Brainspotting Therapy & Internal Family Systems
Question: What scientific understanding do we have about Brainspotting Therapy and Internal Family Systems? Background: I will attempt to be brief. I am diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, ADHD, and Autistic Spectrum Disorder. I also experienced significant childhood trauma that I repressed for many decades. I studied Physics at Caltech before these issues manifested. I am currently 50. I recently was on 10 years of long-term disability for these mental health issues.. I’ve read Dopamine Nation and recognize that I have had a pattern of addictive behaviors. I am looking forward to the book Brain Energy. I was very disciplined about taking prescribed medications for over 20 years. Six years ago, I weighed 300lbs (I’m 6’ tall) and slept ~2hours/week while occasionally having bouts where I would lose consciousness for up to 3 days. So, I stopped taking all medications and instead pursued so-called “alternative” medical techniques. I now sleep 8hrs/night, weigh 175lbs, follow healthy nutritional & workout protocols, have returned to work, have a healthy romantic partnership, and have a very healthy relationship with my kids. I have not had any episodes of mania or depression in the last 5 years. I am struggling to create a narrative about my life that fits with our current understanding of neural biology. I currently see a therapist that has combined Brainspotting & Internal Family Systems. It has been extremely helpful.
Artificial sweeteners
I am curious about sucralose, potassium acesulfame, aspartame, etc. I heard that they can disrupt the gut bacteria. Is this true? If true, how do the artificial sweeteners disrupt the gut bacteria? How bad do these sweeteners disrupt the gut bacteria? How can we counter the sweeteners disrupting the gut bacteria? How do we fully recover from the sweeteners disrupting the gut bacteria? Could you tell us more about other artificial sweeteners that also disrupt gut bacteria?