Dynamic Neural Retraining System
Annie Hopper created the Dynamic Neural Retraining System or DNRS in 2008, and states this is based on her recovery from "severe Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Fibromyalgia and Electric Hypersensitivity Syndrome".[1] Prior to becoming ill, recovering, and developing DNRS, Annie Hopper was a core beliefs counsellor and weekly newspaper columnist.
Theory
The DNRS website positions limbic system impairment as the cause of a "maladaptive stress response" which results in symptoms contributes to a variety of different diseases, which the website lists.[2] Limbic system impairment can have multiple causes; the common result is a type of neurological dysregulation in the brain. This can lead to central sensitization, a condition where the brain and nervous system become hypersensitive, amplifying pain, stress, and normal sensory input. DNRS assists in recovery through mood elevation, desensitization and visualization to facilitate "new, healthy neural pathways".[2]
Components
The program is a psychologically based self-help approach that states it involves
- cognitive behavioral therapy
- mindfulness based cognitive restructuring
- emotional restructuring therapy
- Neurolinguistic programming (NLP)
- incremental training (a form of neural shaping)
- behaviour modification therapy
The program includes a one-year subscription which includes 12 hours of video tutorials followed by a consistent, regular daily practice. Program registrants commit to 6 months of practice of one hour per day.[2]
ME/CFS
The DNRS website claims it can "rewire chronic illness disease patterns in the brain" and that "the program is an effective treatment for chemical sensitivities, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and many other chronic illnesses". This rewiring is considered to be reflected through changed symptoms rather than being reliant on objective evidence of changes in brain function or connectivity.[2] Peripheral or autonomic nervous system changes are not discussed.[2]
Evidence for dynamic neural retraining in the peer-reviewed evidence is scant. A 2021 meta-analysis of mind-body intervention studies in ME/CFS could not source any peer-reviewed data on DNRS in ME/CFS despite authors explicitly including related terms in their search.[3] There appear to be no trials of DNRS in ME/CFS in the published literature as of 2025.
Risks and safety
Since no clinical trials have been conducted on DNRS therapies in ME/CFS, it is challenging to state what risks it and similar treatment modalities present.[2][4]
Patients who fail to improve through DNRS and similar programs discuss feelings of guilt, as these and similar systems frame recovery as within the patient's control, even in literature that views these interventions in a positive light.[5]
A clinical trial is underway to study the effect of a mind-body treatment for people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) with or without Long COVID (LC). The study aims to test both subjective measures (questionnaires) and objective measures (metabolomics and gut microbiome), measuring before and after DNR. No publications have been produced from this study as of late 2025, as it is still underway.[6]
Evidence
In an unpublished presentation found on the DNRS website, brain imaging or brain function tests were not used to assess neuroplasticity after the DNRS course, and all results were based on patient questionnaires.[4]
The presentation on the website does not provide results separately for patients with ME/CFS, although some patients reported having it.[4]
Learn more
- Clinical Trial, Mind-Body in Long COVID and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Study (MILES): A Patient-Centred RCT
- Some Comments on So-Called “Brain Retraining” Programs - Psychologist Lisa Petrison comments on the unproven claims and potential harm - Paradigmchange.me
- How the program works - DNRS
- Trial By Error: What Is the Dynamic Neural Retraining System? - Virology blog
See also
References
- ↑ Tozer, James. "Meet the DNRS™ Team". Dynamic Neural Retraining System. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Hopper, Annie. "How The Program Works". Dynamic Neural Retraining System. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
- ↑ Khanpour Ardestani, Samaneh; Karkhaneh, Mohammad; Stein, Eleanor; Punja, Salima; Junqueira, Daniela R.; Kuzmyn, Tatiana; Pearson, Michelle; Smith, Laurie; Olson, Karin; Vohra, Sunita (June 24, 2021). "Systematic Review of Mind-Body Interventions to Treat Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome". Medicina. 57 (7): 652. doi:10.3390/medicina57070652. ISSN 1648-9144.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Guenter, et al. (2019), Neuroplasticity-based treatment for fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and multiple chemical sensitivity: feasibility and outcomes
- ↑ Tate, Warren P.; Walker, Max O. M.; Peppercorn, Katie; Blair, Anna L. H.; Edgar, Christina D. (March 7, 2023). "Towards a Better Understanding of the Complexities of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Long COVID". International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 24 (6): 5124. doi:10.3390/ijms24065124. ISSN 1422-0067.
- ↑ "ClinicalTrials.gov". clinicaltrials.gov. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
