Let’s Live Now
Dr. Rachel Hollander’s blog on mindful living
for recovery from chronic pain & neuroplastic disorders
and for ongoing wellness of mind, body & spirit
Post #14- Evanye’s Recovery Story from Decades of Neuroplastic Digestive Symptoms & Pain and 4 Keys to Self-Healing
Evanye had decades of pain attributed to difficulty swallowing, ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation, and fibroids. She’s even had chronic fatigue and insomnia. Evanye tried every possible diet and saw numerous practitioners without relief. Fortunately, her background in psychotherapy made her open to the mind-body model. As a supplement to our YouTube interview together, blog post #14 chronicles Evanye’s 4 keys to recovery.
by Dr. Rachel Hollander, MD, MPH
3-minute read
Post #13: Understanding Neuroplastic Neck & Back Pain
During a recent stressful move, I developed hints of a neuroplastic flavor of the month: intermittent low back pain. Had I not understood how emotional tension leads to physical tension, I might have exacerbated my pain by looking for a structural diagnosis. I review my recent interview with Texas Neurosurgeon Dr. Scott Phillips about neuroplastic neck and back pain, plus the effectiveness of Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) and Emotional Awareness & Expression Therapy (EAET).
by Dr. Rachel Hollander, MD, MPH
5-minute read
Post #12: What is your Readiness for Recovery from Neuroplastic Symptoms?
Recovery from neuroplastic symptoms like chronic pain, long-Covid, chronic fatigue, and other debilitating conditions is real. A 5-minute quiz, The Readiness for Recovery Assessment, includes 9 categories of mind-body-spirit wellness.
by Dr. Rachel Hollander, MD, MPH
3-minute read
Post #11: Moving: An Opportunity to Practice My Own Mind-Body Techniques
While many of my mind-body techniques were in maintenance mode for the last couple of years, I put them back into action during a stressful month-long home-buying process.
By Rachel Hollander, MD, MPH
<3-minute read
(Guest) Post #10: How I Healed My Neuroplastic Symptoms — and Why I Built Nervana to Help Others Do the Same
My name is Nora Rodden, and for years I lived with neuroplastic symptoms like pain, digestive issues and insomnia that disrupted my life. Here’s my story, what I wish someone had told me on day one, and why it led me to create Nervana, a neuroscience-based app to help people retrain persistent symptoms when the body has structurally healed.
by guest blogger Nora Rodden
5-min read
Post #9: The 13 Keys to Neuroplastic Healing: Your Guide to Getting Back to Living
Neuroplastic healing involves self-directed techniques that target the root cause of neuroplastic symptoms: the brain and nervous system. Here are 13 Keys to Neuroplastic Healing: Your Guide to Getting Back to Living.
by Rachel Hollander, MD, MPH
6-min read
Post #8: After Recovery, Gratitude for the Lessons Taught by Neuroplastic Symptoms
The upcoming American Thanksgiving holiday inspires me to write about how, ironically, many people who have recovered from neuroplastic symptoms are grateful to have had their symptoms. Newfound self-compassion, empowerment, improved relationships, and greater spirituality are common themes in published writing and from personal anecdotes shared with me on the topic.
by Rachel Hollander, MD, MPH
5 min read
Post # 7: 8 Practical Takeaways from the 2025 ATNS Conference to Heal Neuroplastic Symptoms
The Association for the Treatment of Neuroplastic Symptoms (ATNS) encompasses about 1000 practitioners and members of the general public from practically every continent. The 2 ½ day annual ATNS conference last month in beautiful Boulder, Colorado buzzed with excitement among a “tribe” of 350 people. Get ready for the “red pill” paradigm shift and learn 8 conference takeaways for healing neuroplastic symptoms.
By Rachel Hollander, MD, MPH
6 min read
Post #6: Journaling for Wisdom to Self-Heal Chronic Pain & Other Neuroplastic Symptoms
Journaling is a useful way to delve into your subconscious mind. The conscious mind is the forefront of our superficial thoughts and emotions, while the subconscious mind stores deeper memories and emotions that may manifest as neuroplastic bodily symptoms. Wisdom comes from introspection. As Yoda says: “You must unlearn what you have learned…Do or do not. There is no try.” Provides 8 barriers to journaling plus solutions to get started, 10 types of journaling prompts, and 4 final pieces of sage advice.
By Rachel Hollander, MD, MPH
6 min read
Post #5: Daily Virtual Reality: Sensation vs. Perception and the Production of Neuroplastic Symptoms
Reality is greatly influenced by perception and perception is influenced by life experiences. How can we heal stress-related symptoms if they are based on past experiences coded in the unconscious? Change your habits of mind and you can create a new reality. Includes personal anecdotes and 6 ways to prevent and unlearn neuroplastic symptoms like chronic pain and others.
by Rachel Hollander, MD, MPH
6 min read