Curing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Is It a Physical or Mental Condition?

I was on the phone with one of my clients who has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome the other day, and she told me about her experience of finding a doctor within the conventional medical world where she lives in Belgium. She needs the hands-on support of a physician within the system to help her with her sickness benefit claims, and she would also like a friendly ear within the world of conventional medicine so that she feels heard and seen with her illness. .

As I write this, I feel how lucky I was when I was first diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I was studying at the time, and this is a condition that students often have (probably at least in part because they are living unbalanced lives and trying too hard academically), so my doctor saw a lot of students with this condition, knew a a lot about it and they didn’t make me feel like I was imagining something, or that my very physical symptoms were all in my head. Actually, to me in the UK, it feels like it’s been a long time since the (awful) days when people disparagingly referred to CFS/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as ‘yuppie flu’.

Anyway, back to my client in Belgium. He told me that in his efforts to find a doctor, he had gone to two doctors who specialize more in the physical health of the body and was told that they couldn’t treat him, as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a “disease” of the mind. . She then went to a psychotherapist, who, although he was incredibly understanding and supportive, told her that he considered Chronic Fatigue Syndrome to be a physical condition, so he would not be able to help her with treatment.

So this got me thinking: what is this mysterious condition we call Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? Where does it come from? Is it a physical illness or is it “all in the mind” and, of course, most importantly, what do we do to get through it and heal ourselves?

Well, anyone who has this condition will know without a doubt that the physical symptoms are real (all too real). Brain fog, extreme tiredness no matter how much you rest, inability to concentrate, joint pain are among the commonly experienced symptoms. And there are also mental or emotional symptoms: anxiety, racing mind, fear of the future, bad mood or even depression. It may seem to some that the exhaustion in the body and the other frightening and seemingly “random” symptoms of this disease are meant to cause low mood, anxiety, and fear. And others may believe that the stressed, anxious, or depressed mind somehow causes the physical symptoms in the body.

As an energy healer and someone who has seen many clients with chronic fatigue syndrome, I believe that the root causes can be very complex. Often there is a “trigger” such as a virus, trauma, or stressful event. Sometimes there is an energetic pattern of overdoing things, using your head too much for academic work or office work, living an unbalanced life, or not being fully engaged with life and therefore not always being fully present with what’s happening. Sometimes there is a history of poor food choices, addictions to sugar, wheat or alcohol. I also believe that sometimes it is the soul’s way of saying “enough is enough! I want to live a more balanced and fulfilling life.”

In the end, everyone with CFS is different, and while there may be similarities, the root causes of everyone’s condition are different and unique.

I think the important thing is to learn what we can make of our history of illness (and there is usually something to be learned in that the way we were living has led to illness), accept where we are, and then take proactive action. to heal.

The way I work with people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome reflects the complexity of the disease, addresses both the energetic and physical aspects, and allows each person’s particular healing journey to unfold for them individually, just as it is. needs to.

I believe that it is necessary to work both physically and energetically simultaneously to allow the body and mind to fully recover. The energy work (Integrated Energy Healing and the Emotional Freedom Technique) is very powerful on its own, but it is only when the physical body is regaining strength through some physical techniques (such as an activity plan or a nutritional plan) that these energetic changes are actually “anchored” in the body, and deep healing can take place.