Article for the Devon M.E. Association Magazine

For those of you reading this article I imagine you are no stranger to the terrible suffering of those with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, ME or Fibromyalgia. Whether you suffer yourself or know someone else who does it is my wish that this article may bring a little hope and helpful information.

I went through 12 years of debilitating ME and 4 years ago I made a full recovery. Since then I have sought to help those who are still struggling.

Symptoms first began when I was 26. Up until then I had been a healthy person with a busy life working as a massage therapist and yoga/dance teacher.

After 3 months of unusual fatigue, I came down with a flu virus and never recovered.

I had extreme fatigue, terrible headaches, photophobia, sound sensitivity and digestive problems. I was diagnosed as having Epstein Barr Virus and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. My mother had suffered from ME for 8 years through my teenage years so I knew the possible long term nature of my condition. I was terrified.

And so began a gruelling journey of illness as I sought a cure through any means possible. I changed my diet, took herbs, had bodywork, acupuncture and took high doses of intravenous Vitamin C but none of these brought lasting relief. The years rolled by and I spent the majority of them bed bound and in a darkened room with little relief from the pain. My bodyweight dipped to dangerously low levels as I could not eat enough to sustain myself due to severe stomach cramps and indigestion. Anxiety and OCD became constant companions in my nightmare existence as symptoms raged on.

I tried endless alternative therapies, plus medical interventions when my health became severely compromised due to malnutrition and body wastage. I worked tirelessly to heal childhood traumas, negative family patterns and limiting beliefs. Doubtless I was gradually healing on an emotional/spiritual level but I could not create lasting change on the physical level.

In 2005 I had been fortunate to discover a medical doctor who had created a powerful system of healing for ME called Mickel Therapy. It had been the most significant of any therapy I had tried but had not succeeded in providing a full recovery before I crashed into symptoms again. It took another 8 years, and even more extreme health challenges before I came back to Mickel Therapy in a last ditch attempt to be well. In these years the system had been revised and improved and this time, with the help of my therapist Clare Caldwell I restored myself to full and lasting health within 8 months. It was a miracle for me as I reclaimed my former life and returned to normal activities.

bACK IN THE WORLD AGAIN!

This dependable health continues and I am now in the position of helping those who are still suffering. I trained in Mickel Therapy in 2016 and worked as a therapist for 2 years. I now offer a therapy called Body Wisdom Coaching which includes Mickel plus other tools I use to assist the process.

Body Wisdom Coaching works on the basis that our bodies communicate deep wisdom to us through emotion and sensation. When we are born we are tuned in to that deep wisdom and have an innate connection to our bodies. However as we grow up we are often taught by society and family to override our deep knowing as we learn to behave in acceptable ways that gain us approval and love. As we are told to “be quiet”, “not make a fuss”, “dont cry”, “dont be angry”, we gradually learn to suppress our deep feelings and needs and become mind dominated and rule bound. This suppression of our natural selves creates tension and distress in the body/mind which ultimately manifests as illness as the body seeks to communicate its messages in increasingly loud ways. If we listen to these symptoms of illness as a message from the body we can gradually make changes in our lives which allow the body to return to balance.

Through Mickel Therapy I learned that this suppression causes the hypothalmus gland to go into overdrive as the body switches into chronic fight or flight survival mode. I learned how to switch off this mode and return the body to balance so the symptoms could cease. This joining of the body and mind again is at the core of what enabled my healing.

There are many ways to heal from ME and all are valid but from my own personal journey I can 100% vouch for the effectiveness of this approach.

If you are interested to know more about this method of healing please get in touch. I offer a free 30 minute consultation on the phone. I look forward to speaking to you.

Contact fionamonty1@gmail.com or call 07920461400