All protocols

Use a two-step neuroplasticity protocol: focus intensely or at least somewhat on what you want to learn, then follow with deep rest. Deep sleep in the following nights is ideal, and naps, yoga nidra, or NSDR can also help enhance or accelerate plasticity.

For play-induced neuroplasticity, engage in novel movement patterns, including different speeds of movement, rather than only familiar linear exercise.

If you insist on doing an activity you are already good at, make it safe, free-form, and low stakes; focus less on outcomes and explore rather than perform to reduce discomfort and preserve the plasticity benefits of play.

Foods mentioned as supporting GLP-1 release include nuts, avocados, eggs, and certain high-fiber complex grains.

Early-life antibiotic exposure is described as detrimental to establishment of a healthy gut microbiome; framed as something doctors are now more cautious about.

Use higher doses of probiotics or prebiotics when microbiota diversity is stressed or depleted, such as after antibiotics, severe stress, excessive travel, illness, or radical diet shifts.

Under normal conditions, focus on quality nutrients through diet and keep probiotic and/or prebiotic intake fairly low to moderate rather than using high doses.

Recommended because stress can disrupt the microbiome; specifically framed as limiting excessive, prolonged stressors or stress.

Increase fermented foods gradually over about 4 weeks, from roughly 1 serving per day up to as many as 6 servings per day, then maintain a high daily intake for 6 weeks. Spread servings throughout the day to reduce gastric distress, choose foods you can eat consistently, and prefer refrigerated products with live active cultures; avoid sugary or heavily added yogurts, and verify that pickles actually contain live cultures because most jarred pickles do not.

Recommended resource for a homemade sauerkraut protocol; cited as an excellent recipe/protocol in Tim Ferriss' book The 4-Hour Chef.

Eating more fiber and fibrous foods can increase carbohydrate-active enzymes that help digest complex carbohydrates, improving the ability to digest fibrous foods.

Evidence cited only from animal models; large amounts of artificial sweeteners, particularly saccharin or sucralose, were said to disrupt the gut microbiome in mice.

For most people, a healthy gut microbiome approach is to eat high-quality non-processed foods that include some prebiotic fiber and some probiotics, while avoiding excessive probiotic intake.

Avoid gut cleanses or flushes as a way to improve the microbiome; they may wash away the resident microbial community and leave recolonization to chance. If someone does one anyway, pay close attention to diet during reconstitution.

Prefer complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber, especially microbiota-accessible carbohydrates that humans cannot digest but gut microbes can ferment; contrasted with table sugar and simple starches. Framed as evidence that not all carbohydrates are bad.

Move the diet away from sweet foods gradually over years rather than abruptly; retrain the palate over time so sugary foods become less appealing.

Choose fermented foods from the refrigerated section if you want products that still contain live microbes.

Gradually reduce added sweetener in yogurt so the palate adapts over time to plain yogurt.

If plain yogurt is initially unpalatable, start with plain yogurt plus a small amount of maple syrup or honey, then reduce the sweetener over time until plain yogurt is preferred.

Allow interaction with pets, dirt, and environmental microbes in appropriate low-risk settings such as hiking, gardening, or similar exposure, as this may help educate the immune system. Immediate hand washing may be less important in these contexts.

Consume a broad variety of plants and the diverse fibers that come with them; this was described as likely better for fostering microbiota diversity than purified fiber or prebiotic supplements.

Use hypnosis to create positive or manageable exposures in the mind without needing real-world props or situations, including for phobias.

Use a brief standardized test of hypnotizability to determine whether hypnosis is likely to help and to guide treatment intensity and style; if hypnotizability is low, use other approaches instead of relying on hypnosis.

Record the hypnosis portion of a session on a phone so it can be replayed later for self-practice.

During pain-focused self-hypnosis, imagine changing body temperature so the body feels cool, tingling, and numb.

To break superstitious or compulsive behaviors, deliberately refrain from performing the ritual long enough to establish that the desired outcome still occurs without it; example given was not doing it for about a week.

Use systematic desensitization as an alternative treatment approach when hypnosis is not a good fit.

Quick self-test of hypnotizability: look up toward the ceiling, then close the eyes while keeping them rolled upward; greater visible sclera suggests higher hypnotizability.

Build resilience by manageable, voluntary exposure to stress or difficult states followed by recovery, rather than trying to avoid all stressors; facing stress, putting it into perspective, and dealing with it can make you stronger.

Use grief rituals such as burials, memorials, headstones, or sitting Shiva to help make an incomprehensible loss real and comprehensible.