The Chronic Comeback

In this episode, I am excited to have Dr. Phil Parker, creator of The Lightning Process. The Lightning Process is a training programme that teaches people about the way the nervous system control the body, and empowers people with tools that involve gentle movement, meditation-like techniques and mental exercises, with the aim of teaching people how to switch on pathways to promote health and switch off the ones that are not serving you. 

In this episode, Phil and I discuss how the Lightning process started and developed, and what it is and what it involves, and practical ways you can incorporate the Lightning Process into your daily life. We also discuss the mind-body connection, and the importance of believing that recovery IS possible, and exposing yourself to positive recovery stories so that this becomes your inner conversation. We also cover the obstacles that could stand in people's way to recovery, perfectionism and how your inner critic can contribute to keeping you sick.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Intro
1:36 - Phil Parker’s life-changing accident and how this led him to discover the mind body connection
6:11 - Being told that recovery isn’t possible and the consequence of those kind of statements 
7:19 - How Phil started working with people Chronic fatigue and ME 
8:38 - How that led to the beginning of The Lightning Process and how it helped people with chronic fatigue
9:03 - How this then led to working with people with ME
10.48 - The Lightning Process and what it is and a breakdown of what it involves
15:48 - Neuroplasticity and how you can use this in recovery
16:45 - What are the obstacles that may hold someone back from recovering with something like the Lightning Process?
21:58 - How it’s about finding that ‘stuckness’ and how to move past that
23:35 - Perfectionism and your inner critic, and how the Lightning Process encourages coaching yourself compassionately 
26:01 - How you can integrate The Lightning Process into your day 
27:41 - The Lightning Process as an in-person process, and how it translates to online/zoom
33:14 - How important is the belief that recovery is possible?
41:31 - How disheartening it can be when you’ve tried a lot of things to get better and haven’t recovered yet, and how it’s important not to lose trust
42:23 - How the Lightning Process is a training programme, and therefore works by teaching people the skills that other people have found useful, and supporting people through that
45:19 - The Lightning Process success rates
49:29 - How applicable the Lightning Process is to a range of different chronic conditions 
54:13 - Phil’s advice for someone who is progressing but is doing so slowly and is struggling to keep up the motivation
55:04 - How it’s so important to be seeking out inspirational stories and recovery stories, to bolster the belief that recovery is possible
59:16 - Phil’s advice to those in their darkest hours right now
01:01:48 - Letting go of the idea that recovery has to be complicated

FOLLOW PHIL PARKER
▶ Website - https://lightningprocess.com/
▶ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lightningprocess
▶ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/drphilparker

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
▶ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheChronicComeback
▶ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thechroniccomeback

SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST
▶ Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-chronic-comeback/id1533970626
▶ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW_BGsN1LaeL4iudgSNUw7A
▶ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/71485tI9o4JPPkg1IpmDaX

Remember, the comeback is always greater than the setback 💪💪💪

#thechroniccomeback  #chronicillness  #podcast #philparker #lightningprocess  #thelightningprocess #mindbodyconnection #mindbodyhealing #brainretraining #lightningprocess  #recoverystory  #rec

In this episode, we have Alexandra Marynczak. Alex's health started deteriorating in her late teens, leaving her bedbound for most of her early 20s. After her own research led to a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue, she set about looking for positive recovery stories and it was through a mix of brain retraining programs, Faster EFT and diet that she restored her health, and she now helps others recover too as a Mind Body Therapist and Holistic Health Coach.

