@Gina – Yeah, being educated on everything that’s out there is one of the awesome things about the internet. We can learn about so many options and then pick the one that resonates best for us in our situation. Thanks for doing the work you’re doing around this healing topic too.

I think hearing others’ experiences, especially if they depart from the majority, is SO important, if for no other reason than to give us a sense that there are other possibilities. Gives us something to hold onto and even expand on and explore.

When I was pregnant 25 years ago I wanted to know what other women had experienced in childbirth and I got really scared when they told me their horror stories of long painful labors, drugs, stretch marks, and sore bleeding nipples. I only had one brave women share with me that her experience was like making love and even orgasm! Boy Howdy! I wanted Ann Hasting’s experience! I studied Everything I could find about natural childbirth, Lamaze breathing, yoga, and long forgotten practices to toughen up nipples for breastfeeding.

Labor and delivery was a transcendent and lovely experience for me also and I’m very grateful for Ann. Ann was a shining light of hope, just like you are for me.
Marianne Wille´s last blog ..White Sand in the Mediterranean

When I was first diagnosed, I went to the forums hoping to find ideas for healing. What I mostly found was a bunch of women bitching and complaining about their symptoms. Feeling helpless. Resigned to living their lives with these awful symptoms.

As a late-20 something girl reading these things…I was scared! Reading of women who hadn’t found relief in 15+ years!? Are you kidding me? It was scary and I couldn’t hang out in those forums because it was depressing and limiting. And quite frankly, very sad to watch how so many women were rolling over and succumbing to a life of pain. I wasn’t willing to accept that lifestyle for myself.

Since I’m on the other side of that pain now and have been for over 2 years now, I can’t in good conscience keep this information that helped me to myself.

There’s a certain point in my healing journey when I would have found it refreshing to see someone talking about the things that I’m sharing here. Not at all times during my path (because for a while I was very resistant to this kind of talk) but at a certain point, I needed a NEW idea of how I could approach my condition.

That’s the intent with which I share this information. There are women and men with Fibro out there who are searching for new perspectives to their symptoms and they aren’t satisfied with the current level of options and information out there.

I understand that having the public understand the condition appropriately is important. And I’m not willing to sacrifice the potential help someone could get from this information because I’m worried about how the public might perceive it.

As we both know, Fibromyalgia is a painful, debilitating condition and I wouldn’t wish the experience on my worst enemy. We’re both doing our part to help those who are suffering and I want to thank you for the work you’re doing toward that. It makes a difference and I’m sure you’re helping lots of people who need to hear the message you’re bringing to the world also.

That’s nice, but we’re talking about fibromyalgia and fibromyalgia is not caused by thoughts. It is a neurological condition that cannot be cured. Some people experience prolonged remissions, but there is no cure.

Referring to cures and talking about thoughts as a cause for fibromyalgia does nothing but spread lies and misinformation to a public that is already ignorant and misled enough about this disease.

I totally hear you on the mean “It’s all in your head” thing. I heard that a lot in the beginning of my symptoms and hated it also. It’s a very unkind way to talk about emotional wellness and mind body issues. And especially unkind to say to someone who is sick and suffering and in incredible physical pain.

I think it’s sad (but fixable!) that in our society in general, talking about things going on in the head area (like the mind and brain) are taboo in many ways and judged as being reserved only for crazies and wackos.

I think it’s important to make looking at our inner words as comfortable and easy and as normal as possible. Brains, and thoughts, and emotions, and heads are just as wonderful as other parts of our bodies that require attention and love.

The idea of something being “in our head” has a gotten a really bad reputation. And the interesting thing about it is that *everything* is actually in our head – because that’s where thoughts happen. It doesn’t mean we’re crazy or weird or anything like that. Recognizing what our “head” does means we’re in tune with how things happen along with the mind and body being connected. It’s an honest, mature, way of relating to things from my perspective.

If someone were to use my post as fodder for the mean way of seeing that it’s all in our head…I can’t prevent that. So I’m okay with putting out my experience boldly and openly and making sure that this perspective and information is available to anyone who is ready to receive it and find it helpful.

I remember at a certain time during my healing journey I wouldn’t have been open, receptive, or interested in what I wrote in this post at all. It just wasn’t where I’m at.

But for the people who are in the place to hear this stuff and it starts connecting some of the missing dots for them in their situation, that’s what it’s all about. We all get what we need in the form that we need it.

Wishing you all the best as you take care of yourself…