• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of, and finding treatments for, complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Search results

  1. Mandala

    cardiac stress test using chemical injection (dobutamine)

    I need to have a cardiac stress test (echocardiogram) to look for heart issues. I cannot use the treadmill for it because I am disabled. Instead, I have to have an IV chemical injection (dobutamine) to make my heart work hard. Someone on a treadmill can stop when they need to, but a person can't...
  2. Mandala

    Suffering and spirituality 2

    I just posted this on another thread but thought it might be of interest on this one too. I had a strange experience when I got diagnosed with M.E., a certainty of knowing that having this illness would have spiritual meaning. I am not prone to thinking like that, and I would normally have...
  3. Mandala

    How many times do I have to hear this?

    Thank you, Ember, for sharing this. I had not thought about the "ambassador" approach and why it is so important. I'm going to work on that inner shift!
  4. Mandala

    Suffering and spirituality 2

    Hi Neilk, I do think this is a crucial spiritual question we need to pursue (as in previous posts in this thread about who are we beyond actions, roles, identities in the world, etc.). It's an ongoing process of contemplation. This is where I'm being taken spiritually, I think, into the realm...
  5. Mandala

    Suffering and spirituality 2

    I just wanted to say that I am making progress at ensuring that my rest times are not vacuums into which problematic thinking can fall willy-nilly (at least, I catch myself sooner)! Instead, I am using the time to give thanks for what I do have. It is amazing what I come up with, even if I...
  6. Mandala

    How many times do I have to hear this?

  7. Mandala

    Suffering and spirituality 2

    Hi Neilk, I really appreciate your explaining more about your spiritual life, and I can understand even more now why you yearn so intensely to know the meaning of your physical suffering. I too reflect on the spiritual meaning of suffering, yet I am not sure that this meaning likes to come in...
  8. Mandala

    Suffering and spirituality 2

    Thank you, Mr. Cat, for your thoughtful reply. I'm SO glad you said my issue sounded familiar; that is a great comfort to me. I am just going to put meditation on the back burner for now: such a relief. I do have days of brain fog during which I cannot think but feel wretched. I'm going to...
  9. Mandala

    Suffering and spirituality 2

  10. Mandala

    Suffering and spirituality 2

    Hi Nielk, Im writing this 1:30 a.m. MST because I just want you to know Im out here and I really hear your anguish. I also want to say that Im familiar with that terrible question of why, why with feeling only silence coming back. First, I do feel compelled to say that I remember a...
  11. Mandala

    Suffering and spirituality 2

    What falls into the vacuum of my times of rest One of the experiences I'm having trouble is the large amount of time involved in my frequent necessary rests, during which I'm unable to listen to or watch anything. (I should clarify here that I live alone with my cat, so my rests are not a...
  12. Mandala

    Comment by 'Mandala' in 'Finding Grace When "Life is Hard"'

    Laurel, I'm up in Northern Canada (Edmonton) gratefully reading your blog entries, which are exactly the sort of writing I've been needing to hear. I love your honesty in them, and you are a terrific writer. I have to be careful now as I'm reading too much for one day, but I just wanted to...
    • Mandala
    • Blog entry comment
  13. Mandala

    Suffering and spirituality 2

    About Enduring Neilk, I'm sorry I didn't see your post sooner. Your sorrow at what you yearn to but cannot do has really touched me. Through sharing your suffering, you offer me a mirror to see that someone knows my own suffering, which is a great gift. There is no avoiding that...
  14. Mandala

    Suffering and spirituality 2

    I am new to Phoenix Rising, and already it is like finding a home. A special thank-you to everyone on this thread. I have read everything and am so grateful to find people discussing such meaning. Thanks especially to neilk and mr. cat for words that have touched my heart. Now in the process...