0:00 - Intro
2:15 - Alex’s childhood and the development of her symptoms in high school
10:28 - Alex’s experience with doctors and the medical system at the time, and how she was misdiagnosed with depression and anxiety 
14:07 - How being ill was a blessing in disguise for Alex as it made her reevaluate the ways her life was out of alignment in so many ways
15:26 - When Alex finally got a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome
18:43 - The danger of being told you’ll never recover and that you'll need to live with your condition
20:22 - How Alex went about researching ways to overcome her condition and the alternative treatments she tried, and the many crashes she had
24:42 - How Alex would seek out recovery stories when feeling deflated
26:25 - The limiting belief that there’s something different with you, and that’s why you won’t recover
28:02 - The Gupta program and how it was the first thing that clicked for Alex
29:45 - How the Gupta program works to rewire your nervous system to a sense of safety
30:59 - The importance of getting in touch with what is causing you a sense of stress and how you are living out of alignment with yourself
32:43 - How Alex experimented with DNRS
32:02 - Faster EFT, and how a session with Ilka Oster changed things for Alex
34:44 - The ACE Study and the effect adverse childhood experiences can have on your health
36:08 - How finding Faster EFT and using this to rewire her nervous system was a breakthrough for Alex 
37:07 - The link between trauma and chronic health, and how trauma can be something you don’t necessarily remember
37:43 - Alex’s first session of Faster EFT and how this immediately made her look into the patterns that had manifested in her life and make some changes for the better
39:07 - How long it took Alex to feel improvements in her health
40:00 - The physical body being a representation of the unconscious mind
 44:40 - How Faster EFT helped Alex reframe her symptoms by looking at what they were trying to tell her
47:43 - How you use tapping, and how Faster EFT is different to traditional EFT
50:37 - The time it took for Alex to recover, and how recovery can be a long process with setbacks along the way
54:30 - Trying to not allow fear to play into your decisions or stop you doing things in life
59:31 - The importance of taking care of the basic pillars of health
01:02:30 - The positive changes that Alex’s illness has brought about in her life
01:07:50 - Alex’s advice to others out there suffering how she was in her early 20s

FOLLOW ALEX HERE

▶ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/healwithalex

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL

▶ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheChronicComeback
▶ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thechroniccomeback

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

▶ Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-chronic-comeback/id1533970626
▶ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW_BGsN1LaeL4iudgSNUw7A
▶ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/71485tI9o4JPPkg1IpmDaX

#healwithalex #chronicfatigue #chronicillness #chronichealth #recoverystory #thechroniccomeback #comebackstories 

This episode is the third and final episode of a mini series where I talk to three people who have been helping me bring about changes in three key areas - movement, sleep and breath.

In this episode I talk with Breathwork facilitator, Satori Clarke. Satori is Head of Research at Breathwork Bali, and Co-Founder of it's BreathLab, and I've been working with her doing one-to-one Breathwork sessions for the last 8 months of so. I've found it a really beneficial practice for me in many ways, including helping me learn to regulate and trust my nervous system, and allowing me to tap into states of rest and relaxation that I struggle to access otherwise. 

In this episode, we discuss breath and its power to change the way the nervous system functions, which can in turn alter which parts of our brain and more online.  Satori explains how when we bring conscious awareness to our breath, it will begin to re-pattern our body and how it functions, and the more that we practice it, the more our body will access it unconsciously.

Satori talks me through the different diaphragms we have in our body that assist breathing, and we also discuss various different breathing techniques (cadence breathing, conscious connected breathing, Holotropic breathing etc) and the benefits and states each one can bring about. We also discuss the importance of rest and relaxation and how Breathwork can tap into this by regulating the nervous system, by training it to safely activate and de-activate. 

0:00 - Intro
1:39 - Why breath is one of the most underrated areas to focus on in health?
4:10 - Rapid breathing and hyperventilation disorder, and how your unconscious breathing patterns could be causing you problems
5:45 - The three diaphragms of breath, and how breathing correctly and consciously can increase blood flow and help organs function better
7:00 - Cadence breathing - what it is and the impact practicing it can have 
8:00 - Wim Hof breathing (holotropic Breathwork) 
9:26 - Conscious connected Breathwork and how it differs to Holotropic Breathwork
11:29 - How conscious connected Breathwork can help create nervous system regulation, teaching it to go into intensity, and then come down and rest and recover. 
12:05 - How our culture creates a sense of stress and constant “doing” and the importance of rest and relaxation, and how Breathwork can help with this
12:55 - My experience when I first discovered Breathwork and my early takeaways from the practice 
14:55 - My breath and Satori’s observations of how this has changed over the course of time we’ve been working together 
16.15 - My experience in learning to trust my nervous system, and how this has been powerful for me 
22.40 - “Highly dis-regulated” nervous systems and what this means
26:28 - What a ‘breath journey’ is 
29:13 - Emotion as energy, and how Breathwork and nervous system activation can help this move through the body 
35:34 - How Breathwork can help dial down the prefrontal cortex, allowing emotions to emerge. 
40:10 - My experience of putting my trust in my nervous system, and how breathwork has helped me on my chronic health journey. 
47:14 - The importance of being properly supported in breathwork (not being guided virtually/online)
51:37 - Cadence breathing as an starting point for those without access to a facilitator, and its benefits 
56:13 - Satori’s work with Breath Lab, at Breathwork Bali, and their research 

REFERENCES:
▶ "Breath", by James Nester
▶ "When The Body Says No" by Gabor Mate

FOLLOW SATORI CLARKE
▶ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/satoriclarke 

FOLLOW BREATHLAB
▶ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/breath.lab

US ON SOCIAL
▶ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheChronicCo...
▶ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thechronicc...&n

This episode is the second of a mini series where I talk to three people who have been helping me bring about changes in three key areas - movement, sleep and breath. In this episode I chat with Sleep Coach, Gary J Allman, owner of Sleep & Perform, who I worked with last year to help me commit to getting my sleep in order and to hold me accountable to those simple sleep hygiene habits that we all know we should be doing but are hard to be consistent with. 

