Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is still sometimes known as M.E. This is is now an outmoded label and the term Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is now encouraged within the medical profession.

We consider that this condition is actually based on a glandular disorder, which is created by the Hypothalamus overworking the Pituitary/Adrenal glands (together these make up the HPA axis), which in turn overwork the major body functions - gut, muscles, circulation and Immune sustem. We therefore call this condition 'HPA disorder'.

The reason that the Hypothalamus becomes overactive in the first place is that Bodymind (the protective, emotional intelligence working through the body) is sending symptoms to warn the person to take action to restore the balance between external demands and personal needs.

Bodymind also over-activates the HPA axis for a further reason - which is to put the whole organism on 'red alert' aganst the crisis. Thus the Immune system works harder at fighting infections - producing problems such as swollen glands, sore throat, feverishness and (in some cases) viral problems. The Digestive system works harder at defending against toxins in food - resulting in such symptoms as irritable bowel, stomach pain, nausea, blaoting and candida outbreaks. The muscles work harder in readiness for action and, because they burn up so much glucose, create fatigue. Overwork also causes muscle pain, weakness and post-exertional malaise. One particular muscle - the scalp muscle - causes tension headaches when it overworks.

You can take the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Self-Test now. 

The solution lies in:

1. Careful investigation of the situations in which symptoms first appeared or worsened
2. Establishing why Bodymind is using symptoms to guide, warn and protect the individual
3. Encouraging the client to act on the emotional imperatives of Bodymind

In this way, Reverse Therapy reverses symptoms by raising clients' awareness of what Bodymind is trying to 'say' through the symptoms and then working with them to take appropriate action in situations in which symptoms get worse. Alternatively, if the symptom-level is more or less the same from day to day, the Reverse Therapist will encourage the person to make changes to the day-to-day lifestyle in order to restore emotional balance. 

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia

Along with many other researchers, we consider that Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/M.E. are expressions of the same disorder.

In fact major symptoms listed for CFS/M.E, are the same as for Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). The main difference is that, where fatigue is often mentioned as the dominant symptom for CFS, muscle/joint pain is listed as the main symptom in FMS. On the basis of clinical observation we observe that many patients with Fibromyalgia tend not to have Immune system disorders, where CFS patients are more likely to report sore throat, swollen glands and feverishness – all linked to Immune system problems.

Fibromyalia is actually based on a disorder of the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal axis (the HPA axis), which in turn overworks the major body functions - gut, muscles, circulation and Immune sustem. In the case of FMS we see the HPA axis mostly concentrating on the muscular-skeletal system. This problem was initially triggered when Bodymind (the protective, emotional intelligence working through the body) created an 'Alarm response', via the Limbic system and the Hypothalamus, when it noticed that the person was at continuing risk of emotional harm. In part, it is also sending symptoms to warn the person to take action to restore the balance between external demands and personal needs.

The solution lies in:

• Careful investigation of the situations in which symptoms first appeared or worsened
• Establishing why Bodymind is using symptoms to guide, warn and protect the individual
• Encouraging the client to act on the emotional imperatives of Bodymind

In this way, Reverse Therapy reverses symptoms by raising clients' awareness of what Bodymind is trying to 'say' through the symptoms and then working with them to take appropriate action in situations in which symptoms get worse. Alternatively, if the symptom-level is more or less the same from day to day, the Reverse Therapist will encourage the person to make changes to the day-to-day lifesyle in order to restore emotional balance.

Anxiety

Anxiety

Common symptoms include:

Chronic worry
Sleep disturbance
Muscular tension
Panic attacks
Gut problems
Heart palpitations
Sweating
Breathing problems

Anxiety is also known as Stress, panic disorder, or sometimes just as nervousness. Included in this disorder are panic attacks, phobias and – sometimes – post traumatic stress disorder

Anxiety is not an emotion. It is that state that ensues when Headmind blocks action on the emotions. The most common emotion that gets blocked is Fear but blocked Anger and Sadness (or even all three) can also contribute to an Anxiety disorder.

