Frequently Asked Questions

A few things you might be wondering.

FAQs About Level 1 Regulate™ and Our New Membership Platform

Cathleen King, DPT was a way-shower in 2019 by creating the first top-down + bottom-up program: brain retraining; somatics; polyvagal theory/vagal toning; breathwork (2019 Creating Calm® and the 2020 Primal Trust Mentorship).  She saw that brain retraining alone did not result in complete recovery for many because they also had stress responses/trauma lodged in the body.  She knew from her physical therapist experience working with thousands of people with complex chronic pain and related illnesses, that self-regulation of our biology is most effective with a holistic approach that goes beyond brain retraining.

She carefully studied the effects of her revolutionary combination of brain retraining and somatic practices over  3 years to create a new and even more comprehensive, integrative healing model – Regulate (the Level 1 Primal Trust course).  The other leading programs, such as DNRS and others, whilst excellent in their own way, are primarily top-down brain retraining programs. Dr. Cat saw this as a blind spot to not have a somatic component, vagus nerve toning, and trauma processing to the standard neuroplasticity methodology. Her background as a mind-body physical therapist taught her that healing needs to occur on a body level, not just the brain, for full resolution. In Regulate you are getting multiple programs in one – brain retraining, somatic healing, vagus nerve toning, trauma processing, and more. This is a huge savings in cost alone if you were to go through each of these modalities separately.

Primal Trust Regulate is also developed and implemented much differently than other programs. Dr. Cat has based her process on the foundational principles of the Polyvagal theory and the Cell Danger Response theory, and the program is taught through a trauma-informed lens. In fact, trauma processing is part of the program as well for those who need it, as chronic illness recovery involves attending to our inner wounding as well as our brain and vagus nerve function.

Dr. Cat has also spent the last few years taking almost 7000 self-empowered souls through her process and has uncovered what is at THE ROOT of nervous system dysfunction and chronic illness, which are often a combination of chemical, pathogenic, physical, and emotional triggers keeping the limbic system and nervous system creating sustained stress chemistry, limiting one’s ability to detoxify, fight infections, modulate pain, and have balanced responses to toxins, etc.  Her programs now carefully walk people through the process of attending to the root cause.  Cathleen has found a careful sequence of tools, in a paced manner of implementation, has been the key to unlocking healing and recovery for thousands.  She explains which tools to use when and helps you understand why brain retraining alone isn’t enough and that it often isn’t helpful to implement it right away under some foundational vagal tone active is established.  This is another key aspect that sets Primal Trust Regulate apart from other approaches.

In other words, her program is not just a toolkit to rewire the brain.  Regulate is a multifaceted algorithm, weaving together many approaches into one to attend to the root cause. You will come out of the program as a master of self-regulation and will have demystified the cause of your chronic conditions.

We have a drip release for level 1 only, dripped weekly over 7 weeks to encourage pacing. The reason is that Dr. Cat used to allow all access to level 1 and found that those with nervous system dysregulation would frantically rush through the material, applying all the tools at once, and completely overwhelm the nervous system.

The great news is that since the required pacing of the level 1 program has been in place, our outcomes for recovery have skyrocketed, indicating that slow and steady wins the race!
In levels 2-3, there is no drip release and you have immediate access after you have completed the previous level program.

Dr. Cat explains this further in the video below.

Nope. The all-new 2022 Primal Trust Regulate is a completely different program than any of Dr. Cat’s other courses.  Her original 2019 course, Creating Calm®, was the beta-test of concepts of combining top-down and bottom-up practices for chronic illness recovery. Over the past 3 years, she has learned where people had questions and which sequencing is most effective, which has helped guide her in creating Regulate. She has truly put it “all together” in this comprehensive but doable experience. The all-new Level 1 Regulate is carefully structured to guide you through the entire journey of brain and body neural retraining.
Regulate is for both. No experience is necessary. It’s a level 1 program BUT also has the comprehensive understanding that is appropriate for those with more advanced knowledge such as health care practitioners. If you are having daily challenges, this program will provide simple tools with daily guidance. If you are looking for more in-depth knowledge on the topic of nervous system regulation and chronic illness recovery, you will find it here as well.

