 3 ; session 2 part 4 ; session 2 part 5 ; session 2 part 6  

► Information via Gupta’s website: explain CFS ; explain MCS

► The hypothesis of Ashok Gupta explains about the cause of ME/CFS. Although this is a drug-free therapy, Ashok clearly states that ME/CFS is a real physical condition, with real physical symptoms. This is based on his medical paper which was published in a medical journal in 2002. The explanation is based on the role of a brain structure called the Amygdala, which keeps the body in a permanent imbalanced state, causing all of the symptoms. 

► A one year Observational Clinical Audit Study on 33 patients, and this has shown that 93% of patients improved, and two-thirds (67%) went on to make a full recovery, or close to that mark. Most of these patients are now back in full time work.

6) Is this training ‘fear’ based?

This training is NOT fear based, but primarily focused on dealing with the unconscious responses of the body. And that is totally different than the statement some people make that it is a matter of conscious fear.

7) Did you find negative responds from MCS patients on this training?

Unfortunately yes. There are some MCS patients who did not do the programme, but are judging it anyway and in a bad way (and shout that from the roofs). Those – often negative orientated - people (mis-)use words like ‘fear based’ (see former question) to keep other MCS patients from doing this programme.

Also some people think it is mind over matter, it is all in your head. That is not true. The body has in fact been damaged, but it is the brain controlling the responses, not the mind. You are not thinking or imaging your way to better health, but actually retraining your brain!

These misunderstandings are so sad, because lots of people will stay then in their lonely vicious (brain) circle and never find their way back to freedom and healing because of that.
STUDY THE MATERIAL YOURSELF WELL BEFORE YOU JUDGE OR BEFORE YOU LET YOURSELF BE NEGATIVELY INFLUENCED BY OTHERS!

8) Did you immediately commit yourself to this training?

On 2010 June 27th I started the training and made a ‘contract’ with myself to give it for at least six months the benefit of the doubt. Nothing would disturb this process, was my decision. The 27th of December I was officially done and we celebrated it in a restaurant, enjoying a lovely X-mas diner! An incredible step forward.

9) How long did the programme take?

12 Sessions feels like a lot, but I took the time and studied the material for weeks/months in a row. No rush, just step by step I was doing the programme. Studying the DVD’s over and over again until I could ‘dream the information’. I lived 6 years in isolation, I knew it would take me some time to crawl out of this again. I personally needed more time than 6 months; I can say after 9 till 12 months I really started to talk about full recovery.

10) How did you deal with the fumes from the book and floor map?  

At the start I only worked with the DVD's. Because the floor map and the book I found too smelly too (the book is only a complete script from everything that has been said on the DVD's). I took a picture (photo) of the floor map and printed it out on A4 and that paper I put in a out gassed plastic sheet at that time. I worked without the floor map and instead I held my own little map (picture on A4 paper) in my hand for practicing. One of the first things I worked on was being able to read books again and that succeeded. Very soon I could handle the ink and stuff of printed books, maps etc. Then I could read the Gupta book unprotected as well (before that I only could read with a respirator).

11) How did you adjust the programme to your MCS situation?

Everywhere Ashok Gupta talked about CFS, I replaced it in my thoughts and on paper with ‘MCS’. With all of the exercises I worked on the ‘issue’ MCS. You can use the exercises for ME/CFS/Fibromyalgia and personal issues for example. I only was focused on MCS, that was my priority number one. I wrote down everything that has to do with MCS, all of my reactions, my thoughts etc. and worked it step by step out of my system with the main techniques (the A. training – short and long version - was the most important tool for me). Some MCS reactions I had to work on several times, some of them disappeared after just one exercise and other reactions just disappeared by themselves or in time, because of the reason that the amygdala became calmer and calmer. It is like peeling an onion. Layer for layer trying to solve it and getting rid of it until MCS has been worked out of your system and life completely.

12) Did you use all of his techniques?