Emotions are intended by Bodymind to be cleared quickly through action. For example, when Bodymind sends up the emotion of Fear it needs the individual to start talking to people, get help, and take gradual steps to master the situation. When this does not happen (because Headmind thinks 'it's weak to be afraid' for example) the original emotion is intensified and added to any other emotions in the pot. The resulting 'pressure-cooker' effect partly contributes to the Anxiety state. When Bodymind notices that the pot is full it switches the alarm button on the Nervous system, thereby triggering gut reactions, increase in heart rate, sweating, tension, shallow breathing and panic. Meanwhile, Headmind tends to go round and round with worry, getting nowhere, instead of planning for action.

Phobias are simply anxiety disorders linked to specific situations, such as lifts, planes, cars, heights or social situations. Sometimes these are based on a trauma from the past. Again, the basic fear is there to warn the person that the situation is potentially unsafe but Headmind interprets the fear as a signal to run away into an imaginary comfort zone. The main task is to help people identify their fear as a natural emotion which is useful in flagging up that more steps need to be taken in order to improve confidence.

The Reverse Therapy treatment process for Anxiety goes as follows:

• Teach client Bodymind focusing techniques
• Investigate situations in which Anxiety appears
• Identify the underlying emotion which needs to be released
• Identify the symptom-message
• Work with client on expressing, acting upon, and resolving, the emotion in question
• Help client tolerate discomfort when resolving emotions like fear and anger
• Teach client how to bypass Headmind worry and 'disaster movies'
• Keep focusing on tasks that improve confidence and take client out of the comfort zone.

Depression

Depression

Common symptoms include:

Lethargy
Sleep disturbance
Poor concentration
Appetite problems
Cravings and addictions
Thoughts of suicide
Inner emptiness
Low mood
Anxiety

Reverse Therapy refers to this condition as 'de-pression' for a very particular reason. When Headmind tries to force us to over-conform to being a particular kind of person (e.g. 'strong', 'nice', 'dependable', 'always in control', etc) then any emotions which don't fit that self-image are 'de-pressed back into the body. For example, one person can try to be the perfect employee, never complaining even when pushed to the limit. When Bodymind sends up the emotion of fear to let her know she is vulnerable and needs help, this can be ignored by Headmind as 'selfish' or 'weak'. The most common emotions that are depressed are in fact fear, anger and sadness. De-pressing these emotions usually leads to Anxiety as the 'pressure-cooker' effect builds up.

When Bodymind notices that a state of over-arousal exists (for example, when the Adrenal glands produce too much Cortisol – a common symptom of depression) it uses the Hypothalamus to compensate by reducing Serotonin (a mood booster) and increasing Noradrenalin (which damps down the Nervous system and creates lethargy, among other symptoms). The combined effect is to produce the state called clinical depression.

Unfortunately, Headmind then reacts to the state of depression that it has itself created by indulging in thoughts of self-blame. Taken to an extreme these can result in thoughts about suicide.

If you are not sure whether you fit the profile for depression you can take our Depression Test now.

Notes: These comments do not apply to manic depression or seasonal affective disorder (SAD) which Reverse Therapy cannot treat.

Reverse Therapy works by first helping the person to understand how people can get lost in Headmind worry and hopelessness. Headmind then tries to de-press what it sees as uncomfortable emotions, which were in fact sent by Bodymind to galvanise the person into action and back into life. These emotions continue to await resolution before Bodymind can discharge them.

A thorough investigation of the circumstances in which 'de-pressed' symptoms first appeared is undertaken – as well as more recent occasions when the symptoms worsened. Once the underlying emotions which are being 'de-pressed' have been uncovered, the client is encouraged to take action to resolve the needs indicated by those emotions. For more information on health and the emotions please also look at the Bodymind page. Clients are also taught how to stay in a state of bodymind awareness and take small steps to restore Headmind's confidence in the person's ability to engage with life.

Stress

Stress

The discovery of the syndrome known now as 'Stress' was due to the work of Hans Selye, a Medical Doctor working originally at the University of Prague in the 1930s.

He noted that many patients who reported with a variety of hard-to-categorise illnesses had recently been exposed to challenging life-situations: job loss, death of family members, financial problems, childcare difficulties – which required a great deal of adaptation on the part of the individual. If these life-pressures were not resolved then chronic problems appeared, such as enlargement of the Adrenal cortex and shrinkage of the Thymus, Spleen and Lymphatic glands as well as pre-ulcerative conditions of the stomach and upper intestine. Selye saw that the symptoms of non-specific illnesses appeared because the individual had failed to adapt to environmental pressures and resolve them.

