Me on day three of the Lightning Process – saying goodbye to the old illness and burnout.
It’s a shocking fact that over 50% of people have faced burnout at some point in their life. And this number is most likely growing. I was one of the lucky ones. I went through the motions of burnout, and now I’m out the other side. But it was touch and go for a while, and if I hadn’t of been nudged into the Lightning Process by a good friend, I certainly wouldn’t be here now, sharing my experience, and the Lightning Process, with all my lovely clients.
If you’re worried about your own burnout, you may be wondering – how does this relate to me? Is this something that might be able to help my health? So before I share more on the Lightning Process, here’s a little bit more about my backstory, so you can read and decide for yourself…
The reality of burnout.
In the two years prior to taking that leap of faith and doing the LP, I had been battling with reoccurring symptoms that no medical professional had been able to pinpoint. Endless visits to the doctor, a multitude of tried and tested restriction diets, and therapy after therapy became my world. Needless to say, every therapy I tried landed like a lead balloon. Acupuncture, medical herbalism, naturopathy, kinesiology. You name it, I had done it. And every time I thought I was seeing some kind of success, a crash of the finest kind occurred soon after.
In the years leading up to this sorry state of affairs, there was an impressive amount of stress that seemed to hit in one form or another, through various channels of my life. No need to share the details, but we all know where it was heading. Burnout. Burnout of the finest degree.
As the burnout crept upon me I had no idea it was happening. But when faced with a final diagnosis – fear, confusion and hopelessness became my world. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease, and told it would be lifelong. By this point, I had near-enough given up on life. I was so unwell I had been signed off work for a month, and I was becoming increasingly housebound. Fatigue, brain fog, insomnia, paraesthesia, uncharacteristic irritability and a whole bunch of other lovely symptoms were filtrating my life.
It was only then that I decided to do the Lightning Process. A last ditch attempt to get my life back.
Turning burnout around.
Despite the ongoing nudges of a good friend to ‘just do it’ I had resisted for a while as I didn’t believe it would help me. A lot of the testimonials I had read, were about cases of ME or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Mine was something, in my mind, altogether different. ‘I was different to the other people out there.’
But when it came to be a case of giving it one last shot vs just taking the damn medication, which I was told could be lifelong, I opted for the Lightning Process. Oh hello Life. There you are…Anddddd…I’m back.
Introducing the Lightning Process.
The Lightning Process has been used for over 25,000 people across the world and while, like many alternative approaches out there, it is hard to monitor the exact figures, I can honestly say I personally haven’t come across anything that has helped people facing issues like this turn things around so effectively.
So, the age old question – “What IS the Lightning Process?” A lot of my clients have commented previously that initially they were sceptical about doing the Lightning Process because they weren’t clear on a) what it was or b) how it worked. And while it is a fair question to ask, it can be tricky to answer. But here you go…I’ll do my best…
So, what IS the Lightning Process?
The Lightning Process® is a three-day neuro-physiological training programme that uses key principles of osteopathy, psychology, neuroplasticity and other approaches to teach you specific exercises that subsequently influence your physical health.
The course itself spans three half days, during which, you are trained on:
• The psychology of neurology (how our thoughts influence our neurological health)
• The role that neurology plays in illness (both physical and mental)
• The physiological emergency response
• Restoration of homeostasis (the regulation of conditions in the body i.e. temperature)
• How we can change the way in which our neurological pathways are activated
• What we need to do to turn our health around for the better
You are then given a very specific self-coaching process that you can put into practice every time you experience symptoms or negative thoughts/feelings. This process is used to disrupt poor neurology, switch off what is known as the Sympathetic Nervous System response (more on that another time) and develop healthy neurological function in its place. The more that you put this into practice, the more this healthy neurological function becomes automated through the process of neuroplasticity.
Can the mind really influence the body?
If this all seems a bit ‘out there’, there are a couple of things to consider. The placebo effect is one of them.
The other thing, involves a little practical exercise. Just for a moment, think really hard about something major that has happened in your life. It could be good, it could be bad. But think about it really hard. Now notice how it makes you feel. Chances are you’re triggering the original feelings that occurred at the time of the event itself. And, that is the mind-body connection right there.
Thoughts trigger the release of chemicals in the form of neurotransmitters and hormones, which subsequently trigger emotions and a very real, and very physical feeling in the body. Do this enough times and you train your body to respond in that way without even thinking those thoughts in the first place. This is also known as neuroplasticity.
What’s your reality?
So there you have it, burnout and ongoing health issues don’t have to be a lifelong reality. You CAN turn it around when you know how. If, like me, you’ve tried what feels like everything, then maybe it’s time you, as singer-songwriter Jake Bugg would say, jump on that Lightning Bolt.