I used the 2 main techniques (A. training + S&F) and the additional techniques I studied and researched very well. The additional techniques - like for example the meditation techniques - are very professional and highly effective. However, I already meditated for years (Transcendental Meditation) and for relaxation and extra energy I used Reiki (see my Reiki website and book the ABC’s of Reiki about that) and preferred to go on with that. For people who do not do any relaxation techniques yet in their lives, they really can have much benefit of the additional techniques. They are easy to learn and do. The guided meditations on CD and the DVD’s are very pleasant. It is very important to calm the amygdala (in every possible way) and his additional techniques do have this purpose as well, so do not skip them if you don't have a decent alternative!

13) What else did you do during that training?

I read several scientific books about neural plasticity / rewiring the brain, which helped me to understand what was going on – going wrong - in my unconscious brain and how that is affecting my life and health in a negative way. It helped me a lot to understand more about the brain functions, cells, genes etc.

• The Brain That Changes Itself - Norman Doidge, M.D.

• The Genie in your Genes - Dawson Church, Ph.D

• The Biology of Belief – Dr. Bruce Lipton

14) Did you have food and emf sensitivities?

Yes, I trained it all out of my system. Step by step. I handled my reactions to food and emf the same way I handled my physical MCS reactions.

15) Aren’t we definitely damaged by chemicals?

When the amygdala is back in its natural state – calm – then the attention of the body will go back to the other systems. That is why your whole system works better when the amygdala has been calmed down. My detoxification system is working great. I never had any poisonous reactions anymore for example. My body just works now as it is supposed to work. I have never felt this good in my entire life.

16) Doesn’t the amygdala get calm by itself in time?

Ashok Gupta says that when the amygdala is traumatised, it will stay in that mode, until it has been reprogrammed, trained or ‘told’ that it can rest again. Your amygdala needs to learn new things and your amygdala really is prone to learn new things. Only this time for the good. Fortunately the amygdala learns quick end remembers that.

17) How fast did you notice the first changes?

After two weeks of training I already noticed the first little changes and after 6 months consistently retraining my brains, I did the most normal things again, like shopping at the supermarket, dining out, visiting friends and family in their home, receive visitors, go into town, going to parties et cetera. After 9-12 months I actually functioned better than ever before and started to talk and think about 100% recovery.

18) Didn’t you have any doubts?

Too beautiful to be true I thought. But I made the 'contract' with myself and went 100% for it, although the doubts were still there in the beginning. After the first little improvements, I started to become more enthusiastic and slowly I began to gain faith that it would work for me as well and decided not to let go. Reading the mentioned books helped me to understand even more what was going on in my brains and cells!

19) What is your advice to people who are starting the programme?

Two important words to keep in mind: persistence and consistent. Your brains need to get the opportunity to make new neuronal pathways (and to have the time and attention to deepen those new paths, so that they will remain). Therefore it is important to make this commitment for at least 6 months. You have to go for it 100% and not one day 100% and another day 1% because of tiredness, bad mood or any other excuse that would undermine your work. You have to stay conscious and focused on how the amygdala is working and on the moments it keeps on trying to get your attention. You need to stop its wrong signals all the time, sometimes with the long version you have learned from the DVD’s and other times just the short version of the A. training. The S&F exercise really eases a bad reaction very well and must not be forgotten, but the most important action/step is always to stop your amygdala first. Do not give it back its power. 

Make sure you keep on practicing and watching the DVD’s and study the material over and over again until you really have found big improvement. After a while it will become so much easier to stop the amygdala from firing off, it will become an automatic response then.

20) How did you expose yourself to chemicals again?

After doing the training for a while I started to do experiments with relatively safe things at home. I practiced with reading a printed book, opening the mail, talking to someone at the door without protection, receiving scented people in our home, going to a store (not the supermarket yet), went for a drive and so on and on. My husband did not shower anymore after doing groceries or what so ever and I had to deal with those reactions to the chemicals in his clothes, hair etc. I even borrowed some sheets from friends, to have some perfumed cotton at home to work with. I had to do the exercises right away when my husband came home unsafe for me at that time. But it worked, I got it out of my system!! I just saw all those (daily) things as exam/study material. I could practice my exercises then. Baby step by baby step I conquered back the world and my freedom.

21) How do I adjust the A. training specific to MCS and EHS etc.?  

