The DNRS program is short for Dynamic Neural Retraining System. Basically, our brains change and adapt to life experiences. Sometimes it’s a positive change, but often it’s a negative one. With chronic illness, symptoms can actually become wired into our brains, even when the triggers for those symptoms have been removed. This program is a treatment that is done at home and allows you to rewire your brain for healing. It treats conditions is that they are often called ‘mysterious illnesses,’ meaning there’s no clear cause or effective treatment.
How did I discover the DNRS program?
One day I was having a total meltdown from my health issues. I have food sensitivities and at this point everything I ate was making me incredibly ill. I was living on squash, meat and cucumbers, as they were the least painful foods to digest. My weight had also dropped and I was teetering at 100 pounds (I'm 5' 4" so this is very thin). My doctor told me that my cholesterol was almost 600 (although my bad cholesterol was fine). She said she's only seen lab results like these in PTSD patients or patients that had experienced extreme trauma. She was concerned and told me she was stumped.
Have you ever been driving and looked over and saw a women sobbing into her steering wheel? Well, that was me on my way home from the doctor's office.
I was also listening to the Phoenix Helix podcast during the drive home. It was episode 104 about DNRS (Dynamic Neural Retraining System) with Annie Hopper (click here to listen). It was a sign. And it felt like a bolt of lightening. My mindset about my illness completely changed by the end of the podcast.
What is the DNRS Program?
The Dynamic Neural Retraining System is a program developed by Annie Hopper (click here to go to the website). With the understanding that some illnesses can cause trauma to your brain, this program allows your brain to heal itself. Thus allowing your body to heal as well.
As I listened to the podcast, I had an epiphany. Maybe the years of being sick and fear of food had developed into something more. Trauma. This was the first time I had associated my illness with trauma. My head was spinning.
I went home and ordered the DVDs right away.
What does brain trauma mean?
It doesn’t mean brain damage. I never hit my head and damaged it in that way. It also doesn’t mean that your symptoms are ‘all in your head,’ aka not real.
The best way I know how to explain it would be to compare it to nerves. When you’re in pain, your nerves send messages to your brain that tells your body that you are hurting. If your body is in constant pain then your nerves are always telling your body that you are in pain. Sometimes the nerves will continue to send pain signals to your brain even after your body has healed. That’s kinda how the trauma works. Your brain is still receiving signals that you’re sick, resulting in chronic inflammation and other issues. Once the brain is operating properly, then the body can function optimally too. Your brain and body can shift from a fight or flight mode to a one of growth and repair.
Who can benefit from the program?
The program was original developed to help people with chemical sensitivities but has been found to help people with leaky gut, food sensitivities, anxiety, PTSD, lyme disease, and the list goes on. There’s a complete list of chronic illness over on the DNRS website (click here).
What does the DNRS program entail?
The best way I can describe the program is that it’s a combination of self guided meditation, visualization and movement. It can be adapted if you are bedridden. It requires about an hour of your time every day for 6 months. Although in the beginning it takes a few hours a day as you learn the program via the DVDs.
Is the program difficult?
The program is easy to learn but was emotionally difficult and felt awkward. This was a surprise to me. I wasn’t expecting to have such strong emotions around visualizing a stronger and healthier version of myself in the future. And I certainly wasn’t expecting to have trouble remembering what it felt like to be happy and healthy. I’ve gotten married and had a baby in the last few years so this should have been easy. It wasn’t. That was crushing. It took some time for me to find some happy memories that I could use in my daily practice. There were a lot of tears but I pushed past it and it became easier.
As the program went on it became less emotional. I actually found it to be relaxing. I’ve always responded well to guided meditation and this feels the same to me.
However, the time commitment became difficult. Life gets busy and finding a quiet hour to be alone during the day is tough. I ended up splitting up the program and did it throughout the day. And some days, well, it just doesn’t happen. I just get right back to my practice the next day because you need to be consistent to see results.
How long does it take to see results?
I started to see results within two weeks of starting the program. Once I was able to reintroduce a few foods, I stopped doing DNRS. I got cocky and thought I was cured. You see, I also stopped listening to my doctor. I started getting into some very bad habits and then all the problems came back. This program is not necessarily a substitute for ALL medical treatment and good common sense. It’s merely a tool to be used in conjunction with the guidelines laid out by your doctor.
