Chronic Symptom Assessment

Are your symptoms caused by your brain?

Take the FIT Assessment!

Whenever a new client comes to me with chronic pain, fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, or other similar symptoms, the first thing I do is have them take this assessment. This is a vital step in determining whether the symptoms are mediated by the brain and nervous system (neuroplastic), or whether they are structural/pathological in origin. Once we have a clear diagnosis, we can move forward with brain retraining, somatic work, or other techniques!

When I first heard about neuroplastic conditions, I had already been through the ringer with 10+ years of doctors, tests, diets, detoxes, and treatments. I was exhausted and broke, and arguably in a worse state than when I had started (especially mentally). And yet! I was quite skeptical and hesitant about the whole approach. My education and clinical research experience helped me understand the science behind mindbody conditions, but I wasn’t totally convinced it applied to me. After all, I had been diagnosed with a half-dozen serious-sounding labels like chronic Lyme disease, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, vestibular migraines, and more. To have all of that explained by a simple brain mechanism and to be presented with a relatively inexpensive and straightforward treatment style seemed too good to be true. And so, I waffled on it for many months, before officially starting my brain retraining journey.

I understand the role of doubt when it comes to “cures” for chronic conditions. Trust me. As someone who has experienced the hope-disappointment cycle more than most, getting myself to buy in to the mindbody explanation took time and lots of evidence gathering. So, if you are a skeptical place right now, where you’re not sure if this applies to you or if a neuroplasticity-based approach will work for your case, I get it. And that’s what the FIT assessment is for! This is usually the place I start with any client, to help us both understand if their symptoms fit a neuroplastic or mindbody pattern.

It is important to take the time to fully assess your situation, to make sure this approach will help you! And the first step is:

1. Rule out a structural or systemic issue

I am not a doctor and cannot make diagnoses. I am also never going to tell someone to skip a medical evaluation and jump into brain retraining instead. If you have chronic pain, fatigue, dizziness, or other symptom, please see your healthcare provider(s) for a full workup. Ideally, your practitioners would be mindbody-informed. It’s important to rule out things like true injuries, fractures, cancer, autoimmune disease, or infections.

Please note: The presence of abnormalities on your scans or tests doesn’t necessarily mean those abnormalities are the cause of your symptoms. Many of my clients have been seen by dozens of doctors and received various diagnoses, and tried many conventional treatments to no avail. To learn more about theses “normal abnormalities,” I recommend checking out Dr. Schubiner’s book, Unlearn Your Pain- the first chapter is available for free here.

2. Rule in a mindbody condition

These go by many names these days- neuroplastic pain, central sensitization syndrome, neural circuit disorder, psychophysiologic disorder (PPD), TMS, Mindbody Syndrome, etc.

FIT Assessment Criteria

The following assessment is a great way to determine whether your symptoms fit the mindbody pattern, and is based on Dr. Schubiner’s F.I.T criteria (Functional, Inconsistent, Triggered). As you go through the assessment, make note of which criteria apply to you. The more that apply, the more likely you have a mindbody condition and that brain retraining principles can benefit you.

F- Functional

• Symptoms began without an injury or physical cause OR symptoms persisted after an injury has healed (3-6 mo)

• Symptoms are in a symmetric distribution pattern

• Symptoms occur on one whole side of the body or occur on half of the face, head, or torso

• Symptoms spread over time to different parts of the body

• Symptoms radiate to the opposite side of the body or down a whole leg or arm

• Symptoms that occur in many different body parts at the same time

• Symptoms that have a quality of tingling, electric, burning, numb, hot, or cold

I- Inconsistent

• Symptoms are more or less intense depending on the time of day or night

• Symptoms occur after, but not during, an activity or exercise

• Symptoms occur when one thinks about them or when someone asks about them

• Symptoms occur when stress increases or one thinks about stressful situations

• Symptoms are reduced or nonexistent when engaged and joyful or distracting activities, such as when on vacation

• Symptoms are reduced or non-existent after some kind of therapy, such as massage, chiropractic, Reiki, acupuncture, an herbal or vitamin supplement

T-Triggered

• Symptoms began during a time of significant stress or change in life (divorce, job change, move, financial loss, etc)

• Symptoms are triggered by things that are not related to the actual symptom, such as foods, smells, sounds, light, computer screens, menstrual cycle, changes in the weather, etc

• Symptoms are triggered by the anticipation of stress, such as prior to school, work, a doctor’s visit, a medical test, a visit to a relative, or a social gathering; or during those activities

• Symptoms that are triggered by simply imagining engaging in the triggering activity

Chronic Symptom Personality

And let’s not forget personality traits, beliefs, and behaviors. These are often major factors in the development of chronic mindbody conditions, as these are mediated by the stress pathways in the brain. Below are also some statements related to health history. The more of these you identify with, the more likely your issue is neuroplastic.

• I catastrophize when I experience symptoms and will do anything to make them go away

• I am frequently frustrated by my symptoms, try to figure them out, fix them, and/or hyperfocus on them

• I have experienced difficult traumatic experiences in my life

• The expectations of me were very high in childhood or early adulthood

• I am hard on myself

• I struggle with guilt or shame

• I have a history of anxiety and/or depression

• I have more than one type of symptom (pain, fatigue, brain fog, insomnia, etc.)

• I have seen many doctors, but the conventional Western medicine approach doesn’t seem to help resolve my symptoms

• I have tried other alternative therapies with no long-lasting relief of symptoms

• I struggle with any of the following: perfectionism, people-pleasing, feeling/labeling emotions, sensitivity to criticism, control issues, being judgmental, codependency, overly conscientious

Alright my friend, how did it go? How many of those statements do you feel apply to you?

If you “scored high” this is actually great news! Because it means that you can finally break free from the tiring, expensive, time-consuming cycle of doctors, treatments, and more, just like I did. By focusing on neuroplasticity and somatic experiencing principles, you can retrain your brain to reduce the fear, turn down the symptoms, and get back to living a full life again.

Of course, if you need it, I am here to help you make sense of the FIT assessment, and answer your questions on recovering from chronic pain, fatigue, and other symptoms. I offer virtual coaching sessions to clients all over the world, and have been honored to witness dozens of people reclaim their energy, vitality, and joy for life again. One recent client put it like this:

Schedule your free 15-minute discovery call below

This is a great way for us to chat about your situation and see if we’re a good fit!

I look forward to connecting with you soon!