 He called this failure to adapt the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) in which the path from dis-ease to serious illness went through three stages. In the Alarm stage Bodymind indicates that the life-problem is not being resolved, pressures are getting worse, and the individual is now in trouble. Initially, the Alarm Reaction is a kind of ‘wake-up call’ in which we are alerted to the growing seriousness of the situation and encouraged to do something about it. Bodymind triggers hormonal changes that put the body on ‘red alert’ in order to muster energy to deal with the threat and also to use symptoms to let us know that action is required. Emotionally we may experience fear, meaning we need to restore personal safety, or anger, meaning we need to protest about our right to health. However, Headmind does not believe we can deal with the threat so it keeps us trapped in worry and 'do-nothingism', ignoring the real cause of the symptoms, and then developing an 'illness mind-set' which focuses on managing the symptoms rather than removing the need for them.

The second stage is the Resistance stage. Bodymind realises that we are not going to do anything about the problem, are ignoring the early-warning symptoms, and resisting the need to change. ‘Early-warning’ symptoms intensify, partly because the ‘red alert’ mechanism is stepping up, partly because Bodymind is now using symptoms to indicate that the situation cannot be allowed to continue. Such symptoms may include restlessness, tension, sleep problems, appetite/digestive problems, occasional fatigue and loss of sexual drive. At this stage the symptoms are still quickly reversible once we take action. But if we try to resist the early-stage symptoms and ‘keep going’ – working harder, doing without sleep, giving-in to others’ demands, ignoring our need for exercise, intimacy and leisure, and speeding up instead of slowing down – then symptoms become chronic. These symptoms are exactly the same as for Anxiety – which is really the same problem under another name.

In the Stalemate stage Bodymind is still trying to keep the body on ‘red alert’. The Adrenal glands, in particular, work ever harder and some body functions now approach the limit of their ability to keep going under emergency conditions and begin to falter. For example, the Adrenal glands may start to ignore signals from Bodymind to work harder and may decrease their supply of Cortisol to the blood. At this point the body cannot go on continuing on ‘red alert’ and Bodymind, realising this, signals ever more frantically for the pressure to be resolved. But stalemate develops because Bodymind is waiting for us to intervene and take action, while Headmind keeps us in the trap of worry, despair and inaction. More detailed information on this subject can be found in John Eaton's book. It is important to understand that Selye did not say that ‘Stress’ caused illness. What he meant was that if the individual fails to adapt to Life events then an eventual breakdown in body functions could occur. This is in line with the teachings of Reverse therapy. In our view the state of dis-ease occurs when Headmind fails to adapt to a problem. Bodymind then has no choice but to send symptoms to warn the person that changes need to be actioned straight away. Thus Stress is not something that 'happens' to us, as when we say ‘she has a stressful job’ or ‘his children are stressing him out’. Stress is what we do to ourselves when Headmind isn’t working correctly.

You can take our Stress Test now.

Trauma

This is really an Anxiety disorder accompanied also by ‘flashbacks’ to a traumatic incident such as assault, transport crash, fire, war, bombing, serious accident or witnessing the death of others. There can be an exaggerated startle response to noise, as well panic attacks, sweating, tremors, loss of concentration, sleep disorder and depression.

Reverse Therapy has achieved amazing results with this condition, all based on the insight that the Anxiety symptoms are NOT caused by the traumatic incident as such, but are due to Headmind’s continually replaying the incident over and over again in consciousness, while at the same time preventing the person from emotionally moving from terror, and acting on the underlying emotions linked to the incident. These can include Anger, Fear and Grief.

Reverse Therapists use a simple technique to disconnect the Headmind ‘movies’ about the traumatic incident, then moving on to on, and resolve the underlying emotions sent by Bodymind to warn, guide and protect the individual from further harm.

Once the Traumatic reaction has been disconnected, Anxiety symptoms dissolve as the individual increases their confidence in handling emotions and taking steps to re-engage in normal life.

