How to stop chronic symptoms coming back

Hi there, welcome to Bend and Snap Active People Getting Back on Track. New system, I'm not even bothering with the laptop when I go live on Facebook now, I'm just going to do it from my mobile phone so I can see if you're here. Please say hi in the chat, welcome anyone that's new, please comment, please ask questions, please share. Anything that comes to mind during the session. So for today, I want to talk about— and I apologize if there's any background noise going on because it's warm in here, so I've actually got the window open or the door. You might hear birds tweeting, you might hear planes flying over, you might hear people speeding in vehicles. Oh gosh, that's my story from this week when I was out running. I decided it's a really warm day, but I really want to go out because I want to get outside and go for a run. And it was, I decided to go like a bit later, and I was having a really nice time, really like in the flow, feeling really peaceful, and right behind me comes the fastest vehicle I've ever seen moving in a residential area, and even faster than an ambulance when it's like got to get somewhere. It was like top speed. It really— I pinned myself to the side, I jumped behind a lamppost. I mean, instinctively I just jumped out of the way, and then I was like, oh gosh, I've got to get out of the way. And then before I knew it, before I even had a chance to like even figure out what had happened, it came coming back towards me, and at that point I did not realise I could run a 6-minute mile, but it turns out that when adrenaline kicked in, bam, I was just sprinting to get out of that road. That's why I love trail running so much. Anyway, on to today's subject then. I'm gonna talk about And please share at any point if there's anything that you want to ask. I'm hoping that everything's working fine. It says live, so who knows where I'm live, who knows. Hopefully I'm in the private group. I'm going to talk about how to stop symptoms coming back. Okay, and don't worry if you're not at that point where you're, you're thinking, gosh, I wish I could even just Maybe even just not have the symptoms, but it's still really useful stuff to know because it's the same process. So this is relevant for you even if you're still having a lot of colourful days where you're having lots of colourful symptoms going on. And when I call it colourful, I'm referring to pain or symptoms But we just want to soften the language and make it less of a danger to our unconscious mind that is always, always taking in everything that's happening. So it's really good to nickname it, call it whatever you choose. I used to call mine, and I still do, Clumsy. My mum calls hers Sip Cheesecake. It's just a fun name rather than referring to it in a Scary way. So we're thinking about, um, what, how it works, because many people in mind-body recovery, they'll have like maybe a few days it might go, and they might be thinking, oh, all of a sudden that thing's disappeared. And, um, and it's like, this is more about what will happen if it was to return, because I don't think I've met many people in this recovery world who have not had to go through the symptom returning at some point. So for example, the first symptom of mine that improved was lower left leg. I had a continuous dull aching kind of feeling in that leg. That was virtually permanent. The only time I could say it wasn't there was when I was asleep. And so it's like, how will we respond if that sensation comes back again? Because most people, if you don't know this in advance, they might end up being in a bit of a panic, a bit of a spiral of everything— I thought everything were working, I thought I was making progress, but actually it's a failure. How, how on earth? And people can spiral into catastrophe. So if you kind of know this stuff in advance, then if that was to happen— and I'm not saying it happens to everyone, but it's just the majority of people relate to this and describe this in their recovery journeys— then you, you don't— you're already ahead of the game because you don't need to respond in that way, and you're less likely to respond in that way. If, um, if a flare-up happens. And remember, a flare-up is like, if you think about, um, the, like a fire and everything goes, it's gonna come back down. Even the word flare-up, like, it doesn't stay up forever, it's gonna come back down. So I like that analogy of Seeing a flare-up as like, um, when a flame goes really big and then it comes back down. So it's actually not a— nothing to fear, nothing to panic. I always think of it like when I went away to the Lake District and we checked into the house that we were staying in, and when I turned the hob on, on the oven, one of the hobs was faulty, and when I turned it on, Uh, There were 4 rings on there, 3 of them were normal and one of them, it was like on the ceiling, the flame, it was literally a flare-up, but they came and repaired it and obviously it wasn't allowed to be used until that was sorted, but I just thought of that when I was sharing that, but basically it's not going to be like that forever, they do return to normal again, it's just about understanding That all that's happened is your brain will always reserve the right to protect you. So if anything, and anything, you might not even ever know what it is, is being perceived as a danger, then often the brain will revert back to a previous experience that it's had before, like a previous sensation, pain, whatever you want to call it, cheesecake. Clumsy. Like, that's often the way that it will happen, but