View Related
Fibromyalgia is classed as a condition rather than a disease as it cannot be diagnosed via lab testing or x-rays and is instead diagnosed via symptoms, how long the patient has had the symptoms and checking specific tender points on the body that have been found to be associated with fibromyalgia.
What is fibromyalgia.
There is a lot of conversation on this as some in the medical profession class FM as a pain disorder but originally it was considered to be a mental health disorder.
Personally I feel both are correct. In metaphysics it is widely accepted that the body will manifest physical symptoms if the emotional needs of a person are not met or dealt with. And so it would make sense that fibromyalgia is real pain, caused by the mental health needs of a person not being met and therefore being brought to the surface to be correctly dealt with. The issue I see, is that these needs are not being dealt with and instead masked with medications alone with not enough emphasis on dealing with the root cause.
Further information on the symptoms lends more weight to that.
Fibromyalgia has many symptoms that tend to vary from person to person. The main symptom is widespread pain.
Symptoms can vary in intensity depending on factors such as:
your stress levels
changes in the weather
how physically active you are
Widespread pain
Extreme sensitivity
Hyperalgesia – when you're extremely sensitive to pain
Allodynia – when you feel pain from something that shouldn't be painful at all, such as a very light touch
Stiffness
Fatigue
Poor sleep quality
Cognitive problems ('fibro-fog')
Headaches
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Other symptoms
Other symptoms that people with fibromyalgia sometimes experience include:
dizziness and clumsiness
feeling too hot or too cold
restless legs syndrome
tingling, numbness, prickling or burning sensations in your hands and feet
in women, unusually painful periods
anxiety
(
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/fibromyalgia/)
Causes
The exact cause of fibromyalgia is unclear. But one of the main theories is that people with FM have changes in the way the nervous system processes pain messages. There is some evidence that the root cause or causes of fibromyalgia follow the same biologic and neurologic pathways involved in depression and anxiety, including disruption of neurotransmitters. This disruption is thought to occur in the spinal column.
It is also noted that patients with FM tend to have lower levels of serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine in their brains.
These hormones are responsible for mood, appetite, sleep, behaviour, your response to stressful situations
And these same hormones also play a role in processing pain messages sent by the nerves
Fibromyalgia is commonly said to be triggered by traumatic events.
An injury, giving birth, the death of a loved one, abuse to give just a few examples.
Now, taking all of the above into account, One doctor, Rakesh Jain, MD, MPH wants mental health professionals to rethink fibromyalgia. His recent research has indicated that fibromyalgia can be effectively treated, and even potentially prevented, by proper management of a patients’ depression and anxiety. (
https://www.psychcongress.com/article/fibromyalgia-treating-true-biopsychosocial-disorder-requires-multidisciplinary-multifaceted)
Changes to the nervous system, hormones relating to mood and how we deal with stress, traumatic events.
It's not difficult to see that FM seems to be both a mental health AND pain disorder.
When we look at the emotional side of our health, we find remarkable information showing that as humans from the ages 0-6 years old our brain waves are mainly in Theta. In this state we are open to all stimulus and absorb everything without a filter. (
http://www.gammamindset.com/example-just-easy-imprint-belief-young-childs-mind/)
It's already well known that most conditioning and behaviours are also adopted from parents and significant care givers during this time. Laying the foundations for how you will respond in the future to situations and experiences in life as you grow.
In the case of FM, its common for doctors to ask if the patient has suffered any kind of significant trauma in early childhood, because the link between trauma in early development and mental health and pain disorders is well known.
When we experience a trauma of any kind, the body and mind cannot distinguish between an emotional, physical or mental trauma. It will respond in the same way, which is to curl itself in a particular way to protect the vital organs. Those being the base of the neck, heart and lungs.
If these traumas happen at a young age, this could easily explain the disruptions in the spinal column leading to pain sensitivity and lower levels of hormones, as these are carried by the nerve cells themselves.
