Belief and desire

[velcrowings]

I'm not going to argue that illness can be undone by the mind alone. An illness like CFS usually has deep physical causes and a complex etiology. However, I am realizing more and more the importance of cultivating and refining one's perception of self and reality as a part of healing. Not just controlling minor surface-level thoughts, but being aware of and shifting deep beliefs and subconscious feelings. For instance:

- A fierce/visceral desire for life, joy and wholeness greatly aids the healing process; the desire to stop suffering on its own usually doesn't. This is a minor but extremely important distinction. In math, two negatives make a positive, but beliefs and manifestation don't work this way - focusing on not wanting a negative thing doesn't have the same effect as wanting something positive. (I use the terms negative and positive loosely, without judgment.)

- One must believe that it is possible to get better in order for this to happen. Not that one WILL get better necessarily, but that this is within the framework of possibilities. And this must be believed on a deep/unconscious level, not just as a thought held within the mind. Otherwise the healing process is likely to be resisted to some degree. On a mundane level alone, if you don't believe you can get better, you will likely have less self-discipline and willpower to do the things that can heal you physically.

I say all these things from a place of personal experience, not mere armchair philosophizing or a position of judgment. I am still in the early stages of my healing journey and have a lot to learn yet, but thought sharing these reflections could be helpful.

 

[Zebra]

- A fierce/visceral desire for life, joy and wholeness greatly aids the healing process; the desire to stop suffering on its own usually doesn't. This is a minor but extremely important distinction

The passage quoted above really speaks to me. You are right, that is a subtle, but important distinction, which ... I have not yet made.

Thank you for sharing your experience and perspective.

 

[Abrin]

I always liked the way that Bruce Campbell expressed this idea:

"I found inspiration in his ability to combine acceptance of being ill with hope for a better life. That seemed the right balance. On the one hand, I felt I had to accept that my life had changed and that my old life might not return. On the other hand, however, I found comfort and hope in the belief that there were things I could do that would bring improvement."

 

[ME20]

I definitely agree with what you’re saying, especially the first two paragraphs but the third paragraph raises an interesting question for me.

One must believe that it is possible to get better in order for this to happen.

How does one continue or perhaps regain the ability to believe that it is possible to get better? ...especially if addressing the necessary medical or day to day bodily requirements (physical, mental & emotional) are made worse by trying, increasingly harder to do & backfire.
I.e eat food, look after general health, treat secondary medical issue etc all backfiring. (Backfiring rather than simply not working.)

I’m not suggesting that it is impossible, I’m just interested to know how one might go about this, especially if they are already beginning to struggle to believe or perhaps already don‘t believe it is possible to get better. For example maybe after many setbacks or false hopes.

Thanks for posting and sharing.

 

[ljimbo423]

I’m not suggesting that it is impossible, I’m just interested to know how one might go about this, especially if they are already beginning to struggle to believe or perhaps already don‘t believe it is possible to get better. For example maybe after many setbacks or false hopes.

It was after many years of struggling and having a profound, major setback, that led me to believe that I might be able to improve my health.The way I decided it was possible to recover was by first giving up.

I was severe for several years and just decided that's the way I would have to live the rest of my life. After several years of living like this, the thought occurred to me that there might be a way out.

That thought, the thought that it might be possible for me to get well, gave me the hope I needed to start to read about the many possible causes of ME/CFS and start to make changes to improve my health.

That thought I had was about 13 years ago. In these last 13 years I've improved my health from severe to mostly mild, with very brief periods of mildly moderate symptoms.

I now do 6-7 hours a day of physical activity, sleep about 8 hours a night and very, very, rarely, ever spend any time in bed from my ME/CFS.

It was only after facing and accepting the truth about what living the rest of my life as someone with severe ME/CFS would be like, that I was able to find the desperation I needed to look for and find what I needed to improve my health.

 

[velcrowings]

How does one continue or perhaps regain the ability to believe that it is possible to get better? ...especially if addressing the necessary medical or day to day bodily requirements (physical, mental & emotional) are made worse by trying, increasingly harder to do & backfire.

In my case, I wait for small glimmers of light to appear. Perhaps an hour or two when I feel less tired than usual, and am able to feel fully passionate about things without any veil of fatigue obscuring me from them. I then go into these moments and dilate them, try to slow the passing of time, tune into the sense of wellness in my blood and bones to inform myself that yes it is possible to feel okay in this body, in this world.

Beyond that, it's a largely a leap of faith. How can anyone trust in the unknown? Why do some have more trust or hope than others? Ultimately that's a matter of inner perception which any kind of trauma can easily fracture. Although physical healing with this illness can often seem elusive, mental/emotional trauma can be healed with some willpower and patience - there are tons of resources out there for this (somatic experiencing, meditation, hypnotherapy, craniosacral therapy, positive psychology, etc). Clearing the mind, negative beliefs and conditioning isn't a miracle cure, but it gets rid of some of the resistance and inertia that makes it more difficult for physical healing to take place.