On Course For Recovery
Are you ready to find your road to recovery?
This inspirational book grew out of a series of courses held with people suffering from ME or Chronic Fatigue. It offers a sense of possibility, the conviction that sufferers can make a difference to their lives right now. The author should know. After suffering for several years she is now fully recovered.
Over a quarter of a million people suffer from ME/CFS or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in the UK. Many others remain undiagnosed. There is no apparent cure. Yet it is possible to recover. As I have.
You have a choice: to leave this course behind... or to decide that you’ve had enough of struggling with illness and to set yourself on course for recovery. Through the simple exercises described in this book, it is possible to influence your own health. Perhaps therapies, supplements and more aren't working for you. When we hit a crisis such as chronic illness we need to dig deeper, to find new solutions.
This course will help you discover those solutions for yourself. Follow it individually or join with others for support and encouragement. Work on each chapter for a week, a month, or more - whatever feels right for you. Very soon you’ll discover how to support your body’s natural healing process - and find yourself on course for recovery.
This kind of change doesn’t come from outside - from the actions of others, new research or a change in circumstances. It comes from within. The emphasis here is on you - on the positive, effective action you can take right now to make a difference to your life.
ISBN 978-0-9568709-1-9
Paperback £7.99
This inspirational book grew out of a series of courses held with people suffering from ME or Chronic Fatigue. It offers a sense of possibility, the conviction that sufferers can make a difference to their lives right now. The author should know. After suffering for several years she is now fully recovered.
Over a quarter of a million people suffer from ME/CFS or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in the UK. Many others remain undiagnosed. There is no apparent cure. Yet it is possible to recover. As I have.
You have a choice: to leave this course behind... or to decide that you’ve had enough of struggling with illness and to set yourself on course for recovery. Through the simple exercises described in this book, it is possible to influence your own health. Perhaps therapies, supplements and more aren't working for you. When we hit a crisis such as chronic illness we need to dig deeper, to find new solutions.
This course will help you discover those solutions for yourself. Follow it individually or join with others for support and encouragement. Work on each chapter for a week, a month, or more - whatever feels right for you. Very soon you’ll discover how to support your body’s natural healing process - and find yourself on course for recovery.
This kind of change doesn’t come from outside - from the actions of others, new research or a change in circumstances. It comes from within. The emphasis here is on you - on the positive, effective action you can take right now to make a difference to your life.
ISBN 978-0-9568709-1-9
Paperback £7.99
Reader reviews
I recommend this course to anyone. Rosemary Walter, Chair, ME North Devon.
I felt I must tell you how helpful I am finding your book on CFS/ME. I've been so grateful for it, it's like my "bible!" I’m planning on taking it on holiday with me … makes me feel secure having all the advice with me. One thing I especially like is that the book is very user friendly, the way it's laid out, summaries etc. The bold letters are also extremely useful and the type of spine makes it easy to turn over, keep your place. Thank you very much, Pamela. Lynne Sharratt
Grasp the opportunity. I feel empowered to carry on with life.
This course made me focus on things that would help me recover.
Thank you for providing a safe haven where it didn't feel wrong to put myself first for a change.
Course participants
I recommend this course to anyone. Rosemary Walter, Chair, ME North Devon.
I felt I must tell you how helpful I am finding your book on CFS/ME. I've been so grateful for it, it's like my "bible!" I’m planning on taking it on holiday with me … makes me feel secure having all the advice with me. One thing I especially like is that the book is very user friendly, the way it's laid out, summaries etc. The bold letters are also extremely useful and the type of spine makes it easy to turn over, keep your place. Thank you very much, Pamela. Lynne Sharratt
Grasp the opportunity. I feel empowered to carry on with life.
This course made me focus on things that would help me recover.
Thank you for providing a safe haven where it didn't feel wrong to put myself first for a change.
Course participants
Introduction
You are not alone.
Over a quarter of a million people suffer from M.E. or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in the UK. Many others remain undiagnosed. There is no apparent cure yet it is possible to recover, as I have.
Are you ready to find your road to recovery?
You are not your illness. You are a person with hopes, dreams and a life to live. You may have lost sight of that person but you’re there - waiting to be rediscovered. You’ve picked up this book and read this far. Now you have a choice. Do you put it down? Or do you decide that you’ve had enough of struggling with this illness and it’s time to set yourself on course for recovery? ‘If only!’ I hear you say. I felt the same way before I discovered that it is possible to influence our own health. Through the simple tools described in this course, I began to see how.
I thought I was already doing everything possible to recover, trying all sorts of therapies and taking supplements. They just weren’t working. Then I realised that when we hit a crisis such as chronic illness we need to explore new solutions. This course will help you discover those solutions for yourself. Follow it individually or join with others for support and encouragement. Work on a different chapter each week or stay with each section for a month or more; whatever feels right for you. Very soon you’ll discover how to support your body’s natural healing process ... and find yourself on course for recovery.
As you follow this course you will:
This book focuses on what you can do.
Do you dream of feeling well again? Maybe you’ve tried one practitioner after another hoping the next will hold the secret to your recovery. But therapies that have worked for others may not hold the same benefits for you.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
There is much you can do to support your body. It may not be functioning as it should, resulting in symptoms you are all too familiar with. But the body has an amazing ability to self-heal, given the right conditions. This course provides you with the tools to identify and create those conditions for yourself.
This kind of change doesn’t come from outside, from the actions of others or a change in circumstances. It comes from within. The emphasis is on you, on the positive, effective action you can take right now to make a difference to your life.
CHAPTER 1 SUMMARY
You are not your illness
You’re simply someone who may be feeling overwhelmed by the thoughts, feelings and sensations that go hand in hand with illness. Take a look at those thoughts and feelings:
All the sleepless nights with the same thoughts going round and round; all the black days when you can’t see how it’s ever going to change – are a perfectly normal reaction to an unwanted disruption to your life. It would be strange if you weren’t feeling as you do.