Sleep is one of the key pillars of health, and it’s so important to be prioritising it when battling chronic issues and trying to optimise health.

In this conversation, we speak about how DNA can affect your sleep, the difference between REM and Deep sleep, and the role that consistent sleep and wake times, nutrition, and hydration play in regulating your circadian rhythms and melatonin production, and why this is so important. Gary also shares numerous sleep optimisation tips, and shares his wisdom answering some of the questions you sent in. 

REFERENCES:

▶ Andrew Huberman - https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab

▶ Chris McFadden - https://www.instagram.com/thedaddysleepconsultant

▶ ‘Why We Sleep’ by Matthew Walker

FOLLOW GARY ALLMAN
▶ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/garyjallman

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
▶ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheChronicComeback
▶ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thechroniccomeback

FOLLOW AND SUPPORT THE PODCAST
▶ Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-chronic-comeback/id1533970626
▶ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW_BGsN1LaeL4iudgSNUw7A
▶ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/71485tI9o4JPPkg1IpmDaX

Remember, the comeback is always greater than the setback 💪💪💪
#thechroniccomeback  #chronicillness  #chronichealth #sleepcoach #garyjallman  #healthoptimisation #sleepandperform

This episode is the first of a mini series where I’ll be talking to three people who have been helping me in three key areas - movement, sleep and breath. 

In this episode I chat with my trainer Jonson, Co-founder and Head Coach of Nirvana Strength here in Canggu, Bali. I started working with Jonson approximately 14 months ago, and as you may have seen from my posts, when we started working together we were doing the smallest of exercises, to slowly increase my mobility and strength, and more importantly, to build up my confidence in my own bodies ability to move and recover. 

In this conversation, we talk about how Jonson and I have worked together over the last year, how things have progressed for me both in terms of physicality but also mindset, when to know how to push and how to hold back, and flare ups and how they are all part of the process.

FOLLOW JONSON TAN

▶ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jonsontan

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL

▶ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheChronicComeback

▶ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thechroniccomeback

FOLLOW AND SUPPORT THE PODCAST

▶ Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-chronic-comeback/id1533970626

▶ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW_BGsN1LaeL4iudgSNUw7A

▶ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/71485tI9o4JPPkg1IpmDaX

Remember, the comeback is always greater than the setback 💪💪💪

#thechroniccomeback  #chronicillness  #nirvanastrength #jonsontan #brainretraining  #theimportanceofmovement #prehab

In today’s episode, we have Perry Nickelston, aka 'The Lymph Doc'. Perry is a Chiropractic Physician who, after experiencing issues with his own health and autoimmune system, educated himself on ways to overcome pain and other chronic symptoms.

In our conversation, we dive deep on how blood flow (circulatory system) and lymph flow (the lymphatic system) are fundamental to good health and overcoming chronic pain, and how the pillars of nutrients, hydration, detoxification, breathing and sleep are vital in overcoming chronic health issues. Perry also explains how all the bodily systems work in accordance with each other, and that an understanding of this is vital in terms of recovering from chronic issues. We also discuss how diagnoses can sometimes become a self-fulfilling prophecy, stress & the fight or flight response, and how emotional triggers that can underlie chronic illness.