Plan on at least 2-3 months to work through it. If you have cognitive challenges, plan on working through the program over 4-6 months.

It’s a comprehensive set of 7 modules ranging from 1-3 hours each, and is broken down into bite-sized videos. You will be guided every step of the way in how to implement the daily practices.

Each Regulate Module is released weekly, from the time that you join.

For those with a budget, you can complete Regulate in under 2 months of membership, less than $192 for the whole thing, and able to keep your workbooks to practice after canceling.  You can come back anytime to complete the level 2 program if you still need help with chronic symptoms.

Yes, there is a workbook for EACH module, and these are located within each module. Print out the module-specific workbook before completing each individual module.

YES! This program is revolutionary and will take your healing to deeper levels.

Even if you have taken level 2 already, this will bring your healing process to greater depths and Dr. Cat recommends going through this new program. Plus, Dr. Cat has carefully recrafted the structure and implementation of all processes to make a more digestible, highly structured process to bring you through new layers of healing.

In addition, there is also benefit to “toggling” or going through one level and then going back and re-taking a course from a different perspective in your healing journey.

Level 1 Regulate is now a compulsory prerequisite to joining the Level 2 program.

Study groups have been proven to be a game changer in people’s healing processes and I HIGHLY recommend you participate in them. They seem to provide an intimate container of self healing that can be so powerful for the nervous system.

We provide a method to help you get involved in Primal Trust study groups. We have both an onboarding process and a study group sign up page inside the Primal Trust membership platform.

  • Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a foundational component for chronic illness healing, including eating whole, nutritious foods, clean living, and proper sleep/rest cycles.
  • Reduce excessive stimulation. I highly recommend discontinuing from social media, excessive screen time, and try to stay off screens within 2 hours of bedtime. Your body needs periods of quiet, non-stimulating moments throughout the day to help engage your parasympathetic nervous system response.
  • Try to take rest breaks during the day of relaxation and calm, as well as incorporating your level 1 tools throughout the day to help your nervous system learn how to come into greater calm. Planning a mid-day reboot, aka power nap, or meditation break is a great strategy alongside several mini reboot breaks in your day. This helps to reduce adrenaline levels, and improve your capacity for stimulation for the rest of your day.
  • Bring your family and friends on board to support you by helping them to understand what you are learning and doing, and to be a source of accountability with the program.
  • Get into nature often. Nature is one of the most powerfully healing inputs you can give your nervous system. Dr. Cat recommends finding creative ways to be outside as much as you can including doing your practices outside when possible. Simply staring at nature has a powerful effect on the brain and nervous system. When you find that some days are too difficult to do your Regulate™ practices, at least watching the trees/birds/sky will have a positive effect on your nervous system.
  • Positive mindset. This is highly researched as a strong indicator of improving the healing capacities of the body. Please refrain from gossip, criticism, blame, and other patterns that simply waste your energy and distract you from your true goals in your healing process. Looking for the good amidst struggle is a key principle of Primal Trust and shifting your personality to be someone who can appreciate life while being present with your struggles will serve you greatly. This is not about ignoring emotions or pretending you feel well. Quite the opposite; it is about embracing the situation in its entirety and expanding your perspectives of your situation.

This is the most common question, and it’s a difficult question to answer…

First, I will say, the good news is that it is totally possible to fully recover or find freedom from chronic illness! Please see our testimonials section here to read proof of this transformation possibility from many of our participants.

Additionally, some participants of the Primal Trust program experience tremendous freedom from their symptoms and live a full life, but still have some lingering issues. See testimonials also in Instagram @primaltrust_official and videos at the bottom of the membership site for more uplifting stories.

