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If
you suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / ME and youre reading
this, congratulations, youve just taken the first step towards
recovery. It may feel like a very small step, or even not like a
step at all but please read on and youll understand what I
mean.
I
was referred to Jacqueline at the beginning of 2006 at a time when,
despite some improvements gained from earlier treatments, my CFS
symptoms had got about as bad as they could get. I was constantly
fatigued and exhausted, my short term memory was appalling and I
couldnt concentrate on anything without falling asleep. My
whole frame of mind was totally negative, my thoughts were things
like Why is this happening to me? and This is
as good as my life is ever going to be so I may as well get used
to it.
I
never got suicidal, but I got so low that I felt there was no point
in living, every day was an endless cycle of numbing nothingness
and pointlessness. Is any of this sounding familiar to you? Well,
read on, there is hope.
I
had effectively given up on myself and abandoned all hope of ever
feeling well again. Even after a few therapy sessions with Jacqueline
I was still feeling very negative and not really seeing any improvement.
Despite the fact that she had only ever shown me friendship, care
and a
genuine desire to help me through my illness all I did in return
was to throw back at her a load of negative, self-pitying attitudes.
But - and this is the really important bit so please read carefully
and think on it although I had given up on myself,
Jacqueline
never gave up on me and responded to my negative emotions with kindness,
compassion and friendship, never turning her back on me the way
I had turned my back on her. Gradually, the things we had discussed
in our sessions began to surface in my mind and I started to put
them into practice. Every day I tried to take at least one step,
no matter how small a step it seemed, towards achieving the goal
of becoming symptom free. Although these were perhaps very small
steps, every day things would begin to seem a little clearer and
slowly the fog that had enveloped me began to clear.
The
more I acted upon the things we discussed in the therapy sessions,
the easier life became and the easier it was to see the way ahead,
to see what it was I had to do to get rid of my symptoms.
There
are other circumstances in my life that helped towards my cure but
the fact is that it was Jacquelines perseverance with me and
her willingness to help me out even when it seemed I didnt
want to be helped that got me through it. The therapy sessions planted
the seeds of recovery in my mind and Jacquelines spirit of
friendship, compassion and genuine desire to see me recover nourished
those seeds until they eventually blossomed and at last, after five
years in the
wilderness, I have my life back and the wilderness has been replaced
with the most glorious, colourful and beautifully scented flowers.
If that sounds a bit over dramatic, believe me youre wrong,
its an understatement.
Bottom
line: Reverse Therapy works and I would encourage anyone suffering
the symptoms I had to give it a try and persevere with it. Yes,
there will be times when you feel you will never be well again,
but never give up hope because there are people out there who are
genuinely concerned about your health and who really want to help
you recover. Jacqueline is such a person and I have no hesitation
in recommending her to anyone seeking a way out of the maze of CFS
/ ME
symptoms.
Graeme, South Africa
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