Living with MS isn’t just about managing symptoms—it’s about breaking free from the invisible barriers that hold you back. Trauma and limiting beliefs can quietly shape your experience, making MS feel even more overwhelming.
But what if you could shift your mindset, heal past wounds, and unlock a more empowered, fulfilling life? Taking control of your thoughts and emotions can be the key to thriving with MS.
Multiple sclerosis is a central nervous system disorder.
Here’s something you might not know. The nervous system is very reactive. It has its own way of storing our issues and we might not even realise. It’s separate from our brain and awareness.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with MS.
If you have experienced trauma in your life, intrusive thoughts and flashbacks can really get in the way.
Like MS, the difficulty with managing trauma is that it’s so often hidden. It hides in our ’tissues’. As Petrea King (the founder of Quest for Life) says, the ‘issues are in our tissues’.
MS is an invitation to live the best life
But the good news is that we don’t have to live with trauma or limiting beliefs.
In many ways, I feel like having multiple sclerosis happened for me, not to me. It became an invitation to assess every reason why I had it and address any unprocessed issues.
The same might be true for you.
This is one of the reasons why we can can have the best life with MS. As a chronic disease, it forces us to have a reckoning with our past traumas. They could be physical, chemical, emotional, or psychological. Whatever the issues are, when we face them, we’re given the life-changing opportunity to transform.
So, how do we do it?
There are lots of ways of addressing trauma or childhood trauma, whether it’s physical, sexual, or psychological.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness can help with trauma. Mindfulness is a cognitive technique to focus on the present moment, without judgement. There are lots of ways of ‘doing’ mindfulness. Mindful walking, talking, eating, cleaning (karma yoga, an old fave).
Breathwork
There’s also this free 12-minute breathing ‘resets’ to bring calm in an overwhelming or hectic environment.
EMDR
EMDR is Eye Movement Desensitizing and Reprogramming. It is a psychotherapy technique that’s evidence-based treatment that can help.
Yoga Nidra
Talking, exercise, and yoga nidra can also all help. I love listening to Canadian Ally Boothroyd’s restorative yoga for the nervous system. It’s hugely beneficial to me.
Support
Of course, seeking some professional support can be the best first step to managing your trauma. Just know that you’re not alone. It can be managed.
If you’re like me and don’t ask for help until you really need it, these books could be your lifeline. But if you have any distressing trauma, please seek an expert to guide you.
Change Your Limiting Beliefs
Dr Bruce Lipton, author of the Biology of Belief, says it isn’t our genes that create our life, it’s consciousness.
Our beliefs, thoughts, mindset, and attitudes, all shape the environment that govern our genes.
We can reprogram limiting self-beliefs.
You can change your beliefs.
The question to answer is, what beliefs would help you?
Neuroscientists like Dr James Doty MD (author of Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestation and how it changes everything), are explaining how we can change our limiting beliefs and replace them with more beneficial self-empowering ones.
Dr Doty suggests 3 things.
First, catch the self-limiting belief. Challenge it. Replace it.What I love about Dr Doty is that he uses scientific methods to change the brain structures.
As Dr Doty explains, this uses different networks in the brain including the Default Mode Network, the Salience Network, and the Central Executive Network.
Default Mode Network (DMN): This network is active when our minds are wandering, reflecting on the past or future, and engaging in self-talk.
Salience Network (SN): This network helps us identify what is important and deserving of our attention. We can prime the SN to recognise opportunities and information that align with our goals.
Central Executive Network (CEN): Doty highlights the role of the CEN in clarifying our intentions, making plans, and taking action towards our goals. He emphasises the importance of strengthening the CEN through practices like meditation and mindfulness.
The tools to use these networkls are available to all of us. The tools are attention, meditation, visualization, and compassion.
The same process of changing your limiting beliefs can be used to manifest what you want. We lodge the desire into our subconscious, and visualise it with our senses.
The Reticular Activating System (RAS) in our hind brain hones in on it like a bird in the sky looks for a seed on the ground.
Self-compassion creates the environment for success. Have gratitude we are alive in this world. Treat yourself like a dear friend.
Your Turn: Write one new empowering belief.
“Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.”
Henry Ford
Yes, write it down. Imagine how it is real.
Use all your sense to visualise the authenticity of this new belief.
What does it look like? Smell like? Feel like? Taste like? Sound like?
Take small actions each day to remind and reinforce the new belief.
Changing Cohen’s Self-limiting Beliefs
For example: Cohen believed he was unlovable.
Cohen challenges this faulty, incorrect belief. He treated himself like his own best friend, did some deep breathing until he felt calm, and then picked up a pen and notebook.
He wrote:
I am deeply loved. I am deeply loveable.
Cohen thought about the people he loved, his friends, his workmates.
Then he thought about his sports friends, the people at the club, the shops he frequented, and was flooded with reinforced evidence for his lovability.
By reminding himself each day and sharing kindness to those people he thought of, he created a new belief.
That’s neuroplasticity. We’re creating new beliefs and lodging them into our subconscious. We’re creating the brain networks to support them.
Wrapping Up
Trauma and self-limiting beliefs can be strongly associated with multiple sclerosis. As a chronic nervous system disease, our issues are in our tissues.
Thinking about the causes of our MS can help us address any undealt with trauma or limiting beliefs. Honestly, whether you’re well or not, dealing with your past will always feel like throwing a heavy chain off your back. We become free.
There are evidence-backed tools and techniques we can use to help us, but it might be better to seek professional advice before you get started.
Resources and further information
The Biology of Belief by Dr Bruce Lipton (cellular biologist). This book is now ten years old and still selling strong. Dr Lipton has many resources available on his website, DrBruceLipton.
Mind Magic by Dr James Doty (neuroscientist and neurosurgeon)
Paul McKenna has free hypnotherapy trances on YouTube
Alex Howard has a free 5-day Decode your Trauma email course
The Physics of Miraculous Self-Healing by Jospeh Selbie
