Exploring the Triune Brain Model in MedYoga Therapy for Mental Health and Chronic Pain Relief
- Davinder Ojalla
- Feb 25
- 4 min read
Understanding how our brain works can unlock powerful tools for healing. The triune brain model offers a clear framework to explore the complex layers of the brain and their roles in mental health, chronic pain, and nervous system regulation. MedYoga Therapy uses this model to guide practices that help restore balance, rewire harmful patterns, and reset the nervous system. This post explains the triune brain model, its application in MedYoga Therapy through the Restore, Rewire, Reset process, and shares three somatic MedYoga practices with practical instructions.
The Triune Brain Model Explained
The triune brain model divides the brain into three parts based on evolutionary development:
Reptilian Brain (Brainstem and Basal Ganglia): The oldest part, controlling survival instincts, basic functions like heartbeat, breathing, and fight-or-flight responses.
Limbic System (Mammalian Brain): Governs emotions, memory, and social bonding. It processes feelings like fear, pleasure, and attachment.
Neocortex (Human Brain): The newest and largest part, responsible for reasoning, language, planning, and conscious thought.
This model helps us understand how different brain areas influence behavior and health. For example, chronic pain often involves overactivation of the reptilian brain’s threat response, while mental health conditions can relate to imbalances in the limbic system or neocortex.
How MedYoga Therapy Uses the Triune Brain Model
MedYoga Therapy integrates the triune brain model to address mental health and chronic pain by targeting each brain layer through a three-step process: Restore, Rewire, Reset.
Restore
Restoring means calming the reptilian brain’s survival responses. Chronic stress or pain can keep this brain area in overdrive, causing tension and anxiety. MedYoga uses gentle breathing and movement to signal safety, reducing fight-or-flight activation.
Reset
Resetting focuses on the limbic system. Emotional patterns and trauma often get “stuck” here, influencing mood and pain perception. Mindful awareness, vagus nerve stimulation and somatic practices help create new neural pathways, shifting emotional responses toward balance.
Rewire
Rewiring engages the neocortex to build conscious control and resilience. Through focused attention, bi lateral stimulation and more challenging vinyasa flows & cognitive tools, clients learn to observe sensations and thoughts without judgment, strengthening self-regulation.
This cycle supports healing by addressing the brain’s layers in sequence, allowing the nervous system to move from survival to thriving through trust, safety & resilience.
Implications for Mental Health, Chronic Pain, and the Nervous System
The triune brain model clarifies why mental health and chronic pain often overlap. Both involve nervous system dysregulation and brain areas stuck in survival mode.
Mental Health: Anxiety, depression, and PTSD often reflect limbic system imbalances and reptilian brain hyperarousal. MedYoga helps by calming these areas and strengthening neocortex control.
Chronic Pain: Pain signals can become amplified by the brain’s threat system, especially the reptilian brain. MedYoga’s somatic practices reduce this amplification by restoring nervous system balance.
Nervous System: The autonomic nervous system toggles between sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) states. MedYoga encourages parasympathetic activation, promoting healing and relaxation.
By working with the triune brain, MedYoga Therapy offers a holistic approach that addresses the root causes of distress and pain, not just symptoms.
Three Somatic MedYoga Practices and How to Do Them
Here are three practical MedYoga practices designed to engage the triune brain model and support the Restore, Rewire, Reset process.
1. Grounding Breath for Restore
This practice calms the reptilian brain by signalling safety through slow, deep breathing.
Sit comfortably with your feet flat on the floor.
Close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Inhale slowly through your nose for a count of 4.
Exhale gently through your mouth for a count of 6.
Focus on the sensation of the breath entering and leaving your body.
Repeat for 5 minutes, noticing any tension melting away.
This breath pattern activates the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing fight-or-flight responses.
2. Body Scan with Emotional Awareness for Reset
This practice helps rewire the limbic system by bringing mindful attention to sensations and emotions.
Lie down or sit comfortably.
Slowly scan your body from head to toe.
Notice areas of tension, warmth, or discomfort without trying to change them.
When you encounter an emotion, name it silently (e.g., “anxiety,” “sadness”).
Breathe into that area, imagining space and acceptance.
Continue for 10 minutes.
This practice creates new neural pathways by linking body sensations with emotional awareness.
3. Focused Attention Meditation for Rewire
This practice strengthens the neocortex’s ability to observe thoughts and sensations without judgment & stay present to discomfort.
Sit upright with a straight spine.
Choose a point of focus, such as your breath or a mantra (It is safe to be here).
When your mind wanders, gently bring it back to the focus point.
Practice for 10-15 minutes daily.
Notice how your ability to stay present improves over time.
This meditation builds resilience and conscious control over stress and pain responses.
Bringing It All Together
The triune brain model offers a clear map to understand how different brain regions affect mental health, chronic pain, and the nervous system. MedYoga Therapy uses this model to guide a three-step process: Restore the reptilian brain’s calm, Reset the limbic system’s emotional patterns, and Rewire the neocortex’s control. The somatic MedYoga practices shared here provide practical ways to engage this process.
Restore, Rewire, Reset
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