What sort of data/results have we seen so far from those who have taken Regulate?

Those who self-identified as Low Functionality improved by 87% after 3 months! This means there is so much hope for those who have the worst symptoms!

All participants who used the tools taught for 6 months improved by 60% as an overall average total function (includes both low and high function upon entry)

Lyme sufferers improved by 51% in just 3 months! So yes even those with infections can drastically improve quite quickly.  We also saw excellent improvements in just 3 months with those who have long-haul Covid, Chronic Fatigue, and Mold Toxicity at averages of around 40% improvement in 3 months.

So back to the question of “how long will it take?” This question is one where a realistic answer is needed, one without false promises, or seductive marketing responses as is often the case in many healing programs.

The length of time for healing nervous system dysregulation depends on how deeply your set point is for experiencing resistance to life; history of trauma; history of illness; the amount of cellular distress/toxicity, and amount of support systems in your life. That being said, we believe everyone can experience significant improvement over several months, regardless of how many limiting factors are at play. But the improvement is not tied to “doing the tools alone.”

Simply doing the practices, but NOT changing your lifestyle, will likely result in you seeing shifts in your overall stress response, but healing might be limited or slowed. The practices are meant to help you repattern your entire way of interacting with your life. It is often recommended that doing 1 hour per day of neuroplasticity exercises, after 6 months, results in significant changes in brain activity, and people report great reduction in symptoms. But what is not mentioned in these recommendations is how these people are living the rest of their day besides using brain retraining tools. Did they change how they interact with family/friends? Did the practices help them have a general state of emotional elevation? So we cannot assume that just using the tools alone is a guarantee of success.

What we see in clients is that those who use these practices to help them change the way they approach their entire lives will experience transformation on multiple levels, not just their symptoms..

We also see that those who use brain retraining alone, and have a trauma history or severe stress, may have limited overall healing. This is the shortcoming of some programs. Trauma is lodged in the body, and the somatic nervous system must be addressed.  This is why Primal Trust incorporated much more than brain retraining practices in our approach.

Generally, it is likely to take 6 months to a year to experience a full turnaround if you have been chronically ill for a long time or have a history of trauma. It can take less time if you don’t have deep illness patterns. It can also take more time if you have extenuating life situations that keep you in resistance, anger, fear, or stress ongoing. But regardless of how long it takes, know that you will at least feel significantly better by applying the tools of the level 1 program, changing your lifestyle based on level 1 understanding, and then uprooting deeper unconscious blockages that may be contributing to your illness through the level 2 mentorship process.

A program that promises “Fix you quick and heal you fast!” is to be examined with caution. If that program existed, everyone would be flocking to that coach, program, or process.

Healing is a journey. But it doesn’t need to be difficult or hard. It can be enriching and fulfilling.

Any Primal Trust programs are not a replacement for any medical advice, mental health help, or treatment protocol you are given. Please consult with your healthcare provider(s) for specific guidelines regarding your protocols during your nervous system healing process.

We cannot offer specific advice regarding additional treatment.

Dr. Cat says: “ there was a time in my own journey when I couldn’t tolerate any supplements/detox, and after regulating my nervous system for a few months, I could tolerate additional body support.

I did utilize various things such as binders, saunas, PEMF mat, vitamins, and other basic cellular supports, which I do think is helpful for those with chronic illness. However, nervous system regulation was my main “treatment” and I consider the other things as supportive aids for a healthy lifestyle.”

