The Recovery Room with Jackie Baxter

Five years after starting the Long Covid Podcast, Jackie introduces The Recovery Room – a wider, gentler space for anyone navigating Long Covid, ME/CFS, Dysautonomia, PoTS, Trauma, Burnout, nervous system overwhelm, and long-term recovery.

In this episode, Jackie shares:

• Why the podcast is evolving and what “The Recovery Room” means.
• How her own recovery showed that healing is about more than symptoms.
• How Long Covid overlaps with other conditions, and why this space now holds many experiences, not just one diagnosis
• What’s staying the same: evidence-informed conversations, recovery stories, nervous system insights, and honest, vulnerable discussions held in a way that feels safe.

She closes with a short grounding practice you can use anytime:

• Noticing your breath
• Gently checking in with how you feel
• Asking, “What would help me feel 1% safer right now?”
• Remembering that small, consistent, gentle shifts are the foundation of recovery.

Practical updates:

• The podcast is now called The Recovery Room with Jackie Baxter
• Social media, visuals, and app names will update over the coming days
• The new website is live: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com

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Support the show

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch

Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com 

Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

Welcome to The Recovery Room with Jackie Baxter

This space is the natural evolution of a journey that began during my own recovery and through 5 years of the Long Covid Podcast.

• A place for anyone navigating a health challenge where they feel misunderstood, isolated and uncertain of the future.
• A place where science and lived experience sit side by side.
• A place where fear can soften, and hope can feel realistic again. 
• Gain actionable insights and tools through honest stories, conversations and the power of connection

Listen to The Recovery Room wherever you get your podcasts or at www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com 

Message me! (I can't reply to these messages)

Support the show

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch

Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com 

Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

I catch up with pain consultant Dr Deepak Ravindran on what four years of Long Covid clinic work and research has taught him about why people get stuck with fatigue, pain, brain fog and autonomic symptoms. We argue for a practical middle path that validates biological change while using neuroplasticity and whole-person support to help the system relearn safety and move forwards. 

• Deepak’s shift from pain medicine into leading a Berkshire Long Covid clinic and what patterns stood out over time 
• Why most Long Covid patients were not hospitalised and why symptoms can still be severe 
• The pressure on UK primary care and the case for better signposting to high-quality resources 
• Why “either biology or brain” is the wrong frame and how the neuro-immune system acts as one unit 
• What central sensitisation and predictive processing explain about persistent symptoms 
• Evidence and theories: cytokines, neuro-inflammation signals, auto-antibodies, viral reservoirs and micro-clotting 
• Treatment principles: combining medication trials with nervous system regulation and paced rehabilitation 
• The STIMULATE ICP study approach and why integrated care pathways can outperform single-drug hopes 
• Practical “waiting well” strategies: sleep, movement, breathing techniques, mindfulness and confidence-building 
• Why recovery is individual, slow, and built from consistency rather than quick fixes 

Links:

• Our previous episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1835170/episodes/11277564 
• Ami Banerjee episode (Stimulate ICP): https://www.buzzsprout.com/1835170/episodes/12209909 
• Berkshire Pain Clinic: https://theberkshireclinic.com/consultants/deepak-ravindran/
• Deepak's blog on Living Proof: https://www.livingproof.org.uk/post/book-review-pain-free-mindset
• Pain speak Podcast: https://deepakravindran.co.uk/podcast/

Message me! (I can't reply to these messages)

For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com

(music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life)

Support the show

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch

Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com 

Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

I'm joined by Bal Matharu to talk about how breathing links the nervous system, stress biology, and Long Covid symptoms, and why recovery often begins with creating a genuine felt sense of safety. We share practical ways to assess and change breathing patterns, plus the role of co-regulation, boundaries, and carefully held breathwork support. 

