“Intelligence comes into being when the mind, the heart and the body are really harmonious” – Jiddu Krishnamurti
For 4 years, I explored my own personal healing path to overcome ME (or myalgic encephalomyelitis) which resulted in exhaustive testing through the NHS, referrals, scans, blood tests, elimination processes, guess work and at long last, a diagnosis. It didn’t however find me the cure.
Once I found the enemy within, I went on my crusade to discover any possible treatment I could find to overcome this seemingly incurable condition. I wanted to understand why some people cured themselves whilst it eluded others, so I started to collect the pieces to the jigsaw which eventually became my recovery and the link I found to numerous other conditions such as fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), migraines and insomnia.
I was shocked to discover that around 17 million people suffer from ME but according to NFA, the National Fibromyalgia Association statistics, 3 to 6% of the world’s population suffer from this debilitating condition. That’s between 210 and 420 million sufferers, which is an incredible amount to contemplate.
Whilst going through my research, I found that I was rebelling against the traditional viewpoint through orthodoxy, which was ‘appease your symptoms, be careful what you do, rest, pace yourself, avoid…etc. etc.’ I could feel the weight of doom casting an ugly spell, so I chose to look the other way and seek those that had challenged this philosophy too.
I came across a woman who’d written a book not only about her own recovery but that of 50 other men, women and children who’d found their own cure. Whilst reading these case studies, I discovered the common denominator between them, was that they all ‘believed’ they’d find a solution. That told me so much – that they were ‘open’ to their recovery and that was key.
Whilst reading the various treatments and regimes, many of which I had tried myself, I found a common thread which started to ring bells for me. I discovered a Dr Mickel who believes that ME, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety, IBS, migraines and insomnia all have a link with the mind/body intelligence. At last I’d found someone who was speaking my language.
As an Intuitive Consultant working with clients for over 20 years, I’ve always looked at how the subconscious mind is powerfully giving us messages when our bodies are either in or out of balance. I believe our body’s health is therefore intrinsically linked to our mind’s well-being.
So, I explored the possibility that this orthodox doctor could possibly have the solution I was looking for. Considering I’d spent thousands of pounds on treatments, regimes, private scans and consultations, supplements and in the end, the loss of my business, home and everything I had, ME had cost me a small fortune. But more importantly, it had taken 4 years of my life, turned it upside down and held me prisoner which I knew I was about to break free from.
Don’t get me wrong, as a conscientious Capricorn driven to find solutions, I never once let this defeat me, but at times, that debilitating condition tested my faith, my willpower to keep on keeping on and above all, my relationship with myself and others. For some, it is the breaking down, the break through and finally the breaking free that not only conquers our captor, but re-births us so we move on to realise a resistance and a power within us we never knew possible. It’s with that in mind and armed with our renewed ethos, we go on to create the kind of life that befits the hero within.
As a hypnotherapist myself, I could relate to Dr Mickel’s reference to the famous psychiatrist Milton Erickson. Erickson’s work is grounded in universal principles of psychology that are common to every one of us. His approach was not to tell someone something (which can easily be rejected) but to make them feel something new instead.
Erickson believed that symptoms in the body were solutions, so should therefore be utilised and not resisted. This language I wholeheartedly understand as I teach this to my clients, so I decided I had to try a new approach to finding my cure. It was miraculous and after 4 years of pain, debilitation, anxiety, becoming housebound, not being able to tolerate light, sound, technology, people, travel, buildings and so the list went on…within a few short weeks, I was bouncing around like a new-born lamb. I could not believe the amount of energy I’d regained – and not only that, I was almost symptom free in less than 4 weeks.
So, looking at the theory behind Dr Mickel’s correlation of certain conditions such as fibromyalgia, he describes a ‘progression’ from
- emotions
- to heightened emotions,
- to depression, anxiety, IBS, migraines and insomnia
- to chronic fatigue syndrome, ME and fibromyalgia
With this in mind, he believes these conditions are the result of the mind/body connection. These symptoms, though uncomfortable, are necessary communication from the body. Once symptoms are interpreted, understood and therefore responded to appropriately, the symptoms dissipate. This is different to being ‘all in the mind’ as some doctors would lead you to believe. Our body is simply communicating back to us there is something very wrong in our world which we need to put right and the symptoms are our saviours to get us back on track again. It is not simply about feeling positive thoughts, or snapping out of it as some believe.