You get to decide, but we do give recommendations for a daily practice time/schedule. As you go through the program, the time allotment to practice tools will increase incrementally with each module. The time requirement for level 1 Regulate will vary from 30 minutes to 1 hour or more, spread throughout the day, depending on how much you decide to implement the brain, body, and vagal toning tools into your LIFESTYLE. Level 1 Regulate will give you very specific instructions on what tools to use and when to take the guessing game out of the process. You also will learn the overarching principles so that you can create your own tool/process that feels right for you. Try to see this practice as sacred, self-love time, and not a “to-do list”. So please reframe what this time is for. Dr. Cat says that her practice is about 1-1.5 hours/day and is a combination of mindfulness/breath/somatic movements/self-care practices. She says “I love my mind/body regulation practice time. It’s for me to ground into my heart and body. One of the most beautiful things that happened to me in my self-healing journey was that I learned to make time for myself and do things that bring me presence, alignment, and joy.” That is what these practices can bring to you over time when you don’t make them a chore, but rather let them become a self-nourishing lifestyle.

Never push yourself. This is sending the same old message to your nervous system “I have to do this or I won’t be okay.” Instead, try to follow a pattern of using tools, relaxing right afterward, and trying a small activity that feels nourishing, as you can through the day with plenty of “non-doing” time as well.

There is a life rhythm that must be restored, which you will learn about in the Regulate program. This rhythm is to teach your nervous system that you can be active, and rest, and that you are not going to push your way through anything. Instead, you are going to choose to use tools and you are going to choose to relax and be self nourishing the process.

You can choose to adapt your tools to whatever your current function is, rather than saying “I can’t do this, or I have to push myself to do these.”  Choosing versus pushing, adapting versus forcing, and resting versus crashing are all skills you will learn to develop as you go through the program.

We have several ways of supporting you in your healing process. We are always available via the contact form on the site, weekdays on the forum, and we have an onboarding process to help you navigate the site as well. We offer free calls with our Ambassadors and free initial consults with all of our mentors as well. Please reach out with any questions.

However, we are not a medical establishment and the staff are not medical professionals.  We cannot give you advice on your protocols or diagnoses. We can offer guidance on implementing the tools/processes of the Primal Trust programs only.

Yes. Simplero, the platform that hosts our course/membership, has an app which allows replay of course content, and access to all features of the membership site! Download the “Simplero” app.

YES – no extra fees for the additional courses! 

We have a drip release for level 1 only, dripped weekly over 7 weeks to encourage pacing.  The reason is that Dr. Cat used to allow all access to level 1 and found that those with nervous system dysregulation would frantically rush through the material, applying all the tools at once, and completely overwhelm the nervous system.  The great news is that since the required pacing of the level 1 program has been in place, our outcomes for recovery have skyrocketed, indicating that slow and steady wins the race!

In levels 2-3, there is no drip release and you have immediate access after you have completed the previous level program.

YES! We completely reformatted and edited our platform in 2023 and now it is beautiful, user-friendly, and you are guided in every step of the way with our new onboarding process. Primal Trust grew so fast and was so popular, we had to revamp our platform to make sense of the multi-layered approach. Reach out anytime if you need additional support navigating the site.

FAQs About Level 2 Primal Trust™ Mentorship and General Membership

Nope. If you love your current rewiring program, you will continue with that process alongside all mentorship training. However I do introduce my brain retraining technique- “ABC Dimensional Shift”, as an alternative process that combines inquiry, parts work, somatic presence, and brain retraining. Many people use a combination of my work and their former practice throughout the level 2 mentorship.

It’s for both experienced and newbies.  We have all levels of training within the membership platform.  Beginners will start at level 1 Regulate and learn the basics of brain retraining and nervous system regulation.  Advanced participants who have completed Level 1 Regulate can start with level 2, the Primal Trust Mentorship, which dovetails nicely with all other brain retraining programs.

Yes, you can cancel your monthly membership at any time, and you will not be charged for another subscription.

Please see the FAQ at the top of this page first.

DNRS is one of the most popular brain rewiring programs out there.  It is an excellent program that I used for some time in the beginning of my journey alongside a few other limbic retraining practices, and Annie Hopper is a wonderful pioneer in the industry whom I have the utmost respect for.  The difference is that the Primal Trust program is an even more expanded neuroplasticity program in that it includes vagus nerve toning, polyvagal theory education, somatic presencing and movement practices, trauma-informed processing practices, and much more.