we know, like, from day one, we've got the clarity that the brain is doing that to protect us, and the brain is able to do that even when there's no structural and no physical, no infection, no breaks, no damage. So also, It can perceive things like stress, emotional pressure, self-talk that's not helpful, life events. It could be nice life events like going to parties, getting married. It could be getting new houses. It could be anything. But the brain's there to protect us, and if it senses something, even that might not be dangerous, as dangerous— It could even be just thinking that you're not measuring up and that you're not good enough, it might create that symptom, might come back again, but it's the same process as when you first felt better in the beginning. Hi Emma, welcome, thanks for joining and thanks for commenting too. So I'm just sharing that It's so good because the process to get him well from any one of the millions of mind-body symptoms is— it's the only one kind of size-fits-all thing that I've ever come across. Because when you're like me and you're 5 foot 0, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all. But in this particular case, there is. Um, Oh, it is a pleasure, Emma. It's always a pleasure to have you here. Um, and I'm just so glad I've got the comments going because it makes it more fun being live. So thank you for the inspiration. So yeah, it literally is the same process no matter what the symptom. Once we've checked out that your symptoms are being created by a brain, the brain which is perceiving something as dangerous, It could be reflux, migraines, um, it could be back pain, leg pains, joint pains, knee pains, the list is endless. Anything that you could have that could be caused by a genuine medical issue can be created without the medical issue. I hope that's simplified it. So, If you're having a good time and you felt good for a few weeks and then the symptoms return, it's not a failure. And I'm just going to talk you through the process on what would be really useful. So first of all, what I've mentioned already, know this already, that the brain will always reserve the right to protect us. So just because I didn't have a migraine for a full year, it doesn't mean that I can not never get a migraine again. But the process is the same. If I do get it again, I respond exactly the same way, nice and calm. I understand the body's not broken. It's not going to become chronic ever again. My body's not broken. I'm just— something's being sensed and it's feeling the need to protect me right now. So knowing that, Is key. So rather than reverting back to, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, there's something wrong with my body, what's happening, this was not working, what were I doing thinking that I've been doing so well, rather than writing all of that off and forgetting about all of that, we're actually gonna really bring the attention to that and know that, but also we never forget bringing the attention towards our emotional well-being and actually asking ourselves, how am I feeling right now? Because diverting the attention away from the body and towards our emotional well-being, like, what do I need in this moment, like, is super helpful. And I've been reading some things about ADHD and Um, pain, because, um, there is a connection for people with ADHD to being quite highly sensitive to, um, oh, I forget the abbreviation for it, but it's called, I don't remember the name of it, but basically you're more likely to feel like you're not measuring up, that you're not good enough, and, um, This is a really lovely way to explain it, because if we're having thoughts that we're not worthy, we're not good enough, the— our brain senses that as a legitimate threat, a real-life danger. And what amazing thing it could do to protect us from that by diverting that to the body, by amazing distraction of back pain or a migraine or a head pain or eyes Blurry, or— I'm just naming all the things that I've struggled with over the years— a lump in the back of the throat, all of these physical symptoms, just purely because ultimately that is actually a really big emotional thing. So if we can get comfortable with that and knowing that that's not dangerous and divert the attention to that and actually address it, And be like, hang on a minute, what's really happening here? Because we've always been brought up to believe that, A, if you've got a headache or you've got a stomachache or you've got, um, whatever it might be, that there is something wrong with you physically. But we know that that is not true. And the incredible pieces of work that are going on in the background, there's so much knowledge out there and This information is becoming readily available for all to see, and in time it's going to become part of mainstream medical education too. And there's many, many, many doctors who are locked into this now. They've been doing the training, you know, in their own time outside of their working hours, and there's a big move To sharing this information because it's something that all people need to know, especially people who have been living with chronic symptoms for decades and decades. And unfortunately, the information wasn't there, so— but now it is. We need to do justice to those people who didn't have this information readily available. Because like I always say, there's no side effects to this, only recovery, resolution of the symptoms, feeling well, getting your life back. So reminding yourself when things, when the echoes from the past come back, just to remind you that what will happen is