Perry also kindly demonstrates his self-massage technique for lymphatic draining and detoxification to me.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro
1:04 Perry’s chronic health story
5:39 How he learnt about the concepts and techniques that helped him recover
6:46 How Perry began to look at the bodily systems working together
11:11 John Sarno’s work and how Perry’s work relates
13:50 Decreased blood flow and how this affects your body
15:25 The fight or flight response, and how this is subconscious
16:45 Perry’s thoughts on over treatment and going the other way and leaning into the fear/inaction
18:15 Pain and how a diagnosis can sometimes be a self-fulfilling prophecy
21:11 The importance in looking at the whole body as a whole when treating illness and pain
22:20 The importance of nutrients and minerals
24:19 The role of oxygen and the importance of breathing correctly
25:32 The system of ingesting and absorbing nutrients and the importance of doing the simple things right
28:16 Waste and importance of the detoxification system
31:36 The important in doing things in the right order to support the healthy function of your body’s processes
33:40 What would be the first step with someone who struggles with the typical things that are meant to calm your nervous system eg meditation
37:40 How awareness is the first step
43:52 How Perry looks at emotional pain as well as how the pain is manifesting in the body, as they are inextricably linked
46:10 Breaking down the words ‘cure’ and ‘manage’ and Perry’s thought surrounding these
51:44 Detoxification and how to know when doing it correctly
58:43 Perry’s step by step checklist he does with his patients
1:02:34 Ways to support your lymphatic system to detoxify
1:08:28 Perry’s guide to self-massage for lymphatic draining
1:23:56 Perry’s courses and how you can work with him

FOLLOW PERRY NICKELSTON

▶ Website- https://www.stopchasingpain.com/

▶ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/stopchasingpain

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL

▶ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheChronicComeback

▶ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thechroniccomeback

FOLLOW AND SUPPORT THE PODCAST

▶ Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-chronic-comeback/id1533970626

▶ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW_BGsN1LaeL4iudgSNUw7A

▶ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/71485tI9o4JPPkg1IpmDaX

Remember, the comeback is always greater than the setback 💪💪💪

#thechroniccomeback  #chronicillness  #podcast #perrynickelson #lymphaticsystem  #stopchasingpain

In this episode, I speak to Luanne Hopkinson about her chronic health issues and how she overcame them.

Luanne suffered for decades from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), heartburn, eczema, anxiety, food intolerance and hormone issues, manifesting in chronic issues such as anxiety, heartburn, bloating, abdominal cramps, nausea, histamine intolerance, mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) and ME/CFS.

After years of suffering, and a crash when she hit her 40s, she began on a path of investigating how she could heal herself, and through meditation,  brain retraining and learning about her gut health and intolerances, she was able to promote her own body's natural healing processes and restore her health. She now works as a nutritional medical practitioner, helping others improve their health in the same way, as well as supporting the use of  diet and supplementation where necessary.


FOLLOW LUANNE HOPKINSON

▶ Website - https://luannehopkinson.com/

▶ Instagram - @happy_without_histamine


FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL

▶ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheChronicComeback

▶ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thechroniccomeback


FOLLOW AND SUPPORT THE PODCAST

▶ Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-chronic-comeback/id1533970626

▶ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW_BGsN1LaeL4iudgSNUw7A

▶ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/71485tI9o4JPPkg1IpmDaX



Remember, the comeback is always greater than the setback 💪💪💪

#thechroniccomeback  #chronicillness  #chronichealth #brainretraining #histamineallergy  #guthealth #ibs

In today's podcast, I talk about some of my recent thoughts and realisations that I've had on my own recovery journey.

0:00 Intro
0:33 My thoughts surrounding sleep
3:02 Flare ups and crashes, and the importance of not giving up
3:58 Rebuilding your trust in your body and knowing that progress isn’t linear
9:40 Embracing my masculine side whilst still trying to cultivate feminine energy too
17:09 Giving up the need to be perfect, and thoughts surrounding supplements
22:43 Knowing when to let go if things aren’t serving you
28:29 Trying not to identify with your diagnosis, by focusing on the bigger picture
31:27 Key (and free!) things to focus on to help your health
33:16 Changing my environment and how it’s helped me
35:25 Believing that recovery is not just possible, but it’s inevitable
37:52 What’s next for me

REFRENCES

▶ Dr. Dan Ratner - @crushingdoubt
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386310/11950836-dr-dan-ratner-explains-how-removing-doubt-is-the-key-to-recovering-from-chronic-pain.mp3?download=true

▶ Dr. Cathleen King - @primaltrust_official
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386310/10086184-going-in-depth-with-dr-cathleen-king-her-20-years-journey-with-chronic-illness.mp3?download=true

▶ Julie Morin - @juliewithjoy
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1386310/9272745-julie-s-long-journey-of-what-she-thought-was-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-me-cfs-and-lyme-disease.mp3?download=true


FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL

▶ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheChronicComeback

▶ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thechroniccomeback

FOLLOW AND SUPPORT THE PODCAST

▶ Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-chronic-comeback/id1533970626

▶ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW_BGsN1LaeL4iudgSNUw7A

▶ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/71485tI9o4JPPkg1IpmDaX


Remember, the comeback is always greater than the setback 💪💪💪

#thechroniccomeback  #chronicillness  #podcast  #chronicrecoverystories #chronichealth

In this episode, we have Dr Dan Ratner.