You can do the A. training on MCS in several ways. You can work out every reaction (physical/emotional etc.), belief, fear or thought by dealing with them the same way as if they would be just another regular negative thought Gupta is talking about. MCS (or EHS etc.) is NOT a matter of negative thinking, but you handle that vicious circle the same way as other issues named in the programme. You just use the A. training for communication with your amygdala and unconscious brain. You break the pattern until it is vanished! The moment you feel or notice any reaction in your body or mind concerning MCS, CFS, EHS, Fibromyalgia and so on, you IMMEDIATELY do the A. training (long version walk or the short version in your mind). All the time! In the beginning you are very busy with it and you might have to break conversations, watching movies or what so ever to do your exercises promptly (I mostly withdrawn myself to the bedroom to be as much as concentrated as I could be). You even can work with it 'on purpose' when you are having time and want to practise, like for example using the phrase : “I am reacting to perfumes (chemicals/gasses/smoke etc.)” and start "the walk and talk". Or use sentences like “I have MCS” Or “This …. (fill in the specific thing what makes you sick) is making me ill”. Also false or wrong beliefs about the programme itself you can work out of your unconscious part of the brain. Like: “I do not believe I will ever get better this way” and let your future self motivate you or make you believe that it is going to work for you as well. Also just breaking a(ny) thought about a symptom helps when doing the dishes for example! Be consistent and persistence, that is all it needs! And do not forget to end the exercise in a positive way and with a positive statement (what is sending a positive signal to your brains and cells)!

22) Did you simply follow the standard wording of the A. training?  

I used most of the time the standard wording while I was retraining. Of course you can reword it in your own way/words and adjust it to a specific problem of reaction. But make sure you keep it as close as possible to the original text to make sure you use the proper text at the right step.

23) How do I notice my amygdala is firing off?  

You can notice that your amygdala is firing off in many ways. Reactions in your body, fears, negative thoughts, not feeling well etc.etc.

It sometimes even can be experienced in a very subtle way, like a "whisper". The amygdala gives signals to your conscious brain and if you notice signals concerning MCS, than you know your amygdala is warning you. So you have to stop it and tell it that it does not need to respond anymore like this. Your conscious knows, but your unconscious must learn it too and the exercise (the A. training) is perfect to stop it and to make new neural path ways that way. It is a (brain) communication with the amygdala, you give a message back to it. And finally it will react as you want it to react.

24) Did you use the accelerator technique?

I bought the DVD and watched it, but I was already doing very well and did not need it anymore. I can imagine that maybe some people without any results can benefit of this addition. I already added after a few months an other technique what worked pretty well for me too (and a very quick one as well). See next question.

25) Did you work also with other techniques besides Gupta?

In the book “The Genie in your Genes” from Dawson Church, Ph.D. I found on page 231 a way of tapping things out of your system. It is called WHEE (Wholistic Hybrid derived from EMDR and EFT). It is a technique that just takes a few minutes but has a high impact. One night I was really feeling not well because of MCS I tried this out and in a few minutes that bad feeling was completely gone. I was totally flabbergasted and decided to adapt this technique and work with it. I used it for tapping out reactions to food, products, smells, fear reactions, physical problems, pain etc. It is a quick and effective tool. I still work with this on all kind of stuff that has nothing to do with MCS.

If you want to read a special book about this technique, it is called; “Seven minutes to Natural Pain Release. WHEE for tapping your Pain away”- Daniel J. Benor, MD. The book is all about dealing with pain, but can be interesting if you want to know all about this method .

26) You withdraw yourself from the MCS world for a while, why is that?

During the training, you will get the advice to leave (or not being active in) these kind of communities to only focus on your own healing process. And during that process not to help others or to let yourself be influenced by others. That is why I have chosen for my recovery and made it my priority number one. When you are healed it is much easier to be there for others. That is why I came back and hope that my story will inspire and help others. 

27) Is a personal coach helpful?

Yes, that would be helpful (I have educated my husband for being a good support at my weak moments), but when there is not anyone for you, you can definitely do this on your own. You have all of the tools and the most import thing you need to do is the commitment to yourself and your own healing process. Know that you can find personal coaching via the Gupta training centre as well.

28) Where do I find other people who did the programme?

At Ashok Gupta's website there is an official forum for brain retrainers: www.guptaprogramme.com/forum

At the website of Planet Thrive you'll find a support forum. 