they will be gone so much quicker than ever before if you can get this clarity. and this response and not get sort of like sidelined and into a panic if it happens. So I'll give you an example. So the leg issue that I had that like resolved incredibly, I could have never believed it was possible, from time to time it returns. I don't know how often. I don't really notice it or keep a track or anything. But that's the thing, recovery is not about being 100% symptom-free for your lifetime because there is no cure for human pain and human experience. But there is a cure for chronic, and chronic being like the continuous daily Doesn't go away. So the goal is not about achieving a life where you're completely 100% never experiencing the symptom ever again. The goal is to become a person who has no fear about that because you know exactly what it is. You know exactly what's causing it, you know exactly how to respond, you know exactly how to create safety instead of spiraling into fear, and you know that you're okay. And the more times that you repeat that— and that's kind of why I think last week I talked about how having symptoms, it is actually an opportunity to respond. The way that we need to be responding, because if we don't have them, how on earth can we recover? We need to have them to do something different. So it's just about that becoming your default, where automatically you'll respond with safety rather than fear. And eventually the brain learns something new. And it doesn't matter whether you've got an ADHD brain Or an autistic brain, or— a brain is a brain. So I'm not saying that some people might have a more challenging journey than another, we're all really different and unique, but what I do know is that this approach is not only helpful for, um, it's, it's— what I mean is, it's helpful no matter what. diagnosis and no matter whether you do have any type of neurodiversity. And the only reason that really I can share that, like, from the heart is because I have a formal diagnosis of ADHD and I've experienced improvements, massive improvements. I'm not saying that I don't have challenges because I'm a human, and like I say, the whole process is not about eliminate— eliminating being a human being, but the vast majority of the chronic symptoms have resolved. Um, because I know there's a lot out there about connections with fibromyalgia and ADHD as well, there's quite a lot out there, and so I was caught up in that too, um, in the misbelief really, um, of believing that that was the cause, which is not true. So yeah, if you can get over the fear, then you're going to do really, really well. And the same with your own thoughts. Those people that can get over believing their own thinking do really, really well too. I'm just going to read this little comment that's popped in. I think It's like a mobile phone and you can have different makes, you just need to figure out how your brain works. Yeah, amazing. I'd like to know what model, um, you've— what model your brain is. We should name the brains. I'm— I think, um, would yours be an iPhone or would yours be the old original? What did I have, my first ever mobile? It was a Philips, it was about this big. Not the Nokia, before that, I think it was a Philips. Yeah, yeah, all right, when you said that, Emma, I even thought about cars as well, like, but yeah, ultimately we've got a processor going on, haven't we, and we can do a factory reset and putting, it's about putting in new inputs into the system. So like, you know, when your mobile phone, it does like an update. I knew yours would be an iPhone. Is it the brand new latest iPhone Diamond? I love it. You are definitely an iPhone though. So when it does like an update, well, like MindBodyRecovery is like the equivalent of doing an update. On the— oh, I'm just trying to press that to move that. Whoops. And then, um, ignore me. So it's like we're updating with more relevant information. Oh, yours is old, I know. Well, you need, need an update. We just need to send an update on there, put new information in there, more helpful information, and, um, And so, yes, so the people that I liaise with and work with do experience symptoms from time to time, but they're not chronic. And Nicole Sachs has a lovely, well-known expression, and she says, there is no cure for human pain, but there is a cure for chronic pain. And I like that one because I spent a lot of time Getting very confused, believing that, um, people were saying that they were recovered and that they were pain-free, and I was like, I didn't quite get it because pain-free is not possible. We need pain to survive, like, it's there for a reason. But when you understand how the system works and you see that, um, it's a sign, it's a protection, Then it can settle down way quick, way, way quick. So if symptoms are returning, then it's not— please don't see it as a setback. Please know that it's part of the, part of the crazy paving journey, and it's not a linear journey, and we can have— I call it a backslide. Just imagine it in a nice way, like slipping down a muddy hill. But you will get back onto the path, and it's how you respond. It's getting back to the clarity. But yes, like I say, I went nearly a year without a migraine, and then I had one, and it was no biggie. I didn't panic and think, oh, I'm gonna be back to having like 2 or 3 a day, because I was a completely different Upgraded version of the iPhone, of the old iPhone. But it's a journey. I know one journey is the same as another, but if you just stay in the conversations, you will notice that you are an upgraded model of