my story
From the best to the worst time of my life
In the midst of what was the best year of my life, filled with excitement and fun, I headed on a journey to East Timor to do some volunteer work. I had visited earlier in the year to volunteer and felt a connection to the place and its people. However, as I prepared for my second trip, a nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach told me it was too soon after the whirlwind of the past few months. Ignoring my instincts, I pushed those concerns aside and boarded the plane with my friends.
As the days in East Timor passed, my body began to send alarming symptoms. Fatigue, dizziness, stomach pain, and a parasitic infection I’d contracted from a mosquito bite started to build in my body. Wanting to make the most of the last bit of our trip & unaware of quite how rough I was beginning to feel, I continued my volunteer work, rode up mountains and spent time with friends. But eventually I crashed with the symptoms and found myself spending my last days mostly confined to our apartment, staring at the four walls and wondering what had gone wrong.
Returning to Northern Ireland, I presumed I’d just quickly bounce back, especially since I’d taken antibiotics I was given by a doctor in East Timor. But my health continued to deteriorate. What began as a few troubling symptoms in East Timor turned into a relentless cycle of sickness and recovery that seemed to have no end. This is the story of my journey through illness, the desperate search for answers, and the incredible transformation I experienced through Mickel therapy/Mind-Body Reconnect (MBR).
Back in Northern Ireland, my symptoms persisted
My life was a rollercoaster of temporary relief and debilitating crashes. I sought help from numerous doctors and specialists, having countless tests and treatments, but no one could provide a definitive diagnosis. Frustration mounted as I was repeatedly misdiagnosed and given treatments that only offered fleeting respite. Determined to find answers, I flew to London to visit a tropical disease clinic. Despite another very strong antibiotic, my health continued to decline, leaving me in a state of constant uncertainty and despair.
The lowest point came when I was diagnosed with ME. Initially I cried with relief to have a name for what was going on in my body and a hope that I would get better now that doctors knew what I had but sadly I soon realised that traditional treatments and rest & more rest weren't enough. My health deteriorated rapidly, leaving me almost bed-bound for what would be the next four years of my life. I was unable to perform even basic tasks without overwhelming fatigue and I found myself with a growing list of symptoms.
Amongst my symptoms was IBS, I’d been put on various elimination diets by doctors trying to help me but my symptoms just got worse and I struggled to reintroduce the foods I’d been instructed to eliminate without being in agony & bleeding, for about 3years, I ate mainly soups and porridge and even then I was doubled over in pain & had symptoms that I had been told were crohn’s . Every day felt like an insurmountable challenge, and the isolation of my condition deepened my despair, my hope began to fade. It was a dark time, but I clung to a small spark of optimism, I firmly believed there was a way out of this, I just had to find it. I could not allow myself to believe what I had been told by doctors that what I was experiencing was life long, I could not resign myself to a life with no socialising, no hobbies, no work and stuck within the same four walls. There had to be a way out.
Hope & Healing
A friend recommended Mickel therapy. Desperate for a solution, I decided to give it a try. Mickel therapy (MBR uses Mickel therapy and extra added tools and techniques from Gabor Mate & others, it is easier to apply & a more advanced version of the therapy ) changed my life. Through this method, I began to understand that we cannot separate the brain systems that process emotions from the immune system, nervous system, hormonal apparatus and overall health. They are all intimately connected.
With this training I started to regain my health. The debilitating symptoms that once controlled my life began to diminish, and I found myself able to engage in activities I had long missed. It was a process but my energy returned, my pain subsided, I got back to being able to eat, work, socialise, travel and live life freely again. I felt a renewed sense of hope and I no longer fear having another crash in the future since I now have the tools to care for myself. I‘m so grateful for this treatment it has been quite a turning point in my life.
I now teach this method that got me better to others. If you are struggling with chronic illness or pain and have lost hope like I had, I encourage you to explore MBR. It’s a process but it has the potential to transform not only your health but also your life just as it did mine.
