THE FRIDA METHOD® INSTITUTE FOR NEURODEVELOPMENT
EMBODIED BRAIN
EDS, mCAS & NEUROsomatic THERAPHY
What is the connection between Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, immune dysregulation, and neurosomatic therapy?
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome have readily emerged as interconnected conditions, with one study revealing that nearly 66% of patients with the disorder also demonstrated symptoms of MCAS.
Mast cells (white blood cells) exist in abundant quantities throughout the layers of connective tissue. They play a crucial role in maintaining internal homeostasis and regulating the neuroimmune axis. These cells release inflammatory mediators like histamines and respond to both internal and external stimuli that have been determined to be threats to the body. By releasing other molecules to the surrounding tissues, mast cells alert and induce the nervous system to produce a protective response or behavior.
In individuals with these conditions, this signaling system, an interplay and continuous feedback loop between the nervous and immune systems, goes awry. The threshold for what is considered a threat is lowered in individuals who have been continuously exposed to stressors, stimuli, and environments their bodies are unable to handle.
Living with EDS or MCAS symptoms? We work with you to address the root cause.
Embodiment: The Mind-Body Feedback Loop
When the term "embodiment" is used, it is intended to refer to a stable, steady feedback loop between the mind and body that allows the individual to move through the world in a way that honors their personal values, drives, and intentions without experiencing overwhelm that proves catastrophic.
The underlying structural issues contribute to emotional sensitivity, vulnerability to trauma, dissociation, brain fog, and other neuropsychiatric effects experienced by EDS/MCAS patients. The body's inability to integrate or manage sensory overwhelm due to structural instability creates diminished physiological resilience. This leads the mind to "disconnect" from the body to cope with stress, pain, and inflammation.
What is often experienced by these patients is not a character flaw or failure, rather an expression of a genetic and physiological vulnerability that is exacerbated by physical and social environments.
The Body Shapes the Mind
The structures associated with our ability to withstand gravity are also involved with our ability to make meaning of ourselves and the world around us. As Mark Johnson, who has made substantial contributions in the domains of embodied philosophy and embodied cognition, describes: "meaning and conceptual structures arise from the nature of our brains, the character of our bodies, and features of the environments we routinely interact with, and in order to conceptualise and reason abstractly we recruit structures and contents of body-based sensory, motor, and affective meaning processes."
With increasing mainstream acceptance across scientific and medical fields, our understanding of the nervous system has extended beyond mind-body dualism, the concept that the mind and body develop separately, with the mind developing independently of bodily functions. The mind exists beyond the extent of the brain, being throughout the body. The peripheral nervous system, the nerve fibers extending from the spine throughout our entire bodies, relays information from internal and external environments to the brain, forming part of the unconscious loop that drives us forward.
How EDS Disrupts the Sensory Relay
In individuals with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, this relay loop is disrupted. The interpretations of stimuli from the environment are distorted and negatively impactful since the body's ability to modulate, inhibit, and discriminate stimuli is diminished due to issues with the proprioceptors, interoceptors, and motor stabilizers.
These components of sensory processing act in tandem with the brainstem, specifically the parabrachial nucleus, which assists with the uptaking of messages and directing them to the appropriate areas of the brain for processing before this information is brought to the frontal cortex for decision-making and higher-level reasoning processes.
The ability of the brainstem and peripheral nervous system to smoothly take in this information is determined by primitive reflex integration, which is disrupted in particular ways unique to individuals with EDS and MCAS due to underlying structural instability and chronic inflammation.
The Connection of Neurosomatic Therapy & Developmental Reflex Integration
Therein lies where neurosomatic therapeutic maneuvers are a fruitful intervention. By integrating any retained reflexes, we have found that the body's ability to readily organize itself in response to the stressors encountered in daily life is strengthened, lowering stress within the body, and in turn leading to diminished levels of inflammation and frequency of wrongful immune activation.
As the reactivity of the brainstem is calmed, immune dysregulation improves. By addressing retained primitive reflexes and restoring proper brainstem regulation, neurosomatic therapy offers a meaningful path toward reducing the chronic burden carried by those with EDS and MCAS.
Ready to address the underlying cause of your symptoms?
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The feedback loop
With these conditions, a feedback loop where the nervous system and immune system become dysregulated and continually activate improper signaling mechanisms and defenses due to oversensitization and generalization of threats, whether physiological or psychological, is created and contributes to overall inflammation, including that of the brain.
The path toward regulation
As the reactivity of this area is calmed, it has been seen that immune dysregulation improves. By addressing retained primitive reflexes and restoring proper brainstem regulation, neurosomatic therapy offers a meaningful path toward reducing the chronic burden carried by those
with EDS and MCAS.
Programs We Offer
12 Frida Foundationals
This program offers optimal outcomes for individuals experiencing chronic postural injuries, acute injuries or surgeries that heal slowly, or traumatic events that compromise functional integrity. We work closely with clients to regain their strength, mobility, and grace, ideally through sessions once or twice a week, involving manual input while clothed on a massage table. This manual therapy addresses primitive reflexes, muscle and skeletal alignment, sensory awareness, and developmental movement patterns, exploring 1-2 foundational movements per session. Clients receive a clear home program designed to maintain progress between sessions, along with weekly educational handouts and assignments.
Intensive 3-Day Model
International clients are welcome to visit for intensive sessions spanning 3-5 days, with tailored home programs provided to support progress between visits. Virtual support via Zoom is also available.
Telehealth Education for International & Out-of-State Families
The 12 Frida Foundational Movements are offered in a comprehensive 15-week Zoom educational program, featuring 7 support sessions. This program includes extensive reading and education on primitive reflexes, developmental movement, and how sensory awareness can enhance range of motion and overall function.
Take the First Step
Schedule a free 30-minute consultation to discuss your situation and learn how neurosomatic therapy addresses the connection between EDS, MCAS, and nervous system function.
