How Stress Can Cause Real Illness And How To Reverse It with Dr. David Clarke | Ep 390

Dec 28

Chronic pain and persistent symptoms often get framed as mysteries after tests come back normal, leaving patients frustrated and doctors stuck. This conversation reframes the puzzle by examining neuroplastic symptoms: very real physical conditions generated by the brain’s processing of signals under stress, trauma, or learned danger. Dr. David Clarke, president of the Association for the Treatment of Neuroplastic Symptoms, explains how the nervous system’s plasticity is the hopeful part of the story. When stress responses wire into the body, they can produce migraines, dizziness, tinnitus, chest tightness, IBS, pelvic pain, fibromyalgia, and even some rashes. The key isn’t dismissing symptoms as “in your head.” It’s recognizing that the brain and body are the same system and that rewiring is possible with the right approach.

A striking theme is scale: neuroplastic conditions likely affect a quarter of adults and account for roughly 40% of primary care visits. That prevalence demands new skills across healthcare. Clarke shares how he was trained in traditional medicine and saw a case that rewrote his assumptions: a patient with severe constipation unresponsive to maximal treatment recovered through targeted counseling that processed past abuse and learned stress responses. That breakthrough opened decades of clinical work, thousands of patients, and consistent patterns—multiple symptoms appearing together, symptom flares tied to identifiable stressors, and dramatic improvement when the brain-body drivers are named, felt, and addressed. The result isn’t quick-fix thinking; it’s a roadmap that matches the mechanism.

Listeners learn practical clues to spot neuroplastic patterns. Symptom timing is a powerful tell: do symptoms worsen with stress or ease in safe settings? Do flares line up with events, places, or people? Clarke recounts a teen with disabling diarrhea that appeared only on game days—an anxiety circuit, not a gastrointestinal defect. Depression can present as sleep changes, low energy, and appetite shifts even when someone says they’re “not depressed.” Anxiety often intensifies when leaving safe spaces. And adverse childhood experiences, even subtle ones like emotional invalidation or chronic comparison, can plant lifelong assumptions of not being good enough. Those beliefs become nervous system fuel, keeping alarms blaring when the body is actually safe.

The path to change starts with accurate naming and compassionate self-audit. After medical evaluation rules out organ disease or structural damage, the odds of a neuroplastic driver skyrocket. That’s the moment to look inward: Which relationships raise your heart rate? Which tasks trigger dread? What childhood rules still govern your adult choices? Clarke encourages bringing repressed emotions into language—journaling, sharing, therapy—because feelings put into words need the body less as their messenger. Rebuilding self-worth is essential, especially for high-functioning strivers who excel by ignoring their own needs. If you grew up solving problems for everyone else, you likely still do, and your body eventually protests. Put yourself on the care list. Schedule joy that serves no purpose but joy.

Boundaries are medicine in this model. Holidays and family gatherings often reactivate old patterns; clear limits reduce toxicity and calm symptoms. On the professional side, Clarke’s nonprofit offers training at symptomatic.me to help clinicians and the public learn evidence-based tools, from assessment to treatment. Courses are jargon-light, podcasts unpack real cases, and Q&A sessions offer community. Neuroplastic symptoms don’t mean “nothing is wrong.” They mean something learned can be unlearned. Recovery blends insight, emotional processing, boundaries, and consistent practice. The takeaway is hopeful: no matter your age or how long you’ve suffered, the nervous system can change. With the right map, the body stops shouting because the brain no longer needs it to.

Chapter Markers

0:00 Welcome And Global Reach

1:06 Meet Dr. David Clarke And ATNS

2:22 What Are Neuroplastic Symptoms

5:15 How The Brain Generates Physical Illness

7:35 Prevalence And Why Training Matters

9:53 The Case That Changed His Career

14:09 Elevator Moment: Talk Therapy Cure

17:12 Years Of Practice And Results

19:05 Patient Cured By Seeing The Pattern

22:12 Books, Films, And Mission Growth

24:25 Host Shares Personal Mental Health Journey

26:48 Treating Long-Held Trauma At Any Age

29:49 How Anxiety And Depression Show Up In Bodies

33:20 Tuesdays And Thursdays: The Soccer Clue

36:22 Childhood Stress As The Hidden Driver

39:18 Rewriting Self-Worth And Identity

42:23 From Repression To Expression

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How Stress Can Cause Real Illness And How To Reverse It with Dr. David Clarke | Ep 390

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