the. IPhone and it won't be too old and you won't be— I always used to say I didn't want to be an old banger with an old banger with a high mileage, and that's why I liked when I was doing my ultramarathon training, I kept my mileage down. That's not actually relevant, but for some reason it popped up in my mind when you said that your phone were old, Emma, because they can still— just because it's a certain age, it doesn't mean that it's not gonna last, and it doesn't mean that it's not, not good. And it's kind of important, relevant for mind-body recovery too, because there's a lot of mis— mis— oh, what's the word I'm looking for? Um, inaccurate information being shared about, um, as we get older, things being more difficult, expecting aches and pains due to age. Well, that is absolutely false information. Ageing does not need to hurt. We do not want to be expecting that because our brains are so smart that they can generate anything based upon expectations. So I want to reassure us that age has got nothing to do with this. Yeah, Emma, completely true. The old ones are sometimes the best. What, the ferns or people? Because You can see all older people not complaining about chronic pain. The Nokia 3310. 3310, oh my gosh, I've forgotten about that one. Everyone knows that ringtone as well. It's like, yeah. Both. Yeah, both. Yeah, so I think that's a really nice point to end it on, really, that age does not equal chronic pain. And I'll just share this as well for anyone that's not heard me speak about this before. Like MRI scans, scans, x-rays, they do find all sorts of things, especially on spines, like all sorts of abnormalities, slipped discs, bulging discs, Hernias, all sorts of, like, on hip x-rays they find all sorts of tears. But what we do know is that they are— there's lots of research on this, I'll share it in the group at some point when I get organised— but they are normal abnormalities. So the things that they find on the insides of us are like the equivalent of grey hairs. So going grey, I mean, don't go too close, but I'm sure you'll see a few on mine. I've got plenty of grey hairs, but they're, they're just absolutely like, they don't, they're not a problem, they don't hurt. Like, it's not a defect on my part because I've got some grey hairs. And it's the same on the insides of our bodies. So a lot of these things that they find on scans and they'll be like, oh wow, that's the reason why it hurts so much. Oh yeah, look at this on there. They can really go to town on explaining it and showing the patient or the person what they believe is the root cause. And Emma says that grey hair shows that you are wise. I'm I'll take that. I'm definitely, um, not what I'd class as wise, but, um, I feel like I've found real explanations that finally make sense. So, and also how I believe it is that age doesn't have anything to do with wisdom, because I believe that some of the youngest people, especially children, they are super wise, like Some of the stuff that they share is just amazing, and especially like, I find those with learning disabilities amazingly wise. Some of the things that they see and share, I just get really blown away with. I just think it's so interesting. So back to the scans and all of this stuff, because they can really see something and be like, oh yeah, that's really the cause. But we know it's not true. In a massive percentage of cases, we know that it's just an incidental finding. It's just a normal abnormality, the equivalent of grey hairs. Okay, so if you're having really bad back pain and you've been told, oh, it's all messed up, oh my gosh, look at your spine, again, follow this approach. Nothing to lose by learning more. Nothing to lose by Getting the diagnostic, you can do self-diagnostics online. So many of the professionals have online questionnaires, including me on my website. I can direct you there. So yeah, I'll just do a quick summary. So you don't need to stop anything. In fact, I don't even like the title of today's session. I named it How to Stop Chronic Symptoms Coming Back. Well, I don't know why I called it that, if I'm honest, because you don't need to do anything intent. Like, like, you can't stop them coming back. I should have said this at the beginning. You can't, unfortunately. It's automatic. Your brain reserves the right to protect you, no matter how it will do that, whether it gives you anxiety, whether it gives you back pain, neck pain. But that I don't want you to be worried about that you can't stop that happening, because you can influence it, and that's what's the most important thing of all, is how you respond, um, if or when you do get that sensation returning, is more important than anything. So, um, the moment that you are no longer scared will be very helpful. So yeah, don't worry if it does return, if you've had a period where it's not been there for a while. Just know that every time is an opportunity and eventually you'll get there. You will get there. Please never lose hope. Please always ask questions, get in touch, because you will get there. You really will. And have an absolutely lovely week and I'll see you all again next week. So share if you'd like me to talk about anything particular. And, um, enjoy the football for those of you that are football fans. I'm really looking forward to the football being finished. I do hope England win, um, because I heard that we get an extra day off work, and also then I'll have a happy husband if they win, so who wouldn't want that? But yeah, have a really lovely week and I'll see you all next time. Thank you, Emma. See you soon. Bye! Bye!