13 hours ago, Catbird said:

My abdominals pain & spasms are back in full force. Also radiating through to my back. It’s excruciating Ian’s a strong reminder of how vulnerable I am. Just woke up minutes after I dozed off. No real sleep so far. It’s 4 in the morning. Looks like i wwont be having any.,the only partial relief is with very hot water bottles - water boiled in the kettle. My back is still peeling from the last 3+ weeks of this recently.,so miserable 😢

Hope you got at least a little more sleep and this passes soon, you are having a really rough time of things atm and you deserve some relief. x

14 hours ago, Chippy said:

Hope you got at least a little more sleep and this passes soon, you are having a really rough time of things atm and you deserve some relief. x

Thanks @Chippy it seems so random

9 hours ago, Catbird said:

Thanks @Chippy it seems so random

Seems to be the hallmark of WD.

Thinking of you @Catbird , hope you are doing ok and that fear of future has eased and those awful sounding spasms. Such a relentless and unpredictable time.

I’ve been thinking of you too @Tracey. Was asking ChatGPT about Holy Basil and I thought of you.

I’ve been okay last 6 days and had acupuncture today. My therapist said all the spasms — 4 weeks worth have given my abs a lot of definition. Now tonight I’ve got terrible diaphragmatic pains. Hopefully it’ll be short lived.

How’s the packing up going? And more importantly how are you? 🤗

1 hour ago, Catbird said:

I’ve been okay last 6 days

Oh I am very pleased to read this! x

I came across a concept called Central Governor Fatigue, where the brain will physiologically change how the body perceives energy levels so the body slows down to prevent injury, for example risk of injuries or over training. I asked Chat GPT if this happens on a psychological level in addition to a physical level. I strongly relate to this concept outlined below.

Yes, the concepts behind the Central Governor Model apply directly to psychological stress, chronic overthinking, and trauma, though the mechanism manifests as emotional and cognitive burnout rather than physical pacing. 

Because the brain is a single, integrated processing unit, it cannot separate intense psychological load from physical threat. It uses the same "governor" mechanism to throttle your energy when your mental and emotional systems face catastrophic overload. 

1. The "Cross-Talk" of Mental and Physical Fatigue

The brain does not have a separate energy pool for running and thinking. A heavily taxed mind directly compromises physical and mental capacity. 

• Shared Brain Regions: The Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) plays a massive role in both physical effort and processing emotional pain, conflict, and stress. When overthinking or trauma exhausts the ACC, it triggers a protective shutdown. 

• Perceived Exertion Spikes: Studies show that when individuals are mentally fatigued by stressful tasks before a physical workout, their muscles perform perfectly at a cellular level, but their Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) skyrockets. The brain forces them to slow down early because the baseline psychological load is already too high. 

2. Extreme Stressors and Homeostasis

The Central Governor Model is built on preserving homeostasis (internal balance). Extreme psychological stress destroys this balance by flooding your body with cortisol and adrenaline. 

• The Brain's Calculation: If you are constantly overthinking, experiencing panic, or enduring high-stress environments, your brain views this state as an emergency threat to your systemic health.

• The Shutdown Response: To protect you from systemic collapse, the governor triggers symptoms like profound lethargy, apathy, anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure), or executive dysfunction. It forces a "freeze" state to mandate rest. 

3. Psychological Injuries and Safety Margins

In physical training, the central governor operates with a "safety margin"—it stops you well before your muscles actually tear or your heart fails. Psychological injuries, like PTSD or severe burnout, fundamentally alter where the brain sets that safety margin. 

• Hyper-Vigilance Lowering the Threshold: After a psychological injury, the brain becomes hyper-vigilant to threat. It assumes resources are scarce and danger is high. 

• Premature Fatigue: As a result, the governor resets your threshold much lower. A minor task or a standard daily stressor that you used to handle easily will now trigger an intense wave of exhaustion, as your brain frantically tries to protect your fragile emotional state from further injury. 

On 6/11/2026 at 10:08 PM, Catbird said:

I’ve been thinking of you too @Tracey. Was asking ChatGPT about Holy Basil and I thought of you.

I’ve been okay last 6 days and had acupuncture today. My therapist said all the spasms — 4 weeks worth have given my abs a lot of definition. Now tonight I’ve got terrible diaphragmatic pains. Hopefully it’ll be short lived.

How’s the packing up going? And more importantly how are you? 🤗

Glad you have had 6 days of ok @Catbird . Your spasms some very very uncomfortable to say the least.