However, I started doing it again and I started to see results again. It took a solid two weeks before I saw results but they seem to be more permanent this time around. Each time I started the program, it took about two weeks to see a change. The healing definitely didn’t happen overnight and it happened slowly.
How has the DNRS program helped?
I’ve been able to reintroduce food. This is the first time in 8 years that I’ve been able to do that and have it stick for more than just a few meals.
I've also seen a HUGE difference in my stress and anxiety around being sick. My head is clear of the brain fog that lingered even on my good days (before the DNRS program). I believe that’s because I’m not carrying this low level of anxiety with me everyday. Removing the anxiety has created a lot of free time and mental space, which I fill up with topics that give me joy not pain.
Speaking of joy, I decided to write this post after I found myself so happy that I couldn’t stop smiling. I was grinning for no apparent reason. After a few minutes of this I stopped and realized that this was because of the DNRS program. I was just folding laundry, watching my son play on a Friday afternoon. I’d never been that happy without a reason or special event. Even then it was usually more of an adrenaline fueled happiness not genuine happiness.
My last bloodtest showed my cholesterol was down over 300 points and a few of my other health issues were improved. My health is not perfect but I’m definitely improving and things are going in the right direction for the first time in a long time.
Pros vs Cons
Cons
- The program is all DVDs or in-person seminars. The DVDs are old technology and quite honestly seemed shady. I questioned the legitimacy of the program after seeing the DVDs. However, after speaking to a few people that tried the program (all gave it glowing reviews) I decided to take a leap of faith.
- The content is really old as well. It doesn’t really matter because the message is good (and I now know, effective) but it’s disruptive when you’re looking at really bad quality video or completely distracted by someone’s dated hairstyle.
- The program doesn’t work for everyone. It was made for people with chemical sensitivities but can be applied to other ailments like anxiety and food sensitivities however nothing is guaranteed. I wasn’t sure how they would adapt the program for someone with my health issues. Once I started the program, I realized that wasn’t an issue. It was actually easy to adapt the program to my needs.
- It’s expensive. The DVDs cost hundreds of dollars and the seminars costs thousands. Since there is no guarantee that it will work, it seems like a lot of money to invest. Although she does offer a money-back guarantee if people don't see results after applying the techniques as taught for 6 months.
Pros
- Since this is a drug free treatment, there are no negative side effects from the treatment.
- This program had the potential to allow me to heal.
There are a lot of pros and cons but I had exhausted my list of treatments. My brain was the only thing I hadn’t tried to heal. I was too sick NOT to try it.
It's been a very positive experience for me overall. I'm definitely going to continue the DNRS program and use this treatment for the full 6 months this time. I really enjoy being happy and healthy. I want this to be a permanent change for me.
To purchase the program, CLICK HERE to go to the Retraining Your Brain website.
If you're looking for my 'in the moment' updates on the DNRS program, head over to my Instagram page (click here). I've saved them to my story highlights under 'DNRS.'
If you've got questions or want to share your experience with DNRS, please leave a comment below. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Gee, I'm so glad that you are feeling better.
I'm not and have had multiple issues around bad responses to food and mold, etc. for years. BUT my problem here is that I have already spent more money than I have trying to get better.
And this Annie Hopper seems to be getting SUPER RICH off of this program that she sells. My heart tells me that someone who sincerely thought they'd come across a way to help people would not be so greedy about it. Why is it SO expensive? Is it only for rich people? The fact that she wants to squeeze every penny out of desperate people like me makes me think that it is a scam. A scam that depends on sort of a religious faith from those she's already taken money. I've read that it only "works" if you completely believe in it. That really is religion. I believe in Jesus. I don't believe in a woman who sets up a company to bleed suffering people dry of every penny they have. I hope you feel well.
