Befriending Our Symptoms: New Approaches to CFS and FMS by David Greenshields MA, CQSW, AMT Mindfulness Based Therapist Life is a constant struggle for people living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Fibromyalgia (FMS) – conditions affecting an estimated 1 % of the population. Poorly understood by many and disputed by others, life can spiral into a quagmire of debilitating fatigue, pain, and hopelessness. So sensitive to noise, light and chemicals, they need to cocoon themselves away from the rest of the world, often becoming lonely, isolated and depressed as a result. The patience of family and friends is tested to the limit – relationships easily become strained and marriages may break down. For most, working simply isn't an option and so financial worries abound - losing a home can be a real threat. Those still able to hold onto their jobs have little hope of moving ahead; all their energy devoted to getting by. Overall it’s a pretty bleak picture and for most sufferers there’s little hope of matters significantly changing. CFS/FMS are widely understood to be caused by an overactive hypothalamus gland, a vital part of the brain’s limbic system – commonly known as the “seat of our emotions”. This master gland in turn over-activates, via a complex array of neurochemicals, a number of the body's systems – the autonomic nervous, endocrine and immune systems - producing the range of classic and wide ranging symptoms common with these conditions – overwhelming fatigue, muscle & joint pain, problems with concentration and memory, headaches, dizziness, irritable bowel, lowered resistance to infections, swollen glands, temperature fluctuations, and sleep disturbances to name a few. The field of mind-body/energy medicine has recently been offering some exciting breakthroughs in the treatment of these conditions. Conventionally, we consider our symptoms as something to be overcome - something to battle and defeat. However according to this radical new approach, our symptoms, unpleasant and uncomfortable as they may be, are the way our body is trying to communicate with us. They are telling us that something is out of balance, that some of our needs are not being met. They are part of the body’s natural feedback system. Let’s consider the simple example of being hungry. This is the body sending us physical sensations, in other words symptoms, as a way of communicating what it needs. IF we fail to pay attention to them when they are calling on us in a quiet voice, they will call out louder and louder until we finally take notice and do something about them - in body terms, our symptoms will become ever more intense. However when we do pay attention to the body’s message and eat something, we notice that the symptoms of hunger dissipate quickly. We have tuned into the meaning behind the symptoms, attended to this and so the body no longer needs to send any further signals. This is precisely the same mechanism we are dealing with in responding to the symptoms of CFS/FMS. So rather than being in resistance to or at war with our body and our symptoms, we make peace with them by trying to understand their true meaning. As we learn to pay attention in this radically different way and connect with our body’s innate capacity to self regulate, this ultimately leads to a state of “ease”. Sadly and all too commonly, the exact opposite is true - when we stop paying attention to our body’s messages, this will likely ultimately culminate in a state of “dis-ease”. In most cases, prior to our physical symptoms, the body will have tried to alert us to its needs by sending us a subtler messenger – in the form of an emotion. The latest research by neuroscientists shows that emotions are purely the release of certain chemicals from the hypothalamus, called neuropeptides, throughout our entire body. In other words, rather than being a psychological phenomenon, as we have widely believed, emotions are purely physical and are the body’s feedback about our interaction with our environment. Thus far over 300 different neuropeptides have been discovered, each one relating to a different emotion, resulting in a body wide coordinated response to a situation. Sadly for many of us, we have been raised in circumstances and environments where it has been the norm to stifle our true emotions. Instead, to adapt and survive we have learned how to be “nice, good and do the right thing”. Our innate sensitivity and truth is disguised for the purposes of fitting in. Over time, when our feelings are suppressed in this way, these chemicals and the associated energy becomes blocked in our body and with that some serious health consequences may follow. As a warning signal, this causes the hypothalamus to go into overdrive, in the case of CFS/FMS. Happily however, as we learn to understand the meaning attached to our symptoms and their underlying emotions, and then start to respond to these, the need for the body to send the symptoms to gain our attention reduces and finally is eliminated. Even people who have suffered from these conditions for many years are now able to make full recoveries and rebuild their lives. David Greenshields MA, CQSW, AMT – specializes in the treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia from a mind-body perspective. He is a Registered Social Worker in BC, Canada and has trained in the Hakomi method of mindfulness-based psychotherapy. David has trained in Mickel and Reverse Therapies for CFS and FMS. He lived with CFS for over 18 years prior to undertaking the process. He can be contacted at 250 381 9626 or davidtg@telus.net or davidgreenshields.com RETURN TO OMPLACE HOME