There are some good herbs for visceral spasm but if you are sensitive I guess you have to be careful like I do. Valerian helps me but it is a herb that can activate 10% of people.

I am in a bad way today and it just keeps going. Yesterday up until 2pm I had a functional brain and body and managed to do my food shopping and other messages. Hit me just as I had finished and was driving home. A kind neighbour has helped me pack, not much left to do in that area bits and pieces which is hard enough. I posted on my page dates etc ..

I hope you are having an ok weekend my friend. I will miss knowing I am not close in miles to you. xx

I really feel for you Tracey, thinking about how difficult and stressful it must be. I posted something on my page about Central Governor Fatigue — it may be something you relate to. It's about how our bodies and minds shut down due to extreme stressors and injury, like WD.

I've forgotten where you're moving to, Is it Warrnambool? And when are you leaving? 💕

Hello @Catbird just wanted to pop by and say hi, since I have been gone for awhile. I’m sorry to hear about all the spasms you have been suffering from. I hope that this will soon settle down for good.

Sending you a hug over to the other side of the planet!

6 hours ago, Nemina said:

Hello @Catbird just wanted to pop by and say hi, since I have been gone for awhile. I’m sorry to hear about all the spasms you have been suffering from. I hope that this will soon settle down for good.

Sending you a hug over to the other side of the planet!

Thanks @Nemina things are not so good at present. Seems like I'm getting worse 😥

Today has been one of my lowest points so far. After enduring 4-6 weeks of widespread myofascial spasms, which are still lingering, a lot of things have mounted up. Problems with overdoing magnesium (loos stools and dehydration) increase in anxiety and panic, and a long episode of SVT which has really depleted me, I still feel the effects adrenaline many hours later. I am physically drained and incapacitated and I'm feeling incredibly unsafe and vulnerable. My mood has plummeted and I have overwhelming dread. I fear being alone. I have cancelled a trip away as I am too unwell to travel. I'm going in to hibernation until things settle. Pharmaceutical handcuffs and chains seem to be ruling what life I have left.

@Catbird

I’m so sorry you’re going through such a rough patch right now. When symptoms pile on top of each other like this, it can feel completely overwhelming and make the future look much darker than it really is.

What I try to remind myself during the worst waves is that the intensity of how we feel isn’t always a reflection of reality. When our nervous systems are under so much stress, fear, dread, vulnerability and hopelessness can feel absolutely convincing. But feelings aren’t forecasts.

You’ve come through difficult periods before, and even though today feels unbearable, it doesn’t mean this is your new normal or that you’ve reached the end of what is possible. Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is exactly what you’re doing now—cancel the plans, hibernate, rest, and give our bodies and nervous systems the space they need to settle.

Be gentle with yourself. You’ve been hit with a lot at once between the spasms, dehydration, anxiety, panic, and SVT. Anyone would feel depleted after that. For now, don’t worry about the weeks or months ahead—just focus on getting through today and letting your body recover.

Sending hugs your way ❤️

3 hours ago, cheeky said:

@Catbird

I’m so sorry you’re going through such a rough patch right now. When symptoms pile on top of each other like this, it can feel completely overwhelming and make the future look much darker than it really is.

What I try to remind myself during the worst waves is that the intensity of how we feel isn’t always a reflection of reality. When our nervous systems are under so much stress, fear, dread, vulnerability and hopelessness can feel absolutely convincing. But feelings aren’t forecasts.

You’ve come through difficult periods before, and even though today feels unbearable, it doesn’t mean this is your new normal or that you’ve reached the end of what is possible. Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is exactly what you’re doing now—cancel the plans, hibernate, rest, and give our bodies and nervous systems the space they need to settle.

Be gentle with yourself. You’ve been hit with a lot at once between the spasms, dehydration, anxiety, panic, and SVT. Anyone would feel depleted after that. For now, don’t worry about the weeks or months ahead—just focus on getting through today and letting your body recover.