Via my Facebook page you can find connection to people who did or are doing the training themselves. Keep in mind that this is not a coaching page, but only for sharing positive news on brain retraining. Your recovery story is more than welcome, that will inspire others!

29) How do I deal with tough moments?

Everybody will get difficult moments during those 6 months. A healing process goes with ups and downs. I too had my weak moments, but if you realise that it is temporarily and that it will get better and better in time, you always have enough power and motivation to go on and on. Nothing is more important than your health. In time your dips will get less and less and finally disappear. Accept them as natural parts of this period. If you fall, just get back on your feet and go on.

Never - never, never, never, never - give up!

30) What if somebody does not have energy at all and is bed ridden?

Everybody can do the training in his own page and time. You can do the training also in bed. Every exercise is adjustable to that.

31) Do you need to spend much time daily on this training?

That will be dependable on your situation. But best thing to do is – especially at the beginning, the first few weeks – to give it as much time as possible. You have to make time to study the material and let it sink in. But you can do the exercises when you are at work, on the bus, during house keeping, etc. There is no reason thinkable of not doing this for yourself and own healing process. You can adjust it completely to your own life and time or integrate the programme completely into your daily life.

32) But what if I do not have the time and/or energy to study this programme?

"No time" is in my eyes a weak excuse for not doing it. You better focus on what you can instead of what you can not! If "no time" would have been the case in my life, I would have studied at night if necessary, because what can be more important than your own recovery from MCS? And besides the fact that you will crawl out of this horrible isolated situation, you can be even better there for others, your work, your family than if you would do not anything about your illness and would stay in this vicious circle. But that is my humble personal opinion… Stop making false excuses!

33) How about working on personal issues with the programme?

You can use the programme for many situations and things in life that are influencing you in a negative way. I myself choose to make MCS my priority number one, but if personal issues came along or popped up, I used the same techniques to make sure that it would not harm me. I worked everything out of my system what had to do with MCS and what made me different than "normal and healthy people".

34) What do I wrong if I still have bad reactions after an exposure?   

I can not look into others life's and how consistent they are doing the program (it is very important to study it very well and over and over and over again). My experience is, that I had to do everything in really SMALL steps. So no exposure for a long time in the beginning to perfumes, but short moments and then work on it with the A. training. And when I had a reaction I did the S&F (right away). If your UNconscious still believes it is unsafe, then your amygdala will continue to fire off. So it needs more time and attention and maybe your steps were too big. Maybe it will help to borrow some perfumed clothes, sheets or towels from friends/family and to practice with it at home. First a few minutes in your surrounding (and then bring it to the garage or what so ever) and make the exposure time a bit longer and longer every time. Especially when you do not have reactions of course (and if you have reactions, work on it right away). And in time you bring the perfumed item (like a towel) in your bedroom for sleeping in a 'perfumed' room, but that is just the 'end station'. You need to do this in tiny little steps. Your UNconscious must start to believe/learn that it is safe now and that it don't need to warn you anymore. Your conscious may want many things (and right now), but that is just your WILL (power); your UNconscious part of the brain must learn it, must get the time for it. It must starting to believe it too. So keep on practicing every day and every moment/time it needs your attention.

35) Do I need to do the Gupta Programme permanently?  

No, you do not have to do the Gupta programme permanently; In time you will do the exercises less and less. And finally you do not have to do them anymore when the amygdala is back in its natural state. I hardly do not do the exercises anymore, but sometimes when I do 'new' things I have to stay focused that my amygdala will not get in control (high alert) again.

36) What can I do more if I do not feel big improvements after 6 months?  

There are several things you can do:

► Find motivation, information, help and support at the Gupta forum Do not struggle alone!

► Find help from a Professional Coach of the Gupta Clinic Normally you really should be able to find improvement too, so do not give up too soon. Make sure other medical reasons are ruled out. NOTE: Always ask a professional doctor for help when having health problems. Also when working on the program or when being coached.

►Try to work out any false beliefs about the programme with the tools you have received. Use the A. training to get rid of your own doubts and sceptic feelings, because they can block your recovery process. It surely can! Give it the benefit of the doubt a few months more.

