PPPD Meditation: Relieve persistent postural perceptual dizziness
A guided practice to improve Anxiety Dizziness symptoms and reconnect your nervous system.
What is PPPD?
Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD) is a chronic vestibular disorder that manifests as persistent dizziness or unsteadiness lasting for at least three months. Also known as Chronic Subjective Dizziness, PPPD is a prevalent cause of chronic dizziness. It often affects people who have experienced a triggering condition, leading to ongoing symptoms that disrupt their daily lives and balance system.
Why Listen to my Postural perceptual dizziness PPPD Meditation?
This meditation is safe to use for any type of anxiety dizziness (of which PPPD is most common).
Feeling like you’re losing control can be overwhelming, especially for those experiencing chronic vestibular syndromes or dealing with persistent symptoms that impact your balance system.
My Postural Perceptual Dizziness PPPD meditation is designed to provide you with focus and clarity, empowering you to reconnect with your spirituality without triggering anxiety.
Vestibular disorders cause psychological distress and functional impairment that disrupt daily life. This meditation gently addresses the underlying anxiety tied to these persistent symptoms, offering a compassionate approach to healing and balance.
By aligning your mind and body, it paves the way to fully address PPPD symptoms, allowing you to unlock a deeper level of spiritual growth and awareness. It can also help alleviate some of the physical symptoms associated with PPPD, such as dizziness, lightheadedness, and disorientation.
Many of my clients report a big event, such as a jump in spiritual awareness before their vestibular disorders take hold
PPPD can be triggered by a spiritual awakening, which is a time of intense growth and change and can be interpreted by the human/animal body and brain as a trauma. The trauma response can cause an increase in anxiety symptoms, which can then manifest as PPPD.
PPPD can leave individuals feeling as though they’ve lost control of their physical and emotional grounding. For those trying to connect with their spirituality and find inner peace, the unpredictability of these symptoms can heighten anxiety and create fears that prevent personal growth.
Causes and Risk Factors
The exact cause of PPPD remains elusive, but it is believed to stem from a disruption within or between the visual and postural control mechanisms. Initial triggers can include neuro-otologic conditions, metabolic issues, allergies, and psychological distress. Commonly, symptoms emerge after a vestibular insult such as vestibular neuritis, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), or Meniere disease. Research indicates that a history of anxiety disorders may increase the risk of developing PPPD. Individuals with pre-existing anxiety are also more susceptible to this chronic vestibular disorder – which is why my PPPD Meditation is so effective.
Symptoms of PPPD
The symptoms of PPPD can vary widely among individuals, but some common symptoms include:
- Persistent dizziness or unsteadiness lasting for at least three months.
- Discomfort in complex visual patterns, such as crowded areas or wide-open spaces.
- Overwhelming feelings in crowded environments like grocery stores.
- Difficulty with driving in traffic or performing computer work.
- Dizziness or unsteadiness exacerbated by body movement or the movement of the world around the person.
- Persistent symptoms that occur on most days for at least three months.
- Functional impairment, affecting work, school, leisure, or family life.
These symptoms can be triggered by various factors, including movement, visual stimuli, and psychological distress. In some cases, PPPD may coexist with other vestibular disorders, such as vestibular migraine, further complicating the condition and its management.
Vestibular balance rehabilitation therapy plays a crucial role in treating PPPD by habituating patients to motion stimuli and improving stability and confidence. When combined with cognitive-behavioral therapy, it can complement the meditation practice for better outcomes.
What makes PPPD cause such significant distress?
A large part of what makes PPPD so deeply unsettling is the lack of a clear symptomology. Symptoms are incredibly changeable. Persistent postural perceptual dizziness can start suddenly, or develop slowly. They can occur intermittently or present continuously. Symptoms can worsen gradually over prolonged periods or symptoms settle over time.
I do not diagnose chronic vestibular syndromes but…
I have helped many, many people to heal anxiety dizziness and I know that diagnostic criteria is not definitive – it is essentially diagnosed via a process of exclusion. This means that PPPD is often diagnosed by ruling out other medical or psychological conditions. This uncertainty can lead to confusion, frustration and a feeling that something has been missed.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are often used in treating anxiety disorders that complicate PPPD. Clinical trials have shown that different SSRIs can be effective for patients with central vestibular disorders, and maintaining treatment is important to prevent relapse.
Helping clients with chronic vestibular syndromes has helped me identify three factors that most (but not all) people report as happening in their lives around the same time they develop PPPD:
- A triggering event (such as a spiritual awakening or a trauma)
- A history of anxiety disorders, with at least 1 panic attack in their lives
- Symptoms increase with upright posture (aka PPPD improves when laying down)
I have noticed the above three factors seem to be present, irrespective of whether it manifests as an acute or episodic condition, or as a chronic syndrome (ongoing, for a year or longer)
What if there’s no specific provocation for PPPD symptoms?
Chronic dizziness such as persistent postural perceptual dizziness (PPPD) presents persistent symptoms that upset your balance system, which appear to have no medical explanation, and can cause significant psychological distress. PPPD is not a psychiatric disorder itself but research points to a definite mind-body connection.
As you begin to expand and explore deeper levels of spiritual awareness, your body’s operating system can misinterpret this new level of functioning as a trauma. Trauma can impact the way neurons communicate, making it harder for your mind and body to adjust to new situations.
At its core, PPPD stems from a pattern in your nervous system where the brain’s natural processes for adapting to changes gets disrupted. Psychiatric disorders like anxiety and depression can complicate the diagnosis and management of PPPD.
Additionally, When your brain enters this “threat mode,” anxiety takes centre stage, preventing proper rewiring and adaptation.
Healing PPPD By Rewiring Your Brain
Healing persistent postural perceptual dizziness means more than managing vestibular symptoms; it’s about addressing the root causes of this complex chronic syndrome. PPPD affects the autonomic nervous system, often leaving individuals feeling unbalanced and out of control. But here’s the empowering truth—your brain has the ability to rewire itself, fostering deep healing and restoration. A key pathway to this rewiring can be found in meditation. Through meditative practice, you create a calming space for your mind and body, allowing your brain to form new, healthier neural connections. This is more than a path to physical recovery – it is an opportunity to reconnect with your spirituality in a grounded and fulfilling way. Healing is possible, and it is a partnership between your body, mind, and spirit.