• Bal’s path from advanced respiratory physiotherapy and ICU work to lifestyle medicine and PhD breathwork research 
• The six pillars of lifestyle medicine and why stress management often underpins the rest 
• Acute stress versus chronic stress and how the body shifts blood flow, hormones, and immune function 
• Cell danger theory, mitochondria, ATP, and why fatigue can be a protection signal 
• Safety as a felt sense through neuroception rather than a purely cognitive idea 
• Breath assessment basics, posture, high chest breathing, diaphragm use, and longer exhales 
• Overstimulation, silence avoidance, and letting emotions move through the body in short windows 
• Co-regulation, practitioner capacity, and building safe spaces for nervous system work 
• Boundaries, people pleasing patterns, and choosing relationships that support regulation 
• Selecting credible breathwork practitioners and avoiding unsafe cathartic methods 

Links:

Bal's Website: https://www.bodymind-iq.com
Embody Ecosystem: https://go.bodymind-iq.com/embody-ecosystem

Message me! (I can't reply to these messages)

For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com

(music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life)

Support the show

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch

Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com 

Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

We hear Ana’s honest recovery story, from a gradual slide into Long Covid to the moment her nervous system finally stopped treating everyday life as a threat. We talk through neurodivergence, trauma, hypermobility and the practical tools that helped her rebuild a calm, creative life. 

• The slow build of stressors that leads to a major crash 
• Hypermobility and why intense workouts can backfire 
• ADHD and autism discovery and how it reframes burnout 
• Tests, uncertainty and how fear can keep symptoms loud 
• Restrictive diets, supplement spirals and removing fear around food 
• Nervous system regulation using polyvagal ideas and body listening 
• Meditation with music, creative visualisation and breathing
• Trauma as unmet safety needs plus small experiences that stack up 
• The “spreading” practice and learning to handle activation 
• Returning to work slowly and dropping all-or-nothing thinking 
• Creativity as a recovery pillar and building a life that fits 

Links:

• Ana's Substack: https://becomingcreative.substack.com/
• Somia Heal: https://somiainternational.com/heal/ 
• Jackie's Insight Timer (as mentioned by Ana at the start) https://insig.ht/sT6iUelAR3b 
• Ed the Osteopath who Ana found super helpful: https://movementandwellbeingclinic.co.uk/about-us/#ed-madeley

Message me! (I can't reply to these messages)

For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com

(music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life)

Support the show

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch

Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com 

Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

I share three common recovery traps and how we can find our way out of them without blame. Today's episode focuses on pacing, nervous system safety, and emotional processing so your body can stabilise and move forwards. 

• Pushing too hard on a better day and triggering the boom and bust cycle 
• Banking energy for healing by spending some, enjoying some, and saving some 
• Stepping off the symptom-fixing merry-go-round and reducing pressure 
• Creating safety through kindness, gentleness, and small consistent cues 
• Recognising the emotional load of long COVID, ME/CFS, and health challenges 
• Finding a safe place to feel emotions without judgement 

So do let me know how you get on, if these resonate with you, and if you've noticed any other common recovery traps that you might be getting waylaid by. 

Links to relevant practises (free tracks)

• Finding Emotional Safety: https://insig.ht/A7bEwwAXF3b
• Meeting your body kindly: https://insig.ht/Jlnf2P0w32b 
• STOP: From overwhelm to ease: https://insig.ht/1UCyrM2w32b

Message me! (I can't reply to these messages)

Support the show

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch

Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com 

Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

I talk with Jacqui from New Zealand about dropping from a high-energy, ultra-active life into severe Long Covid, then building her way back to running, swimming and full work. Mel Abbott joins us to explain why calming the stress response comes before increasing activity, and how tools like breathwork, visualisation and emotional processing can change the trajectory. 

• Jacqui’s pre-illness pace as a high achiever and endurance athlete 
• Catching Covid during grief and prolonged stress, then dismissing the risk the second time 
• The slide into dizziness, dysautonomia and post-exertional malaise after pushing through 
• Hitting a severe crash, insomnia and becoming bedbound with full-time care needs 
• The first shift: education about the nervous system, threat responses and prediction loops 
• Practical regulation: frequent calming exercises, breathing, meditation and timers 
• Using visualisation to rebuild safety and confidence before returning to exercise 
• Gradual return to normal life: walking, driving, swimming, cycling and running 
• Handling setbacks and symptom flares by reducing fear and regulating stress 
• Maintaining wellness long-term with compassion, flexible movement and emotional tools 

Links:

https://www.curablehealth.com/ 

https://thesteadycoach.com/ 

https://unlearnyourpain.com/mind-body-syndrome/ 

Alan Gordon - The Way Out, 

Mel's website: https://empowertherapies.co.nz/
The webinar that Jacqui talked about: https://empowertherapies.co.nz/pages/webinar
The Switch Programme: https://empowertherapies.co.nz/pages/the-switch

Message me! (I can't reply to these messages)

For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com

(music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life)

Support the show

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch

Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com 

Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

In this episode of the Long Covid Podcast, I explore one of the most common — and often most confusing — parts of recovery: overwhelm.