Many experts say that CFS/ME and fibromyalgia are created after a serious infection or virus such as flu or glandular fever and to be fair, I did have that mindset as I had fallen ill with ME shortly after having a very bad dose of flu myself. Dr Mickel believes that these infections are the effects of the state of the immune system and not therefore the cause.
So, looking at this from an Erickson perspective, we can look at the brain which has two hemispheres. Where many treatments and regimes try to treat the left hemisphere, logical mind, thinking process, the way to discover the language our symptoms are speaking to us, is through the unconscious mind which links with our right hemisphere. This is where we link with our programs, our emotions, our blue print or higher self. It is our truth. It knows what’s best for us and will always protect us no matter what.
Dr Mickel talks about the clues in our emotions (which I referred to in the progression chart earlier) that tells us what’s going on in our world. E-motions he refers to, are energy-in-motion. Translated, they are the energy of situations transduced by the body into the energy of e-motion. This means that our body evaluates situations and not our head, so therefore in order to cure our conditions, we need to understand them through recognising the meaning of our symptoms and emotions in order to take right action.
Taking this into account Dr Mickel devised an accountability structure which supports the theory of the way I work with my own clients. This addresses the symptoms and the emotions throughout the treatment with an action to take. This sends a message back through to the right side of the brain, which reinforces the blueprint and therefore the negative programming eventually dissipates.
As it takes about 30 days to create negative programming, in reverse, it can take around this time to un-create and reinforce the blueprint which is the positive programming of our higher self.
The therapy is simplistic in its very nature but powerful in its result for many. It does however, all depend on how we embrace and are open to its possibilities.
The Keys
These three keys need to be used every day in all situations in order for this process to work effectively. They are:
- Setting Boundaries – saying no to unfair treatment by others using loving disallowance.
- Communicating your emotions honestly – this is the facilitator key.
- Meeting your own needs first – aim for a balanced variety of needs.
In summary, by using the above keys every day, saying no to people and setting your boundaries allows for you to take back your power. When you communicate your emotions honestly, this sends a powerful signal to the right hemisphere which reinforces the blueprint and allows your voice to come through from your source of power. Putting your own needs first allows you to become aligned and gives you the opportunity to create a day which is more balanced with activities and things you enjoy, which serves your highest needs.
By making notes in a diary every day, you can jot down any moments when you recognise symptoms or emotions that were out of balance. The important thing here is to recognise this, take right action by applying 1, 2 or all 3 of the keys and making a note of this too. So,
- Note what happened, when, where and with whom or what you were doing.
- How did you feel.
- Taking right action. What keys did you use?
- Did the symptoms/emotions reduce or clear? If not, you may need to reapply the keys or do this more than once.
Continued application of these keys until you are symptom free is your aim here.
The attitude you have towards your recovery is key. The more determined you are to honour your truth, the more likely you are to recover your authentic, balanced, healthy state of being.
I believe we can apply this for so many conditions that manifest in our bodies. I recognised, by looking at this objectively, how I’d created mine.
I’d started a business which was really to support the eventual retirement of my then partner. When he walked out on me and left me to cope alone, my symptoms started as IBS, anxiety, depression, insomnia and I used far too many glasses of wine to drown my increasing imbalances.
Inevitably I crashed with flu, but struggled on after recovering partially which eventually led to full blown ME. I could never truly find the cure for this all the while I was still struggling on, so finally when I used the keys which aligned me back to my truth, I took a huge leap of faith and made radical life changes.
At the time of writing this article, I’m 4 weeks’ post ME, most days symptom free. I can now run upstairs as opposed to crawl, travel to places I could only visualise a few short weeks ago and I have so much energy that I’ve changed the whole dynamic of the way I work and have boldly moved into a new transition which will give me more visibility with my work, yet less of the workload I’ve always had to contend with. My day is 25% work 75% play as opposed to 25% play 75% work…the difference being, is that I love work more than ever before because I’ve defined my boundaries which only allow in what serves my higher nature.
I had 3 wishes for this year and 2 out of 3 have come true already and we’re only part way through the year. I know this is because my boundaries have changed and therefore so has the dynamic with my relationships which have deepened more so. I don’t recognise the person I was 4 weeks ago.
Today I’m looking forward, ever changing and embracing my new-found freedom of love, peace and utter happiness. After 20 years as a consultant helping others to find their power and voice, I’m astounded by the joy that I’ve now found which I didn’t think was possible at this level. All I can say is that each one of us has the power to find our own cure. Given that our mind governs everything…it’s a pretty good place to start.