In time, this bodily reaction may cause longer lasting damage, resulting in the fibromyalgia symptoms so many present with.
How many patients with a diagnosis of FM have had their spine health checked I wonder? How many are referred to have their spinal alignment checked? It's commonly known that the body over time will adopt new positions and muscles will adopt these positions too. Muscles relax and contract, however they also hold memory and can easily pull back into the trauma position if the patient is triggered by a secondary traumatic event.
It's also well known that stress levels and how a person deals with stress has a significant impact on FM symptoms. Hence why talking therapies are a common treatment option.
Is it possible that our stress responses are already locked in at an early age via the theta brain waves? Completely. Is it then possible that our stress responses as an adult will be linked into those earlier responses from childhood? Yes.
So Early trauma can directly affect how our body, mind and emotions will react to stimulus in life.
Does it not stand to reason then, that the focus of managing the symptoms of fibromyalgia would be better placed, looking at early trauma, what constitutes early trauma and getting to the true root cause of the symptoms of fibromyalgia?
In my work and research, as well as case studies, I have found that 90% of my clients have experienced some kind of experience in childhood that they felt was traumatic at the time. In hindsight these experiences would not necessarily be classed as clinically traumatic, when looking at them from an adults perspective. (Not including traumatic events relating to abuse)
When we look at FM from a whole istic point of view, taking into account the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing of a person- we can clearly see that it is not simply a pain disorder of unknown cause, but instead a whole body and mind experience that needs to be looked at from all sides to relieve the symptoms.
In my work as a reiki healer and using Infinite Heart Healing Technique, it's been shown that clients benefited from looking back at the root experience that caused the feeling of trauma. And that by looking at it from a perspective of where they are Now, they have been able to find some resolve in the emotional and mental connections, leading to a reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety, fibromyalgia, headaches, migraines, emotional trauma, stress reactions, self worth and confidence.
This has also been true in those clients who experienced significant trauma relating to abuse in childhood too.
The way in which we do this work is key:
• We look at the physical via body scanning.
• We allow mental connections via knowledge of how the body manifests dis ease.
• We use deep relaxation to allow a clear journey into the subconscious mind, where the emotions and mental connections to these traumas exist and are held in memory form and where the basis of our stress reactions are formed.
• We return to those experiences and situations, as an onlooker witnessing the events.
• We resolve the previously ignored emotional and mental connections. (This does not mean an event didn't happen. It means we can view the event from a new perspective as the adult we now are)
• We choose new ways in which to move forward in our lives, now that the emotional need has been met and released.
• We affirm those new ways and new belief systems over time.
Most importantly we accept that events that may have caused us significant distress as a child, do not need to continue running our responses and lives now. Important to note is that Often, what we think may be the traumatic event, turns out to be something completely different. Because actually the body and mind processes trauma equally without weight on what we perceive trauma to be. Its about how the client reacted to an event at the time. Not the trauma itself.
So how does all of this relate to fibromyalgia?
I myself suffered from varying degrees of fibromyalgia and flare ups from the age of 15 to the age of 33. I experienced a long battle in trying to be heard. Trying to get help and support. In trying many medications in an aim to reduce the symptoms.
I no longer have fibromyalgia. I no longer experience any symptoms that I was told I would experience for the rest of my life. I was Told to manage symptoms instead of get to the core reason they were there and I said no. And im sure many suffer in the same way that I did, for a long time.
My doctor? Cannot medically explain the disappearance of my symptoms. But he also quietly acknowledges and praises the work I decided to do to take back my life, sort through the symptoms and get to the root.
The results? Are a pain free, clear and happy life that I couldn't have imagined having, until I had it. And I firmly believe that the ability to do the same for others, with this debilitating condition, lies in seeing the whole and getting to the root cause.
For more information on working with me or learning more about Infinite Heart Healing please see my website or drop me an email.
Nici Gorman
Dare to Be- coaching and healing
Post Article:
Submit Your Own Article