Overwhelm can feel like your whole system suddenly says “too much”:
too much noise, too many sensations, too many decisions, too many feelings, too much uncertainty. It can build slowly over time or arrive out of nowhere — and in Long Covid, ME/CFS, & other post-viral conditions, it often shows up faster and more intensely than before you were ill.

In this gentle, practical episode, I look at:

• What overwhelm actually is
• How overwhelm shows up in the body
• Why overwhelm is so common in recovery
• Reframing overwhelm as communication, not failure
• Practical tips to avoid overwhelm, and to meet it when it hits

By the end of this episode, my hope is that you feel less alone, less confused by your own reactions, and more equipped with language and understanding that can help you navigate overwhelm with more compassion for yourself.

Links: 

• Breath Awareness: https://insighttimer.com/LongCovidPod/guided-meditations/gentle-breath-awareness-from-loch-ness-with-waves 
• Reset Button - 2 mins to tranquility: https://insig.ht/xee2ILEGaZb?utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=live_stream_share
• Gentle Somatic Tracking: https://insig.ht/Jlnf2P0w32b 
• STOP: From Overwhelm To Ease: https://insig.ht/1UCyrM2w32b 
• Amy Davies episode on Internalised Pressure: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1835170/episodes/19021956

Message me! (I can't reply to these messages)

Support the show

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch

Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com 

Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

We hear Lalita’s Long Covid recovery story, from tachycardia and air hunger to a steady return to health by focusing on nervous system safety. We share practical tools for regulating symptoms in the moment, plus the mindset shifts that make self-compassion possible when you’ve been dismissed or frightened. 

• Early signs after COVID including raised blood pressure, numb lips and fatigue 
• Second infection followed by tachycardia, dizziness, vertigo, chest tightness, brain fog and air hunger 
• Repeated emergency visits and the impact of being told it is anxiety 
• Understanding Dysautonomia and the autonomic nervous system as a unifying explanation 
• Combining nervous system work with naturopath-guided supplements and gut support 
• Using Bowen therapy, Craniosacral work and sleep practices such as yoga nidra 
• What bioresonance is and why some people use it to check for layers of stressors 
• Breathwork as the main anchor, including longer exhales and quick calming techniques 
• Stacking breath with tapping, somatic tracking and reassuring self-talk to build “proof of safety” 
• Emotional processing with body scans and EAET-style exploration of deeper patterns 
• A client case study showing how addressing stress and trauma can reduce symptoms fast

Links:

Lalita's Website: www.stressfreefast.com.au

Message me! (I can't reply to these messages)

For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com

(music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life)

Support the show

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch

Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com 

Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

I'm joined by Pierre Brunschwig & Margaret Hampton as we explore how Chinese medicine and conventional western medicine can work together to treat Long Covid, where symptoms are complex and constantly shifting. We focus on subtypes, nervous system safety, immune recovery and the practical foundations that help people feel like themselves again.

• Why combining medical “languages” can fill treatment gaps
• Subtyping Long Covid and treating the person rather than the label
• The five foundations: sleep, diet, inner life, outer life and movement
• Acupuncture as a way to calm the nervous system and restore hope
• Adrenaline versus oxytocin and why safety enables healing
• Trauma, adverse childhood events and the role of somatic therapy
• Vagus nerve practices including breathwork, humming and self-soothing pressure
• Latent virus reactivation plus T cell exhaustion
• Rebuilding immune competence alongside antivirals and targeted therapies
• Building nutrient-rich blood, protein needs and why cooked food can help digestion
• Gut health basics including stomach acid support, H. pylori and probiotics
• Creating a care team that listens, pivots and fits your real life

Links: 

More about Margaret & Pierre and their work:
http://www.heliosintegratedmedicine.com

Message me! (I can't reply to these messages)

For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com

(music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life)

Support the show

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thankyou for joining me in The Recovery Room. If you found this episode useful & are able to, you can support the show by buying me a coffee or checking out the merch

Visit The Recovery Room website: www.JackiesRecoveryRoom.com 

Follow me on social media channels: @JackiesRecoveryRoom

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**