After Dan's profound, life-changing experience resolving his own chronic pain, he has since become a leading expert in the field, curing hundreds of pain sufferers with both scientific and logical methods. In recent years, he used his experience and education in mind body issues to teach people about the mind body process, and now provides a short-term consultation model that has extensive success curing pain in 4-8 sessions.

His podcast, Crushing Doubt, discusses such treatments and how to understand them, has brought relief to many, and in this episode we dive deep on how removing doubt is the key to recovering from chronic pain and other symptoms.


TIMESTAMPS:

00.00 - Intro

2.33 - Dan's life before the onset of his chronic pain

3.50 - The start of Dan's symptoms and his search for help

20.43 - Dan's discovery of John Sarno and his books, and his recovery

23.38 - The distinction between 'chronic' and 'consistently acute'

25.42 - How Dan's chronic pain experience changed his perspective on life

27.15 - The role that doubt plays in persistent chronic pain

28.32 - Dan's work helping other people get rid of their chronic pain

29.51 - How removing doubt can help all chronic symptoms, not just pain

34.26 - Focusing on treatments that remove doubt and increase your sense of safety

38.22 - Dan's seminars and approach

47.50 - Candace Pert and her book, "Molecules of Emotion"

48.58 - The importance of getting your questions answered, and things making sense, in order to aid recovery

51.13 - How fear and doubt may stop someone getting results

53.12 - Time scales and how quickly someone could see results

56.30 - The role that both genes and emotional experiences can play in chronic health

57.55 - The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study and its findings

59.33 - Childhood experiences and personality differences, and their roles in chronic illness



BOOK REFERENCES:

John Sarno: "Mind Over Back Pain"

John Sarno: "The Divided Mind"

John Sarno: "Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection"

John Sarno: "The Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain"

Candace Pert: "Molecules of Emotion"


FOLLOW DR. DAN RATNER

▶ Website - www.crushingdoubt.com

▶ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/crushingdoubt


FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL

▶ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheChronicComeback

▶ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thechroniccomeback


FOLLOW AND SUPPORT THE PODCAST

▶ Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-chronic-comeback/id1533970626

▶ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW_BGsN1LaeL4iudgSNUw7A

▶ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/71485tI9o4JPPkg1IpmDaX



Remember, the comeback is always greater than the setback 💪💪💪

#thechroniccomeback  #chronicillness  #podcast #drdanratner #johnsarno  #backpain #backpainrelief 

In this episode, we have Laura Najarian, a Lyme and chronic illness health advocate and blogger. Her first-hand and decade-long battle with Lyme has fuelled her passion to help others in similar circumstances, leveraging her pre-Lyme journalist-career skillset for extensive research and communications as an authentic content creator. In this episode she describes how she battled Lyme disease for a decade, and how her experience with the illness has changed her life in many beneficial ways. Laura now uses her knowledge and expertise to help others on their recovery journeys.

TIMESTAMPS:

00.00 - Intro

01.30 - Laura’s childhood and early life experiences

04.43 - The beginnings of Laura’s health difficulties 

07.13 - Laura’s Lyme diagnosis

10.02 - Laura’s rock bottom moment 

10.45 - Laura’s recovery from her first bout of Lyme disease

11.46 - Her relapse and second battle with Lyme disease

13.35 - Laura’s research into Lyme surrounding her diagnosis 

19.52 - Recovery from rebuilding your immune system 

22.07 - Laura’s belief that she would heal 

25.47 - Laura’s turning point and the treatments she explored

32.48 - Discipline and mindset 

35.54 - How battling Lyme disease has changed Laura’s life for the better

41.13 - Treating health as a priority

43.38 - Laura’s advice to those at their rock bottom now

48.16 - How to get in touch with Laura

FOLLOW LAURA

▶ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lauravictoriawellness

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL

▶ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheChronicComeback

▶ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thechroniccomeback

SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST

▶ Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-chronic-comeback/id1533970626

▶ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW_BGsN1LaeL4iudgSNUw7A

▶ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/71485tI9o4JPPkg1IpmDaX

Remember, the comeback is always greater than the setback 💪💪💪

#thechroniccomeback  #chronicillness  #podcast  #lymedisease