You're under no obligation to purchase the program. However, as someone that's never tried it and doesn't understand what it's about, I think you should refrain from making judgements and leaving comments. First of all, how do you know that the creator is super rich? You don't. And so what if she is. She created a very successful and helpful program. And she's allowed to make a living. It's truly none of your business. Second, it's not that expensive. If you compare a doctor's visit which can easily be $200-300 a visit, to the $350 for the program, the cost isn't that bad. I've spent thousands of dollars with doctors that didn't help nearly as much as this program. Third, it's not a scam. It may not work for everyone but they are very up front about that fact. However, it's life changing for a lot of people, myself included. And calling it a scam casts doubt on this program as a form of treatment which delegitimizes it and ultimately keeps it from growing. And if you keep this program from growing, you're essentially keeping it from people that could sincerely be helped by it. Fourth, there's no faith required. No where in the website or in my speaking about the program does anyone mention faith or religion. It's a legitimate form of treatment for multiple issues and therefore doesn't require faith. Fifth, I don't believe that she's trying to 'bleed suffering people dry of every penny they have.' Why would she offer a refund if the program doesn't work if that was the case?? And lastly, the issues you have with this program are so wildly inaccurate it seems like it's more a reflection of your well being than anything else. I hope you find some sort of relief for your troubles. Please take your toxicity somewhere else.
Hello,
Thank you for explaining your experience with this program, it is incredibly helpful! I am wondering, is it a program that you integrate into your life for the rest of your life? Or is it just six months? I suppose I am curious,since you said you stopped and immediately digressed, does that mean if you ever stop at any point no matter how long you’ve been doing it, you would lose your healing?
It's not meant to continue on beyond the fist 6 months. It's supposed to be a permanent change. The only reason I had to go back to it was because I didn't do the full 6 months the first time. I haven't really needed it since I fully completed the program. However, in times of acute stress I have used some of the tools I discovered in the program. I talk about those tools in this post.
Your story sounds familiar to mine. I've had ever-growing food intolerances that have been happening for many years. I got to the point where I could only eat a carnivore diet if I didn't want severe symptoms, including horrible digestive problems - naturally, skin rashes, rapid heart rate and just a whole host of issues that made life miserable much of the time. I've been to the doctor/hospital many times only to be told that they can't find anything significant via their methods of testing. At times I feel neurologically "frozen" for a lack of a better way to express it - like I'm stuck in a freeze state most of the time, despite struggling through life as best I can.
I'm convinced that I have PTSD stemming from some childhood mistreatment. I had already been considering this program for a good while, but I think I'm going to finally get it and see how it goes for me. Your review was helpful in making that choice. I surely hope that anyone dealing with "mysterious" symptoms and problems is able to find relief. I know I wouldn't wish what I've been through on anyone.
I hope that the program helps you find relief. And good luck!
Hi, Beth, have you heard of Covid long haulers being successful at this program. I haven't seen any mention in the comments of this helping to overcome fatigue, which is my main long haul symptom. I also am concerned with the cost, and am going to ask them if they have any scholarships. My husband and I are retired and on a fixed income. Thanks.
I haven't heard of anyone using this program for covid. I'm sorry I can't be of more assistance. I hope you find a resolution and relief from your symptoms.
Yes! People use DNRS successfully for long haul covid, DO IT.
Wow. Good to know!
Hi Beth,
This is an old post but I just found it...and It's feeling like the Universe wanted me to see it! I hope you see and answer as I am desperate. The part of this post the got my attention was- "I was having a total meltdown from my health issues. I have food sensitivities and at this point everything I ate was making me incredibly ill. ...My weight had also dropped and I was teetering at 100 pounds (I'm 5' 4" so this is very thin). My doctor told me that my cholesterol was almost 600 (although my bad cholesterol was fine). She said she's only seen lab results like these in PTSD patients or patients that had experienced extreme trauma. She was concerned and told me she was stumped. "
Thats me! I'm 5'6" 118lbs and Total cholesterol is high (not as high as yours) but "bad" cholesterol was low! Please direct me to any info you have on this phenomena. Was your doc basing this off of anything beyond her own patients and their test results?
My functional MD just recommended the DNRS program but it's a lot of $$! I'm 62 have been sick most of my life so I am motivated!
Thank you! <3
L
I'm so sorry you are having issues. The super high cholesterol was temporary. It went way down after I started the DNRS program. I can't promise that this program will work for you. But it was worth it for me. In my opinion, it's worth a try.