Pain conditions

Reverse Therapy can treat any kind of pain condition that is either a) functional in origin or b) where the pain worsens at times of stress, or emotional difficulty. Such conditions include Fibromyalgia, Migraine, Neuralgia, Stomach pain, Headache, Back pain, Tension myositis and Myofascial pain.

Important note. Please do not seek treatment for any pain condition without first consulting your medical doctor. It is important that the source of the pain is diagnosed and possible causes are established. It is vital that serious, or life-threatening disorders, which may be linked to the pain are also ruled out following a thorough medical check.

Functional pain conditions such as Fibromyalgia are non-specific illnesses in which Bodymind is using the pain, amongst other symptoms, to warn the individual that she is at risk of harm. Reverse Therapy can treat such conditions in the way described on the What is Reverse Therapy page.

Other pain conditions are not initially triggered by Bodymind but are caused by some other weakness, or fault, or injury. For example, Migraine is caused by an unknown mechanism in the brain which makes the blood vessels on the surface dilate.
It is possible that Migraine may be genetic in origin. Yet, as many sufferers will confirm, Migraine attacks are often more frequent when they are upset or under pressure. It is also possible that Migraine is a functional condition, as described above.

In such cases, Bodymind is using the symptoms of an existing condition, as a 'short-cut' towards getting the individual's attention to the need to resolve situations in the environment.

Reverse Therapy treats functional pain conditions like Fibromyalgia by addressing situations in which Bodymind is using symptoms to get the individual's attention to something – and in order to guide, warn and protect the person from harm.

Other pain conditions require a different approach. Here, the focus is on reducing pain by checking to see if Bodymind is increasing pain to warn the individual that he is not paying enough attention to his emotional needs in certain situations. For example, a Migraine sufferer might notice that the headaches get worse when she gets frustrated. Noticing this, Reverse Therapy then goes on to establish new ways of acting upon, and resolving, the Bodymind emotion of frustration.

Gut problems

Reverse Therapy can help with a range of conditions affecting the guts. On the understanding that Bodymind (the body’s natural intelligence) may be using symptoms of these conditions to alert the individual that he or she is at risk of emotional harm. Provided the condition has not resulted in tissue damage,Reverse Therapy can reverse, or even eliminate the symptoms.

The most important first step in Reverse Therapy is to accept that the symptoms of many gut disorders are only present because Bodymind has no other way of getting our attention to the actions we need to take to restore emotional balance.

One reason why many digestive problems are closely related to blocked emotions is due to the fact that the stomach is often used by Bodymind to send us emotional signals.

• stomach tension,
• lost appetite,
• fluttering sensations,
• heaviness or bowel release

With the help of a Reverse Therapist, many of our clients then go on to take steps to express, act on, and conclude the emotional imperatives Bodymind is pointing to. Once that occurs, complex brain mechanisms working through the nervous system can then be used to dissolve the symptoms.

Emotional Problems

The most important first step is to recognise the value of the Emotions you have. Bodymind only sends overpowering emotions through to you when it urgently needs you to take action on restoring your life to you. All emotions are powerful alerts that help us move on in different ways. Reverse Therapists are trained to help people do just that.

The next step is to realise that emotions only become a problem when Headmind tries to ‘de-press’ them because they don’t fit with Headmind’s need to be incontrol and ‘do the right thing’.

What people call ‘De-pression’ is the numb state that individuals get into when Bodymind emotions are not being understood and resolved.

We must distinguish between Resentment and Anger, Resentment is what happens when Headmind goes over and over past hurts instead of taking action to move on in the moment. Genuine Anger happens when Bodymind wants us to learn to speakup about our need for respect, privacy or fairness.

Grief occurs when Bodymind sends an overwhelming sadness to let us know we have lost something deeply important to us. Often, we need to work with the emotion to gather support and comfort from those in a position to give them to us. Slowly, Bodymind will be urging us to find ways to repair our loss and get ready to re-enter life again.

Anxiety is not an emotion but the state we get into when Headmind blocks emotion (usually Fear) because it does not have confidence in our ability to cope.

OCD is really a disguised form of Anxiety but this time Headmind diverts our attention from our underlying fear and entangles in obssessive worries and compulsive rituals. When we reconnect to our Fear the OCD problem lift as with Anxiety.