222 - Jake Hollis - What If Validation Is A Treatment Too

I talk with clinical psychologist Dr Jake Hollis about recovering from ME/CFS and Long Covid, and why the nervous system offers a more useful frame than the tired “mind versus body” argument. We explore how validation, language, and recovery stories can shift the brain’s predictions and open up real possibilities for change. 

• Jake’s lived experience of long-term illness and a slow recovery path 
• How neuroplastic recovery therapies fit alongside biology rather than replacing it 
• Why recovery stories can create a visceral nervous system shift 
• The harm caused when recovered people are disbelieved or silenced 
• How the mind body divide shows up in healthcare systems and culture 
• Biomarkers, legitimacy, and why absence of a test is not absence of illness 
• Mental health stigma as a hidden driver of conflict and miscommunication 
• Emotional suppression, shame, and “keep calm and carry on” conditioning 
• Blame versus responsibility as a more compassionate recovery framework 

Links:

More about Jake: www.fatiguepsychologist.com
Unlearn Your Pain in the US and in the UK
Howard Schubiner chats to Rangan Chatterjee

Message me! (I can't reply to these messages)

For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com

(music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life)

Support the show

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch

Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com 

Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**