Danle

It feels strange to put anything about myself online as I tend to be very private, particularly around my health struggles. However, I am beginning to see how some of this pain may be due to past actions and personality traits. So perhaps doing something totally out of my comfort zone will help me on a new path.

I started having back, hip, and leg pain shortly before immigrating to Canada and getting married in 2006. After a few years I was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis. Over the past 7 years I have tried many different things including seeing a naturopath, massage, chiropractic, acupuncture, conventional anti-inflammatory medication, meditation, seeing a podiatrist and wearing orthotics, and radically changing my diet to a paleo diet. Some seemed to help for a short time but nothing has given me lasting relief. A few months back I stumbled on a blog post from a fellow Ankylosing Spondylitis sufferer who had cured her pain 20 years ago with Dr. Sarno's book. I promptly ordered it and read it. Much of it clicked and sounded like me. My husband also read it and soon had cured his chronic shoulder and back pain that had been plaguing him for 8 years. I did not experience his amazing transformation. However, after a recent huge flair up brought on a trip with my in-laws I was convinced that my pain was correlated with my emotions. So, with much encouragement from my husband I am embarking on this program with hope and excitement. I feel very lucky to have parents who are both registered Haokomi therapists (a type of therapy that focuses on noticing what arises within ourselves with mindfulness and a lack of judgement). They have scheduled me in once a week for the foreseeable future and my first session with them has already brought a great deal of physical relief and emotional awakening. My journaling and meditating have left me totally amazed with the breakthroughs I have had looking at my past emotional life and some of the reasons that I have this particular makeup.

On a physical level since beginning this program the pain has amped up beyond belief, moved all over the place, scared me beyond my past expectations, and made me realize that it is truly on the run and giving one last ditch effort to distract me as I get brave and look at some really tender emotional areas. I am feeling more of everything…a lot more anxious but also more alive, more joyful, more appreciative.