Hi friends,

It was over a decade ago, during a particularly rough patch of symptoms, that I started exploring Buddhism and Eastern philosophy. And over the past few years, as I dove deep into various neuroplasticity programs, I noticed a lot of overlap. There is actually a great deal of wisdom from this ancient spiritual path, that applies to brain retraining and moving through chronic symptoms.

So, this blog post is my take on weaving together the Eightfold Path and mindbody recovery techniques, inspired by this week’s time at the Insight Meditation Center, along with a conversation with my partner.

For anyone retraining their brain to recover from chronic pain, fatigue, or a tangle of confusing symptoms, you already know—it’s a path. A winding, sometimes wobbly, often uncomfortable path through nervous system regulation, emotional literacy, somatic work, and turning toward fear while trying to stay calm about it. Sound familiar?

Whether you’re following a specific program like DNRS or Gupta, or your own intuitive mishmash of somatic tracking, inner child work, and "talking nicely to your amygdala," the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism can be a beautifully grounding and gently illuminating framework for your healing journey.

So, let’s walk this path together, and explore what insights it might hold for us!

1. Right View (Let’s See Things Clearly, Shall We?)

In brain retraining, “Right View” is about seeing symptoms not as danger but as false alarms. This is Pain Reprocessing Therapy 101: your brain learned to misinterpret normal signals as threats. So “Right View” becomes choosing to believe, again and again, that your body is not broken. That these sensations are safe. That your nervous system is just trying too hard to protect you, like an overzealous security guard who really needs a vacation.

You are not crazy. You are not imagining this. You are not doomed. Your brain is plastic. And that’s great news.

2. Right Intention (Kindness Over Control)

If your brain retraining practice is secretly a perfectionistic attempt to get rid of symptoms fast, welcome to the club. “Right Intention” invites us to shift away from fixing and toward befriending. It’s not about pushing harder or “doing it right.” It’s about holding healing intentions rooted in compassion, curiosity, and a deep desire to live fully—not fearfully.

Want to recover? Lovely. Want to punish your body into behaving? Hmm, maybe let’s not. Try: “May I respond to this moment with love,” instead of “What’s the fastest way to make this sensation stop?”

3. Right Speech (Stop Yelling at Your Brain)

Words matter. Especially the ones you say silently to yourself when your foot tingles, or your neck twinges, or your energy crashes at 3 PM. Are you speaking to yourself like a frightened child or like an angry drill sergeant?

Right Speech in this context means inner dialogue that’s soothing, validating, and non-dramatic. DNRS calls this “interrupting the loop.” PRT calls it “somatic tracking with safety language.” Buddhism calls it “not making things worse with words.”

Instead of “I can’t live like this!” try “Hello, sensation. I see you. You’re not dangerous.” Talk to yourself like someone you really, really love. Even if you’re grumpy and don’t want to.

The “Dharma Wheel” has 8 spokes to represent the Eightfold Path.

4. Right Action (Yes, Lying on the Floor Can Be Spiritual)

Right Action in Buddhism means acting ethically, kindly, and with integrity. In brain retraining, it also means aligning your actions with healing—even when it’s uncomfortable or unfamiliar.

That might mean choosing to go on the walk even though your brain is feeling nervous about it. It might mean eating the food you’ve feared in the past. It might mean not googling symptoms and diseases at 2 AM. (We’ve all been there.)

Right Action is showing up with courage and engaging with triggers in a mindful, graded way. Not because you’re symptom-free, but because you know you’re worthy of life now.

5. Right Livelihood (Not Letting Healing Become a Full-Time Job)

For most of us who have lived with any kind of chronic health condition, we’re no stranger to making healing a full-time job. And even if you’re a former “chronic illness warrior” turned brain retrainer, it’s easy to slip into those all-consuming habits. Meditation before breakfast, visualization after lunch, exposure practice before dinner, journaling before bed. Exhausting, right?

“Right Livelihood” in Buddhism refers to earning a living in a way that doesn’t cause harm. For us, it also means not structuring our entire lives around symptom surveillance or chasing wellness. Your recovery should support your life—not consume it.

So yes, keep retraining—but don’t forget to live. Eat pancakes. Laugh with your dog. Make terrible art. Let joy sneak back in.

6. Right Effort (The Goldilocks Zone)

This one’s tricky. In Buddhism, Right Effort means putting in energy without overexerting or giving up. Sound familiar?

Too little effort, and we get stuck in fear. Too much, and we burn out trying to micromanage our symptoms into submission.

Right Effort in brain retraining means gently redirecting your brain consistently, not frantically. It means showing up daily with small, doable practices—even when nothing seems to be changing (especially then). And choosing incremental exposures when you’re in the challenge zone, not pushing through the panic zone.

DNRS calls this “repetition and consistency.” Buddhism calls it the middle path. Your nervous system calls it, “Thank you, I finally feel safe.”

7. Right Mindfulness (Being Here, Even When It’s Weird)

Ah, mindfulness. The practice of nonjudgmentally noticing what is, without spiraling into what-if’s or what-was.

In brain retraining, mindfulness shows up in somatic tracking: noticing sensations without catastrophizing. It shows up in the elevated emotional state we enjoy during DNRS or Gupta rounds. And catching our automatic negative thoughts, meeting them with compassion.

Being mindful doesn’t mean loving every sensation—it means being willing to feel it without freaking out. A body scan can be a sacred act. Sitting with dizziness without googling it or trying to fix it is practically a miracle for many of us!

Mindfulness says: “I’m here, I’m safe, and I can be with this.”

8. Right Concentration (Focus on Safety, Not Symptoms)

The final spoke of the wheel, Right Concentration, refers to training the mind to focus deeply—especially on what brings peace.

For brain retrainers, this often means not concentrating on symptoms, but instead training your attention toward safety, connection, and beauty. Where attention goes, energy flows…and neurons that fire together wire together!

So yes, notice the symptoms. Then pivot gently toward the blue sky, the sound of birds, the memory of belly-laughing with a friend. Concentrate not on what hurts, but on what’s soft, spacious, or neutral.

You Are Already On the Path

The Eightfold Path isn’t a checklist. It’s a way of being. And you, dear brain retrainer, are already walking it—every time you choose love over fear, curiosity over judgment, and hope over despair.

You don’t have to do it perfectly. (No one ever has, including the Buddha, probably.) But you can return to the path at any moment, with a breath, a smile, or a compassionate thought toward yourself.

You are not broken. You are becoming. One gentle step at a time.

That’s the path. And you’re on it.

With love and the utmost respect for your courage—keep going, friend!

The Noble Eightfold Path for Brain Retrainers