► Keep these two words in mind: Consistent and Persistence. Try to find out where you have been too nice for yourself or on what point you are not or have not been committed for 100%. There can be tons of reasons, but none of them will help you to move forward.

37) What if I will not have any results at all?

There is a money back guarantee on this programme. Check the website and the study material for information on that.

38) Did you hear about others who recovered from MCS?

Yes, mainly also from people who did the programme. From one MCS patient I heard that she recovered because of taking a specific anti depression medication. Some of those medications (please ask a professional for more details) calm down the amygdala as well. But knowing that a lot of MCS patients can not handle any medication, the brain retraining would be preferable I think. In some cases, this medication therapy could be a life saver when nothing else seems possible. It all depends on your own personal situation.

39) Do you use any regular medicine?

I had to use for a short while for other reasons than MCS regular medication this year. I had no side effects or what so ever.

40) Do you still have reactions after a year?

No, I do not have any MCS reactions any more. But I still have to be conscious about the fact that I do not give wrong signals back to my amygdala when I am starting to get worried or feeling fears. Especially when I did new things, like staying in a hotel, making a flight, encounter bad smells etc. I needed to stay focused on my amygdala. I think it will take a few years, before I never think about MCS again.

41) How is your sense of smell doing now?

Your smell normalises when your system calms down, that is what Gupta says and that is my experience as well. I really hardly do not smell people or things anymore (only when there are strong fumes, but everyone does smell that then!). In any case I do not notice smells as strong as I did before. It is correct that that is normalising too, fortunately!!

42) How does it feel to be back in the world?

Every day still feels like a blessing, a gift. If you have lived in isolation for many years with the thought that it would be the rest of your life and you find freedom again, that is truly a miracle. Although I had to do the ‘work’ myself, it really feels like something very special has overcome to me. I feel a deep thankfulness and a happiness what life gives me and will never take it for granted anymore. I am living in freedom now and a normal life, but I never will forget this amazing, blessed experience. I really hope MANY MCS patients will follow in my foot steps and find recovery as well. That is my deepest wish.

43) Are you going to use chemical products again?

I did a lot of research for my MCS books and know about the dangers of toxic chemicals. Where I can choose for natural and safe products, I will keep on doing that. But now it is matter of free choice!

44) Are you available as personal coach for others?

After years of being ill and working on MCS information (my website/books – see link) it is time for me to live my new life. We have very beautiful plans, that has something to do with a new project (travelling and writing)

This webpage is my unconditional gift to the MCS patients, meant to say to them: “There is a way out of the hell, called MCS”.

You have to work on it hard, but it really is doable. I could shout it out: “PLEASE BELIEVE ME”, but people have to go their own ways and make their own decisions. Like I choose now for another life than being somebody’s personal coach, that would confront me every day too much with the MCS community and its dark sides and I really want to leave that behind me now.

45) Where do I find more information (web links)?

My websites:
The ABC's of MCS

The ABC's of Reiki

My Facebook page about my recovery

Gupta Amygdala Retraining:

Ashok Gupta

Gupta Forum

Facebook page Ashok Gupta 

Part 1/6  Part 2/6  Part 3/6  Part 4/6  Part 5/6  Part 6/6 

Planet Thrive:

An interview with Ashok Gupta

Planet Thrive Support Forum 

Limbic retraining

Planet Thrive about my recovery

Planet Thrive - more stories about recovery from MCS

Rewiring the chemically sensitive brain -  interview with Annie Hopper

Thilde Jensen's recovery

Miscellaneous:

EMF and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity - Thilde on YouTube

Ervaringsverhalen Gupta Amygdala Retraining - Dutch website www.cvsme.nl

Everything Makes Them Sick See Text/Statement on the last picture (#22)

Healing from MCS (BlogSpot)

MCS recovery process BlogSpot 

MCS und Amygdala Retraining - Geheilt - German blog

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity - Process of Recovery  

My Journey into MCS, EMFS, CFS - and back; Linda Worthington

Posts that focus entirely on MCS improvements

Retraining the brain for cfs fms mcs ptsd gws

I hope this webpage will be of help for you!!

All the best,

Els Valkenburg, the Netherlands