I started having noticeable issue in 2019 following pulmonary embolisms and DVTs which were traumatic enough, have had lots of stress and general braind trauma the past several years--being mugged, being home invaded, the blood clots, and since then two surgeries for endometriosis. I just saw a POTS specialist but directly after the testing I have been fobbed off onto the nurse with whom I am pretty unimpressed. She just responded to a question I had today by saying she was going to start me on a beta-blocker. I have low blood pressure and a GeneSight test indicated I cannot take propranolol so I already feel like I can't trust her--also they haven't actually told me what the significance of the test results mean for me and ignore my requests to give me this information. He thinks I have likely had POTS my entire life and speaking with my brother yesterday he thinks he and my sister have it as well (if they do it would be a milder form than mine). I have been listed to POTS: What It Really Is on Audible and am interested in the DNRS program he mentions but I feel like I would need a doctor to supervise or work with me on it, has anyone had that? Has anyone with neuropathic POTS used this program with success?
First of all, I'm sorry you are dealing with these health issues and trauma. However, a doctor is not required to oversee this treatment. It's something that is done at home by yourself. You follow along with the videos for the first week and then you use the guidelines to finish the treatment yourself. Additionally, I'm not sure if this treatment has been used to treat your specific illness. The thing to keep in mind is that everyone's body is different. Even people with the same illness will react differently to different treatment. Therefore, I think it's worth a shot. Give it a try and see how it goes. I hope it works and gives you some relief from your symptoms.
Many, many people have used DNRS for POTS and have had success! That is the reason I am looking into it myself. I have POTS after Covid, along with long-haul Covid.
The CHOP program is also extremely useful for POTS recovery. It is an incremental exercise program that can be done at home or with a physical therapist. I am doing it at home with success. Make sure you increase fluids and salt/electrolytes. That helps immensely with POTS.
Hi There....thank you for the article! I bought this program back in 2016 and began doing it.....but suffering with many physical ailments the stepping forward, backwards, to the side etc was so painful and impractical. I also rebel against the firm advice of 1 hour a day for 6 months that they require. It just seems so impractical.
I love the whole idea and concept of what Annie Hopper is saying and I read Wired For Healing. I totally agree with all of that.
I would love to do the program, but in my case it almost seems impossible. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thank you!!
I believe they offer accommodations for those with mobility issues. I'm just not sure what they are. I'd reach out to them directly for more direction. I hope you find a way to work this program into your schedule.
Hi there I think I'm going to start this program soon as I have been able to work with chrinic brain fog for a year. How long did you have. Rain fog before, what other modalities did you try and how long did it take you to see a subtle shift?
Thanks!
I had tried meditation, therapy, supplements diet, etc. Nothing had really worked until I tried DNRS. I started seeing the effects after about 3 weeks to a month.
Sorry, meant to say hi Beth! Not Jennifer!
I had a similar experience where doctors just didn't know what to do with me. Our health issues sound very similar. I feel for you. That being said, I can't say whether this program with work for you or not. For me, it didn't help with my food sensitivities as all even though I have friends that were able to reintroduce foods due to the program. I only found it effective for relaxation and reducing my anxiety. I think it's worth trying.
Is the online version using the same DVDs for streaming or an update to the DVD content?
Hey Charlenne. The content in both 14-hour instructional video formats (Online or DVD) are the same. However, you only have access to the online program for 1 year. I initially did the program a little over a year ago. I stopped using the DVDS after I finished the initial training but sometimes refer back to the handbook because that has the instructions. I think a year would give you plenty of time to finish and use the program. However, I'm kinda glad that I have the DVDs if I ever need them. I hope this helps.
Your comment says it didn’t help with your food sensitivities at all, but in the article you said you were able to introduce foods, which you hadn’t been able to do for years before the program. Can you clarify?
I know you don’t know how it would work for me, but I’m looking into it and I react to almost every food, and really wondering if it can help with that.
I was able to reintroduce a few foods but it wasn't a significant change. And it may not have been in relation to this program. My health overall got better for a time.
Hi Jennifer, I just listened to a podcast about DNRS, and started googling and your site came up. I suffer from anxiety, PTSD, and gut issues from having Sibo and then cdiff. I'm sensitive to so many foods, and the slightest gut symptom sends me reeling. My doctors say I'm healthy, but my body says differently. Do you think this program could work for me? I'm dreadfully tired of living like I could relapse at any moment. Thanks for any guidance you can give me.
