Oh man. I only had to read the blurb to this post (in Erik Hoel's newsletter) to think "Sarno!" I had my own two-year debilitating bout with chronic pain and his book was the key to my recovery as well. And I had to basically ignore what my physical therapists, etc. were telling me ("you need to be really careful, you need to do these special exercises every day," etc.) to confront the fear and take my life back. (And just like Sarno predicted, the symptoms changed several times on the way to recovery!)
When I run into people who seem to be suffering under similar issues I sometimes try to put out feelers about whether they might be receptive to considering this approach but as I'm sure you've experienced people can get very attached to one interpretation of the cause of their symptoms and offended that you seem to be suggesting it's "all in their heads." (Which isn't true! The symptoms are very real.) Thanks for sharing this.
ME/CFS, aka chronic fatigue syndrome, is a neuroimmune or autoimmune disease. You clearly haven't done any significant research before postulating your ridiculous assumption.
I labored under the assumption of an autoimmune disease for a long time too. I tried all sorts of treatments associated with the theory -- antidepressants, small doses of BCAA, and a whole slew of equally experimental recommendations espoused by the field of "functional medicine." (And yes, I read and read and read about my condition, especially about Dr. Jose Montoya's research at Stanford.)
All of these glimmers of hope were, in short order, extinguished. Nothing worked. And then, when I stumbled upon the hypothesis described in this post, everything changed almost immediately. If that is just a coincidence, it's the most perfect coincidence I've ever experienced.
In my view, it's this very belief -- "ME/CFS is a disorder of the immune system" -- that holds sufferers back the most. By viewing our bodies as a problem to be solved, we subconsciously reinforce messages of danger. We persecute ourselves without knowing it, and we slowly but surely get worse.
I know my perspective can be challenging, especially to those with a history of these conditions. All I'd ask is to keep an open mind -- ask whether there's a possibility this view could have some explanatory power, and see where it leads!
(And if you'd like to continue this conversation offline, please feel free to shoot me a message on Substack! More than happy to continue the discussion.)
Thanks for your reply Nick. I will message you later today. I already know a lot about trauma and vagus nerve regulation, but this knowledge hasn't helped me, so I'm very curious about what you have to say. I'll read your other blog posts too.
Hi Nick, would you be open to a chat? If so, please email me at chris.d.hall123@gmail.com.
Oh man. I only had to read the blurb to this post (in Erik Hoel's newsletter) to think "Sarno!" I had my own two-year debilitating bout with chronic pain and his book was the key to my recovery as well. And I had to basically ignore what my physical therapists, etc. were telling me ("you need to be really careful, you need to do these special exercises every day," etc.) to confront the fear and take my life back. (And just like Sarno predicted, the symptoms changed several times on the way to recovery!)
When I run into people who seem to be suffering under similar issues I sometimes try to put out feelers about whether they might be receptive to considering this approach but as I'm sure you've experienced people can get very attached to one interpretation of the cause of their symptoms and offended that you seem to be suggesting it's "all in their heads." (Which isn't true! The symptoms are very real.) Thanks for sharing this.
ME/CFS, aka chronic fatigue syndrome, is a neuroimmune or autoimmune disease. You clearly haven't done any significant research before postulating your ridiculous assumption.
I labored under the assumption of an autoimmune disease for a long time too. I tried all sorts of treatments associated with the theory -- antidepressants, small doses of BCAA, and a whole slew of equally experimental recommendations espoused by the field of "functional medicine." (And yes, I read and read and read about my condition, especially about Dr. Jose Montoya's research at Stanford.)
All of these glimmers of hope were, in short order, extinguished. Nothing worked. And then, when I stumbled upon the hypothesis described in this post, everything changed almost immediately. If that is just a coincidence, it's the most perfect coincidence I've ever experienced.
In my view, it's this very belief -- "ME/CFS is a disorder of the immune system" -- that holds sufferers back the most. By viewing our bodies as a problem to be solved, we subconsciously reinforce messages of danger. We persecute ourselves without knowing it, and we slowly but surely get worse.
I know my perspective can be challenging, especially to those with a history of these conditions. All I'd ask is to keep an open mind -- ask whether there's a possibility this view could have some explanatory power, and see where it leads!
(And if you'd like to continue this conversation offline, please feel free to shoot me a message on Substack! More than happy to continue the discussion.)
Thanks for your reply Nick. I will message you later today. I already know a lot about trauma and vagus nerve regulation, but this knowledge hasn't helped me, so I'm very curious about what you have to say. I'll read your other blog posts too.