I have a confession.
For a long time, I rolled my eyes at the idea of brain retraining for migraine. It felt dismissive—like yet another way to tell us that our pain is all in our heads. And haven’t we heard that enough? Haven’t we been gaslit by doctors, by friends, even by ourselves, into believing that if we just tried harder or stressed less or were more positive, we’d magically be fine?
So when I first learned about brain retraining programs like DNRS, Gupta, and others, my gut reaction was: Absolutely not. I’m not doing this. I refuse to let anyone tell me I can just “think” my way out of this disease.
But migraine changes you. It wears you down. It makes you desperate. And when you’ve tried everything—medications, supplements, elimination diets, devices, Botox, nerve blocks, lifestyle overhauls—at some point, you start to wonder: What if there’s something I haven’t fully considered?
So, I did what I always do—I started researching. And here’s what I’ve come to believe: brain retraining is not about pretending migraine doesn’t exist. It’s not about gaslighting ourselves. It’s about reshaping the way our nervous system responds to pain, to triggers, to the world around us.
The Brain’s Role in Migraine
When you live with chronic migraine, your brain gets stuck in a loop. It learns to perceive normal stimuli as threats. It goes into fight-or-flight mode over and over again. And sometimes, without realizing it, we reinforce that loop—not because we’re weak or broken, but because our brains are trying to protect us.
For years, I believed that my body was failing me. That migraine attacks were something I had to outsmart, predict, or avoid at all costs. I lived in constant fear—of bright lights, of foods, of stress, of plans. It felt like my world kept getting smaller. And the harder I fought, the more stuck I felt.
But then I started to understand that my nervous system wasn’t broken—it was overprotective. It had learned to sound the alarm at the smallest sign of danger. And just as the brain can learn pain, it can unlearn it.
I won’t lie to you—I still have doubts. I still feel resistance. But I also know that the brain is adaptable. That healing is possible, even when it feels far away. And I know that every person’s journey with migraine is different, but we all deserve the chance to explore what might help.
So, I Created Something for Us
For the past year, I’ve been deep in the research, writing, and personal exploration of brain retraining techniques. I’ve taken the best of what I’ve learned—both from neuroscience and from my own lived experience—and put it into a structured, step-by-step guide to help retrain the migraine brain.
It’s called Breaking the Migraine Cycle: A Practical Guide to Brain Retraining, and it’s coming out on April 1st—right here on my blog.
This workbook is for the migraine girlies who feel trapped in the cycle of pain and fear. It’s for the ones who are tired of living in survival mode. It’s for those of us who want more than just symptom management—we want our lives back.
Inside, you’ll find:
✅ A deep dive into how migraine changes the brain (and how to change it back)
✅ Techniques like somatic tracking, gradual exposure, and cognitive reframing
✅ Daily practices to retrain your nervous system and reduce attack frequency
✅ A roadmap for shifting from fear-based avoidance to true resilience
This isn’t about ignoring migraine. It’s about learning to work with our brains instead of against them. It’s about breaking the cycle of fear, pain, and hypervigilance that keeps us stuck.
Want to be the first to know when it drops?
Click here to sign up for early access!
(👆 This link will take you to a Google Form where you can enter your email—I’ll send you an update as soon as the workbook is live!)
Let’s Talk About It
I’m opening this up to you, my migraine girlies—have you tried brain retraining? What was your experience? Did it help? Did it feel impossible? Were you skeptical like me?
Let’s talk about it. No judgment. No pressure. Just honest conversations about what healing could look like. 💜
And if you’re ready to take the next step, my brain retraining workbook is launching April 1st—I can’t wait to share it with you.
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