Sending hugs your way ❤️

Thanks @cheeky Your summing up of what's going on for me psychologically and emotionally is spot on. The dark clouds feel so heavy. I feel totally useless and vulnerable at the moment. I know it's not reality but my body's on high alert. Your response means so much to me. Hope you're doing okay 💕

1 hour ago, Catbird said:

Thanks @cheeky Your summing up of what's going on for me psychologically and emotionally is spot on. The dark clouds feel so heavy. I feel totally useless and vulnerable at the moment. I know it's not reality but my body's on high alert. Your response means so much to me. Hope you're doing okay 💕

Aww, I’m so sorry you’re going through such a rough patch. The dark clouds can feel incredibly real when your nervous system is on high alert, but they aren’t the whole picture. Be gentle with yourself right now. You’ve made it through difficult waves before, and I truly believe this one will pass too. Sending you a big hug. ❤️

@Catbird I hope today is going to be a better day for you .🌸

7 hours ago, cheeky said:

@Catbird I hope today is going to be a better day for you .🌸

Thanks @cheeky More episodes of SVT today - associated with feeling faint. My poor old body has taken a beating these last couple of months. It's no wonder my body's on high alert. I can't bend over without my heart racing. My mood is so low. I feel trapped and scared. On a cognitive level I tell myself it's the adaptations doing their thing, but the fear is still surrounding me. How are you doing?

3 hours ago, Catbird said:

Thanks @cheeky More episodes of SVT today - associated with feeling faint. My poor old body has taken a beating these last couple of months. It's no wonder my body's on high alert. I can't bend over without my heart racing. My mood is so low. I feel trapped and scared. On a cognitive level I tell myself it's the adaptations doing their thing, but the fear is still surrounding me. How are you doing?

@Catbird when things are tough I tell myself the symptoms I'm feeling are a sign of my body trying to heal itself, uncomfortable yes but that's how this withdrawal plays out . Keep reminding yourself of that .

I'm doing okay, having spikes of different symptoms during the day but managing well .

3 hours ago, cheeky said:

@Catbird when things are tough I tell myself the symptoms I'm feeling are a sign of my body trying to heal itself, uncomfortable yes but that's how this withdrawal plays out . Keep reminding yourself of that .

I'm doing okay, having spikes of different symptoms during the day but managing well .

Thanks @cheeky you’re and angel

THIS IS SO CRUEL!! I'm into the 8th week of severe abdominal, back and chest spasms. I had a few days reprieve only for it to be replaced by hyperarousal and panic. Now it's back in full force. My back is so burned and blistered from heat packs. Hot water bottles are the only thing that shifts the dial down, but nothing approaching relief. I am feeling so battered, debilitated and vulnerable - I don't have the words to express it except for despair.

I can't shop, cook or clean and showering is a real challenge, I've ended up on the bathroom floor a couple of times. The sense of impending doom is my constant companion.

I want some kind of life back 😥

Im sorry to read @Catbird your so brave, a true warrior. I hope for some relief for you very soon, you deserve it.

5 hours ago, Catbird said:

THIS IS SO CRUEL!! I'm into the 8th week of severe abdominal, back and chest spasms. I had a few days reprieve only for it to be replaced by hyperarousal and panic. Now it's back in full force. My back is so burned and blistered from heat packs. Hot water bottles are the only thing that shifts the dial down, but nothing approaching relief. I am feeling so battered, debilitated and vulnerable - I don't have the words to express it except for despair.

I can't shop, cook or clean and showering is a real challenge, I've ended up on the bathroom floor a couple of times. The sense of impending doom is my constant companion.

It breaks my heart to read this, these drugs are so cruel. I really hope things improve for you soon. Sending you strength and healing 💜

I feel totally fucked. I'm wracked with pain, highly activated with panic attacks/ I'm non functional now and there's a sense of impending tragedy. I feel trapped - can't go back and can't move forward. Meanwhile my list of WD symptoms is multiplying. I feel sheer terror. I've only been tapering an SSRI to date but due to my symptoms I'm thinking I might need in benzo tolerance / WD. This is totally fucked up.

@Catbird I am so sorry to hear this. Hang in there. The body wants homeostasis and will fight for it.

Edited June 21Jun 21 by Sminismoni

On 6/20/2026 at 3:32 PM, Catbird said:

THIS IS SO CRUEL!! I'm into the 8th week of severe abdominal, back and chest spasms. I had a few days reprieve only for it to be replaced by hyperarousal and panic. Now it's back in full force. My back is so burned and blistered from heat packs. Hot water bottles are the only thing that shifts the dial down, but nothing approaching relief. I am feeling so battered, debilitated and vulnerable - I don't have the words to express it except for despair.

I can't shop, cook or clean and showering is a real challenge, I've ended up on the bathroom floor a couple of times. The sense of impending doom is my constant companion.

I want some kind of life back 😥

So sorry @Catbird , this sure is cruel and I feel your anguish.

Despair is a perfect description. and that yearning to have a life back is all to familiar.

Stay strong and keep fighting, you have come so far.

Sending you hugs and love my friend xxx