It might be hard to convince you, and a really hard thing to believe that an approach with the mind can help the body. But trust me, there is a connection. Although you’ve been diagnosed with a physical illness “fibromyalgia” by your rheumatologist and you’ve seen countless doctors that blame this part of your body and that part of your body, at this stage you’re probably convinced that the pain you’re experiencing is only of a physical origin. The pain is real. You are definitely not imagining it. Your muscles are aching, you can’t stand for long and a simple walk in the park is brutal sometimes.
But what if I told you that through a mind body approach I’ve achieved a massive 40% pain relief in my upper back and I’m well on my way to making a full recovery with my legs too? Think about the pain in your upper back for a second, it’s the part of your body that’s been killing you for nearly two years, and it has stopped you from simply sitting at your dinner table and sending your friend a text. You’ve spent close to €2,000 on osteopath visits that you know barely achieve any lasting relief past a day. How about you give the mind body approach a real go? If you think about the pain itself, why would someone like yourself with such a healthy body suddenly develop a chronic pain condition? There is nothing serious that’s shown up in any blood tests, MRI scans, X-rays or even high-tech bone density DEXA scans to say there is anything wrong with you! You are as healthy as you could get so don’t let pain get in the way of moving on with your life.
I now know that it is really significant that the two biggest pains you’re dealing with now started at emotionally turbulent times in your life. Remember that and please don’t forget it. The crazy student election went hand in hand with your leg pain and your terrible relationship with someone else kicked off your back pain. If there was a real physical injury the pain wouldn’t have come on at these points! And I know You like to say that the leg pain came on after a fall off your bike but most people don’t develop unilateral leg pain after a simple fall off their bike. Our bodies are far more resilient than that and most walk away from it unscathed and barely affected. If the pain was truly physical you wouldn’t be able to go and dance for hours on end at the club with your mates, or stand for ages in your bedroom trying on your favourite clothes. I’m not putting any blame on you here but I want to tell you that the pain has meaning. Its telling you that there are key things in your life you need to address. Things that your subconscious would rather bury and lock away because it’s too painful to deal with at the time.
It might sound a bit far off but we now know that emotions and illness do really go hand in hand and all you have to do is buy a book by Gabor Maté to convince yourself of that or look at your own history. Let me ask you about the relationship with your Mum, the pain in your upper back started when you two were fighting so have you ever thought that the burning pain you are experiencing now is because of unresolved anger and emotions related to that event? And it’s totally ok to be angry, but holding it in is the worst thing you can do for yourself. You need to get angry and let it go, and that’s going to be part of your therapy. Mags will teach you how to do that safely. Holding all of it in like you are now might feel good in the short term and it might bury your problems. But let me tell you all of that buried energy has to manifest somewhere and its manifesting in your back. No wonder the pain gets worse when you think about her or talk to her over the phone! It’s your body telling you that your brain needs sorting out.
I know you’ve read Sarno’s books and you’ve tried another practitioner’s program and it’s unfortunate they haven’t worked for you. I’m sorry but remember that Sarno said 15 percent of patients need additional psychological assistance and that’s exactly what Mags is there to do. There is nothing like one-on-one therapy with someone you can trust and build a relationship with. They’ll be able to guide you through any pitfalls and questions you have and give you a supportive tailored plan of recovery. I know there is probably a bit of scepticism on your part, the thing is that is good. Mags encourages you to be sceptical, to ask her questions and to really understand stress illness, and let me reassure you that I have full confidence in your recovery. You’ve tried everything the medical world has to offer and even spent thousands on stem cells and all of it in total has made only a small difference. So give this a real go and I can promise you you’ll come out on the other side a happier, stronger and pain-free person!