Trying to ignore bouts of excruciating muscle pain, Jennifer Brea forced herself to walk home after a doctor diagnosed her with myalgic encephalomyelitis, commonly called chronic fatigue syndrome.
During her walk, Brea tried to believe what her doctor said: Her condition was psychosomatic and most likely caused by a past trauma she would never remember.
Brea, then a Harvard PhD student, thought she could fight the autoimmune disease with symptoms that include muscle pain and sensitivity to light and sound by telling herself what she had was merely “in her head.” But despite her willpower, Brea collapsed once she made it to the door.
Since Brea was diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis, or ME, she has realized there are several misconceptions surrounding the illness many identify as a made-up condition.
Hoping to fight ME’s stigmas and to push for a more medical description of the disease, Brea completed her first film, “Unrest,” which will premiere Friday at the Sundance Film Festival.
