I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (also known as ME or Yuppie flu) two years ago. This condition changed my life radically. The medical world has mixed opinions about the cause; I had a virus although this may have been a coincidence. What they do agree on is a cure – they don’t have one! Treatment consists of a system of pacing activity, regular breaks, antidepressants and getting on with it.
My symptoms included: short-term memory loss, muscular pain in my legs and arms, limited concentration, diminished lucidity (I seemed vague to many people) and of course unending tiredness and non-restful sleep.
Imagine a walk from the sofa to the kitchen, (about twenty metres) being too far to go. Imagine taking a shower knowing that the effort used showering would mean you’d need to sleep for two hours afterwards. Imagine talking to work-colleagues and not be able to complete a sentence because you are not able to recall simple, every-day words. Imagine not being able to plan your life from one day to the next because all plans revolve around how unwell you are on that day. That was my life – for two years.
Then imagine a friend suggesting hypnotherapy.
The treatment itself is easy, Simon takes you step-by-step to the place that you need to be. Being hypnotised just means you feel very relaxed and calm, as though you are just about to drop off to sleep. All you need to do is follow his instructions and be open to the idea that hypnotherapy will work.
Let me tell you about my life now. I control my life these days not my illness; chronic fatigue robs me of nothing. Since my course of hypnotherapy, I go to the gym at least three times a week. I go away every weekend. I sing in a choir. I do housework (when the mood takes me). I’ve got so much to catch up on, two years in fact.
Imagine feeling normal again; I don’t need to imagine any more.
Annlouise