DNRS is limbic system-focused, and so is this.  And I found that by additionally implementing other limbic system calming tools, your brain rewiring practice can work much deeper.

This program also includes advanced “inner work”, which DNRS does not.  This is often a necessary stage of healing if you have any history of trauma or developmental attachment wounding.  My program has been so successful because it is a holistic process of beginning brain retraining, through advanced inner healing of the psyche.  You will be guided through the process incrementally in the membership format.

In general Primal Trust has hundreds of hours of content with a holistic approach whereas DNRS is a very targeted program focusing on limbic system rewiring.

In the level 1 live classes, we will be as mindful as possible to help not bring up topics that are triggering.  However, in level 2, the nature of the advanced mentorship is to get people to see beyond their limbic issues/triggers and to focus on living.  The level 2 program is not a DNRS focused brain rewiring group, and my job is to redirect people to get their life back together in a way where we can handle being triggered. This mentorship is meant for advanced brain retrainers who are ready to face the nuts and bolts of being a human on this planet and moving beyond their health-focused/fix-myself lifestyle. That being said, they may bring up symptoms/ or “its” and I will help to reflect back to them their concern in a way to raise their conscious awareness to a new level.

DNRS has an avoidant approach for a specific reason, to not trigger the limbic system. But the world is full of triggers, and eventually, we must be able to be in the world and be able to see ABOVE the triggers and above others’ current reality. That is where true freedom lies and what Primal Trust offers.

In my work, I purposely avoid talking about health problems much of the time – you can ask others who have done the mentorship about that. BUT I do not avoid it either, as I’m trying to model a healthy way of being in the world.

Not directly. I ask you to develop a relationship with your Adult Main Personality and Higher Self. Whatever and whoever that is for you will be unique.

In the guided brain rewiring attunement aspect of each level 2 and 3 class, it is simply a connection to the “superconscious” field of information – you can decide for yourself what that means for you.

We are focusing on developing an “adult main personality” and alignment to your True Nature. We are not focusing on figuring out your past or finding the causes of your problems. So the answer is we are not directly looking into any trauma, but just like any personal development tool, you may experience the subconscious wanting you to heal your past.

My processes are gentle and easy. If you have trauma, at some point you will need to be able to feel your feelings, hear the beliefs of those old parts (which usually are untrue), and repattern your reactions to those past perceptions.

This is not a direct trauma process work, but part of the process of developing Primal Trust is teaching the nervous system that you can handle your past and all the perspectives that go along with it.

This is where true freedom and healing lies – through the integration of our past with our adult main personality.

It is simply a form of rewiring/neuroplasticity called “memory reconsolidation”. It’s a more effective, efficient form of brain rewiring. It is self-directed through energetically being present with two internal experiences at the same time.

It works by the principle of “neurons that fire together, wire together”. The focus is on the deep integration of parts and our main personality, repatterning our past perceptions that have negative emotional associations, and decreasing the unconscious resistance to living life fully.

It is gentle and easy and is done by connecting to the superconscious field of information that we all have access to in our consciousness. Most importantly, your own higher self is the one running the show. I am simply giving suggestions and helping you to get into a space of neuroplastic repatterning of your past.

I have many examples for free on my YouTube channel and on Instagram.

You can always catch the recording and submit any questions in the forum later.

 

How much do you spend each month on coaching, supplements, and doctor visits?

If you were like me, then it’s a lot. BUT when I finally learned how to redirect my inner world to the part of me that was all grown up and resilient, I didn’t NEED the private coaching, the supplements, and the doctors. And that saved me a TON of money. The pricing of this membership is probably one of the best deals you will find on high-quality courses, coaching, and weekly support. The price of my level 2 mentorship alone would be $1,500 sold as a separate product. I wanted to make this program affordable to the masses so it is now a simple monthly membership fee of $96/month, giving access to all levels training.