Thanks for posting this! I tried to find out exactly "what" this program entails but their website was very vague. Your description of it was very helpful. I have 3+ autoimmune illnesses (for 10 years now) that come with a whole host of symptoms, but reading this made me realize it really is kind of a PTSD of sorts. I find it difficult to be hopeful about my future, so I completely understand how those types of exercises would be uncomfortable to begin with. I'm wondering how much of the program did you need to "adapt" to your needs, and how were the videos helpful in that respect. Did you have to make up your own meditations or were there some that you could re-listen to from the videos. Thanks!
I'm so glad you found this post helpful. Like I said in the post, I was skeptical as well. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how much my life was positively impacted by following the program. The only way I adapted the program is after I finished the initial 6 months. I occasionally go through stressful periods of my life where I feel the chronic stress and anxiety start to bubble up. I've recommitted to the program but pick and choose elements that I find most effective to recenter myself. That's not what they recommend but it's what's worked for me. I hope you try the program and are able to find some relief from your chronic health issues. Be well!
Michelle,
I tried DNRs and didn't have a good experience. I have MCAS and can eat only a few food for the last 25 yrs. I didn't know that often people with a history of childhood trauma and perfectionistic tendencies can have a heard time with the program. They don't tell you this but there is a disclaimer about psych issues or something vague like that. I know two others now too that share these issues that had a very hard time with DNRs. In fact it made things worse for us and had to really spend time calming the nervous system down for weeks after words. I'm not saying that this would be true for anyone with PTSD but it was for us and part of the issue is that the program encourages participants to push through difficult periods because the brain wants to fight the change it's making however it's hard to tell if it's the limbic system changes that one is dealing with or if the trauma is being reactivated or perfectionistic tendencies causing stress. For that reason we have kept going with the program and caused our selves a ton of stress. I know hundreds have benefited but I also have a problem with DNRs lack of transparency. I couldn't get a refund cause I couldn't do the 6 months that is required for that. It would also be nice if DNRs would be open about percentages of people that fail and succeed. I can't find any information bout that and they won't tell you. There are coaches that you can pay to help you with the program. 3 months into the program one of the coaches that I talked to revealed to me that those with childhood trauma or complex trauma don't do well. It angered me that I had to pay $100 to learn that.
If you decide to try it, Good luck.
I have both childhood trauma (and some from adulthood as well which probably led to PTSD even though it's undiagnosed) and perfectionist tendencies. And the program worked very well for me. However, it's not a magic wand. It doesn't work for everyone for every ailment. I understand your frustration because 6 months is a long time to try something for it to not work. I hope that you find some peace and healing. Thanks for commenting.
Hi,i m suffering from histamine intolerance,gut issues and all and i am under a lot of stress,anxiety,depression and ocd thoughts- and i think my health started deterioting because of all the stress and anxiety of handling asd kid-can DNRS help me.Do i need to do other treatments along with DNRS to help me.What do you think of homeopathy able to heal PTSD,anxiety and depression.
I can't speak to what this program treats. I can only tell you my experience. In my experience, it helped with anxiety. I was at the end of my rope and this program was the thing that helped my health improve. I hope it does the same for you.
The article mentions Annie Potts , who is an actress, as the creator of DNRS. The creator of the program is Annie Hopper I believe.
Well, that's a hilarious typo. Thanks for catching it. I've already corrected my mistake.
Hi, thanks for this article! I'm so glad you've had success. I'm thinking of doing the program. They have an online program, did they not have that option when you bought it? Also, how long in total have you been at it? Have you used any of the coaching? Thanks!
Hi Jennifer. They did not have an online option when I decided to do the program. I did the program for 5 months. I was supposed to do it for 6 but I just started seeing results and kinda forgot about it. I haven't had any major issues with anxiety since I stopped either. I have episodes of anxiety but they aren't all consuming and usually only last a few hours. If it starts to feel overwhelming, I go back to some of the stuff I learned from the program for a boost. At this point, that's all I've needed. I never needed any coaching although I could see where you may want some. Like I said in the post, the beginning is especially hard.
Curious if you still feel that DNRS healed your issues after a few years.
Yes! I still have problems with my food sensitivities but DNRS never helped those. But my chronic anxiety never came back. I've had periods of acute anxiety due to . . . life (health problems, family illness, etc.) and used elements of the program to deal with the stress of my current situation. However, it goes away when the stress of life calms down. I feel like life is so much easier now without that anxiety. I hope you give it a try and it gives you some relief.