Tuesday, January 15, 2013

The Lightning Process

Lightning

I've been meaning to write for a while about how I got better from ME/CFS. Those of you who have met me face to face will know that I had several really bad years with CFS; I was mostly housebound and completely unable to work. Any time I did something really tiring, like meeting friends in London, I'd pay for it with days or weeks of pain and exhaustion.

Weekly Vitamin B12 injections helped by relieving the brain fog. I also did daily meditation, as recommended by the NHS, and paced myself. I did try to gradually increase the amount I was doing but without any noticeable progress. So I resigned myself to feeling like an eighty-year old woman although I was in my mid-fifties, and to a life where the internet was my main contact with the outside world. I had my lovely family around me and I told myself that I was happy.

Then a friend sent me a press cutting about the Lightning Process and I was desperate enough to try it.

The first day of the three-day course, I set off fearfully. I had a half hour's drive to get there, which was more than I was sure I could manage. All the way there I was turning over in my mind how I'd get back. Would I be able to drive? Would I need a taxi? Or maybe find somewhere to stay near the training venue?

That afternoon after four hours or so of training, I drove back home happily. I drove to a local wool shop to get wool. I cooked dinner. I drove my son and daughter-in-law to Slimming World and back. The change was amazing.

At first I kept very quiet about it. The Lightning Process sometimes has a bad press because of people apparently making extreme claims about it and I didn't think anyone would take me seriously until I'd been better for a while. And to be honest it felt like early days and I wasn't sure how I was going to be next month or next year.

Five months after the course, I was looking for work and found a part-time job at an after-school club. I was nervous about taking it; would my energy hold up? Well, it did and I felt happier than I had in a long while. No more state benefits for me I was getting paid, and getting paid to do a job I loved.

In April it will be two years since I did the Lightning Process. I'm working, I'm cycling, I'm learning Spanish and I'm happy. At the moment I'm trying to get fit enough to go on a skiing holiday.

I think we can call that a success.




17 COMMENTS:

MorningAJ said...

Well all I can say is Good for you! You should be proud of yourself for taking the steps and carrying on with it. I'd never heard of it, but a quick read sounds very similar to a treatment for depression I had a few years ago. It taught me to breathe and relax and basically stopped me from going to pieces. My mental abilities went first (concentration, confidence etc) but exhaustion came in afterwards. I won't say I'm perfect now, but I'm much better than I used to be.

Keep up the good work.

Old Kitty said...

Yay!!! Awww if it works, it works!! So happy you've got a programme that totally helped you!! Long may it continue! Thank you for sharing - I am in AWE! Take care
x

Lexi said...

Really good news, FH. That's great.

fairyhedgehog said...

Thanks, MAJ! I think the Lightning Process is a bit like CBT, and NLP, and a few other things, but it was neatly packaged in a way that made it easy for me to use and go on using. I'm glad what you did worked for you!

Thanks, Kitty. You're always so encouraging!

fairyhedgehog said...

Thanks, Lexi!

Stacy said...

That is so wonderful, Fairy. I'm so glad you're feeling better and that you found something that worked!

fairyhedgehog said...

Thanks, stacy!

Debbie Coope said...

I've never heard of this, but your link has filled me in some. This is great. Muchas gracias.

fairyhedgehog said...

Debbie, de nada! It's certainly been great for me.

Simon Kewin said...

That's a fantastic outcome for you. Delighted it's worked out so well for you.

fairyhedgehog said...

Thanks, Simon!

SillyBoy said...

It's been an absolute joy to see you improve so much over the last couple of years, I'm glad you found something that worked :D

I'm also rather touched that you considered the gang's meets at the Hatter to be worth "days or weeks of pain and exhaustion".

fairyhedgehog said...

Tyrone, thank you!

For a long time the meetups at the Mad Hatter were pretty much my only social life that wasn't online! (And yes, they were worth it!)

Ms Scarlet said...

I'm so pleased you are feeling better, FairyH. If it works don't knock it!
Sx

fairyhedgehog said...

Thank you, Scarlet!

Whirlochre said...

This means that when we met up in Londres, you were still Mrs CFS — all of which strikes me as odd given your evident sparkle.

Glad to hear you're now the Whole Hog. As for the skiing, there's currently no need to go on holiday. Most of us could probably manage a few Eddie the Eagles off our shed roofs.

fairyhedgehog said...

Thanks, Whirl! The trouble was that in those days the sparkle came at such a high cost.

I haven't tried skiing of the shed roof yet; I'll let you know how that goes.

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