If you still feel you cannot afford this, we offer limited financial assistance opportunities to those who have already shown commitment to the community for at least one month. You can contact us directly for information.

I have outlined a 3 step process that I see most people go on for deep, lasting recovery from chronic illness and trauma.  Brain retraining is level 1 and focuses on limbic system healing to calm down the fight/flight/freeze response.  If there is deep attachment wounding, old trauma, etc, I often see folks need to go into a level 2, deeper dive by learning to develop what I call a “healthy adult main personality”.  This brain state helps us to naturally integrate fragmented parts in our psyche from trauma, be more present/somatically embodied, and resolve inner conflicts.  The level 2 material is a beautiful process that most find enriching and enlivening, nothing that you need to fear.  The level 3 process is getting your purpose, career, mission going and the life skills necessary to emerge back into the world.

 

We have a multidisciplinary approach to dealing with chronic illness and trauma.

We are targeting not only the limbic system of the brain, but also targeting the vagus nerve, somatic nervous system, the inner psyche of emotional wounds and identity wounds.

This is top down and bottom up, inner work and energy work – to include all pieces of the puzzle, as it relates to what may be causing your chronic stress response. We leave no stone unturned.

This is a very unique program in that we have an incredible community piece, including self led study groups, mentoring within the community, community support is there for you.

Live community classes are on offer, including sound healing, affinity groups, mentoring Q&As, somatics and guest speakers on various topics.

This is one of the most comprehensive programs in the brain retraining world, at a very low cost.

Adult Main Personality.

This is a phrase I use to describe the brain state that I had to create in order to send messages of regulation to my limbic system.

The brain state that is my truest identity in the human sense – my physiological, prefrontal brain state of a healthy inner adult. This particular brain state is a whole brain state. It’s not a hijacked emotional state or unconscious parts. It’s a whole brain state where I am aware of my inner wounded aspects. I am aware of the stress response, but I am also aware from a rational perspective.

This particular brain state is a physiological brain state of healthy brain function. It is also the gateway to what I believe is the True Self Essence – our ability to connect with a higher sense of self.

In this whole brain state, our brain firing pattern has access to higher consciousness, to be able to make decisions in times of stress, rather than our limbic consciousness.

When you join, you’ll receive comprehensive instructions on how to navigate the platform and start your training. This is provided in both written and video format for a thorough introduction to the program. You’ll find this on our “Full Onboarding” page within the membership site.

It is important that you take the time to read/watch through the onboarding process so that you can orient yourself.

You should introduce yourself in the forum and join a current study group – this information is found on the “Study Groups” page within the membership site, or you can ask in the Forum too.

There really is no difference. The recorded version is the exact recording of the live class. You are still getting all of the same material in both versions.

 

ALL of this is included in your membership:

Level 1 Courses
REGULATE  and access to my original Creating Calm course as well

Level 2 Primal Trust Mentorship
2023 Simplified Level 2 Mentorship

2022 Comprehensive Level 2 Mentorship

Recorded 2021 Primal Trust Mentorship

Level 3 Liberate
Live weekly ongoing Level 3 mentoring classes.
Level 3 Access to Video Library

Forum Community Support
Receive personalized guidance by lead Primal Trust mentors and others.  Community of Fellow Heroes on the same path!

Video Library on all things nervous system healing – Over 200 hours of content.

Live group coaching for all levels with Dr. Cat and other Primal Trust mentors.

Free Copy
How Healing Happens Free Book

Is Nervous System Dysregulation Behind Your Chronic Symptoms?

Explore 30 thought-provoking questions to unveil potential nervous system dysregulation and get a FREE copy of our 100+ page guidebook with tools to get started.

Is Nervous System Dysregulation Behind Your Chronic Symptoms?

Explore 30 thought-provoking questions to unveil potential nervous system dysregulation and get a FREE copy of our 100+ page guidebook with tools to get started.

We will only send you awesome stuff.