This perfectly understandable reaction is a great starting point. As uncomfortable as they are, these thoughts and feelings have kick-started a very important journey for you – your road to recovery. Now the question becomes - What Next?
You have lots of options to support your body as it works to restore you to health:
You might not be aware of it, but these situations - and probably many others – are the result of choices you are making.
And all sorts of things will be influencing those choices. Unearthing these influences is a big part of this course and we will explore these more later. Meanwhile, there’s one area where becoming aware of, and changing, the unconscious choices you are making can make an immediate difference to your energy levels.
There is a proven relationship between stress and illness.
The close link between mind and body means that the way you think about things can bring about physical changes. Try replaying a stressful event in your mind. Do it, now. Pitch yourself back into a situation where you felt really uncomfortable. How did your body react? Did your heart start racing? Was your stomach churning? Did you get a dry mouth? Did your muscles tense up?
What’s happening inside your body?
What does this mean?
When illness strikes, your immune system has more than likely been weakened by environmental, physical, emotional or mental stress. Any kind of stress:
An awareness of the triggers that create stress in you, and your personal reaction to those triggers, is a vital first step in recovering your health.
You are not alone.
Over a quarter of a million people suffer from M.E. or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in the UK. Many others remain undiagnosed. There is no apparent cure yet it is possible to recover, as I have.
Are you ready to find your road to recovery?
You are not your illness. You are a person with hopes, dreams and a life to live. You may have lost sight of that person but you’re there - waiting to be rediscovered. You’ve picked up this book and read this far. Now you have a choice. Do you put it down? Or do you decide that you’ve had enough of struggling with this illness and it’s time to set yourself on course for recovery? ‘If only!’ I hear you say. I felt the same way before I discovered that it is possible to influence our own health. Through the simple tools described in this course, I began to see how.
I thought I was already doing everything possible to recover, trying all sorts of therapies and taking supplements. They just weren’t working. Then I realised that when we hit a crisis such as chronic illness we need to explore new solutions. This course will help you discover those solutions for yourself. Follow it individually or join with others for support and encouragement. Work on a different chapter each week or stay with each section for a month or more; whatever feels right for you. Very soon you’ll discover how to support your body’s natural healing process ... and find yourself on course for recovery.
As you follow this course you will:
- identify what drains your energy
- discover what is blocking progress
- learn to listen and respond to your body
- understand how to avoid ups and downs
- begin to play an active part in your recovery
This book focuses on what you can do.
Do you dream of feeling well again? Maybe you’ve tried one practitioner after another hoping the next will hold the secret to your recovery. But therapies that have worked for others may not hold the same benefits for you.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
There is much you can do to support your body. It may not be functioning as it should, resulting in symptoms you are all too familiar with. But the body has an amazing ability to self-heal, given the right conditions. This course provides you with the tools to identify and create those conditions for yourself.
This kind of change doesn’t come from outside, from the actions of others or a change in circumstances. It comes from within. The emphasis is on you, on the positive, effective action you can take right now to make a difference to your life.
CHAPTER 1 SUMMARY
- This book is a course for you to follow, either individually or in a group
- Through this course you will learn how to provide the best possible healing environment for your body
- This kind of change doesn’t come from outside - from the actions of others or a change in circumstances, it comes from within
You are not your illness
You’re simply someone who may be feeling overwhelmed by the thoughts, feelings and sensations that go hand in hand with illness. Take a look at those thoughts and feelings:
- see them as separate from you
- see them as a normal reaction to a physically and emotionally difficult time
All the sleepless nights with the same thoughts going round and round; all the black days when you can’t see how it’s ever going to change – are a perfectly normal reaction to an unwanted disruption to your life. It would be strange if you weren’t feeling as you do.
This perfectly understandable reaction is a great starting point. As uncomfortable as they are, these thoughts and feelings have kick-started a very important journey for you – your road to recovery. Now the question becomes - What Next?
You have lots of options to support your body as it works to restore you to health:
- good nutrition
- deep breathing
- pacing/resting
- treatments and therapies
- You join a yoga class but start to miss sessions
- Your plan to rest every day after lunch somehow gets lost before the end of the week
- You never quite get round to talking with your boss about going part-time
You might not be aware of it, but these situations - and probably many others – are the result of choices you are making.
And all sorts of things will be influencing those choices. Unearthing these influences is a big part of this course and we will explore these more later. Meanwhile, there’s one area where becoming aware of, and changing, the unconscious choices you are making can make an immediate difference to your energy levels.
There is a proven relationship between stress and illness.
The close link between mind and body means that the way you think about things can bring about physical changes. Try replaying a stressful event in your mind. Do it, now. Pitch yourself back into a situation where you felt really uncomfortable. How did your body react? Did your heart start racing? Was your stomach churning? Did you get a dry mouth? Did your muscles tense up?
What’s happening inside your body?
- when you feel threatened your body triggers the short term 'fight or flight' stress response through a combination of nerve and hormonal signals involving the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands
- long term activation of this stress response can disrupt almost all of the body's processes, including the immune, digestive, nervous and cardio-vascular systems
- when immune system dysfunction persists, the body may become locked into a vicious downward spiral, leaving you susceptible to ongoing illness
What does this mean?
When illness strikes, your immune system has more than likely been weakened by environmental, physical, emotional or mental stress. Any kind of stress:
- actively undermines your immune system
- disrupts your body's efforts to restore itself to health
- interferes with your ability to benefit from therapies and treatment
- and is a major energy drain
An awareness of the triggers that create stress in you, and your personal reaction to those triggers, is a vital first step in recovering your health.