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How I'm Using 'The Sound of Music' to Help Heal my Limbic System

This iconic image of Julie Andrews doing her introductory twirl on an Austrian hilltop in the film The Sound of Music, is how I felt when I recently reached a six month milestone in the Dynamic Neural Retraining System (DNRS) - a self directed neuroplastic approach for healing Limbic System Impairment (LSI.)

I’m pleased to report that with much daily effort, I’m continuing to see improvement in my quality of life.

I’d estimate a 20% improvement in my energy levels, productivity, pain management and overall progress.

A key component of the DNRS program is using positive emotions like love, joy and gratitude to elevate one’s emotional state throughout the day.

This stimulates desired neurotransmitters in the brain such as oxytocin (aka: the cuddle hormone), endorphins, and serotonin which promote neuroplasticity by creating a friendly environment for new neural, neuronal and synapsis growth.

One way to encourage this elevated emotional state throughout the day is to have a happiness toolbox, or quick tricks on hand that can enhance one’s mood. Maybe this is a favorite hobby, a type of music, or an old TV show. For me, it’s The Sound of Music, a pleasing musical to the senses that I grew up watching and associate with happy songs and simpler times.

From the start of my DNRS journey, I’ve incorporated this film and all of it’s glorious music into my day. Beginning with the soundtrack as I wash up and dress in the morning to set a positive, happy tone. The songs are so upbeat it puts me (and my husband) in a good mood!

Another key component of re-wiring one’s brain using the DNRS program is to avoid negative thought patterns and conversations, or as Annie Hopper calls them “Pathways of the Past, or POP’s.” Therefore, we're taught to recognize old pathways associated with a LSI. Then as those thoughts arise, we redirect our thoughts to “act back” on the brain in order to rewire new, optimally functioning neural pathways.

For instance, a POP that I struggle with is that my subconscious has a habit of returning to old painful memories, traumas, or regrets in my life. So now when this happens, I redirect my thought process to five things for which I'm grateful, or by focusing on what's going well in my life.

When I catch myself thinking about taboo topics like chemicals, pain, or mold — then I swiftly shift into singing (or humming,) “These Are a Few of My Favorite Things!” And when I notice myself scanning the environment for potential triggers (to avoid), I sing to myself “Do-Re-Mi.”

Ultimately, as taught in The DRNS program, avoiding such triggers reinforces the negative feedback loop that results in misfiring and mis-wiring in a LSI. I describe this more in a previous post: Aha Moments Using DNRS for Brain Rewiring.

One of the wonderful effects DNRS has is that it opens the mind to new possibilities.

For instance only a few months into DNRS, I borrowed a friends’ daughters’ keyboard and began learning how to play the piano using the SimplyPiano App. This is significant because I have no musical background, previously sitting upright for prolonged periods of time was uncomfortable, and brain fog was a major challenge.

Now, not only am I learning to play an instrument, which brings me great joy, but I’m also learning to play songs from The Sound of Music such as “Edelweiss” and “The Sound of Music Theme Song.” This new reality ups my joy factor substantially, and by upping my joy factor it enhances my emotional state.