I am being bombarded by friends and relatives with info on the lightning process,it is claimed to be some sort of cure for M.E and Fibromyalgia which I suffer from. Everything I have read indicates that it is complete bunkum and knowing how much pleasure you guys get from invetsigating snake oil salesmen,I thought I would ask for your opinions. Below is one of the many links I have been sent on this subject,please be as brutally honest as ever.
This does seem to be bollards of no common order. I don't suffer from it myself so I don't know how bad the suffering is and how desperate people get but from my extremely limited understanding of 'the science' I would suggest you not go for it.
My mother has had M.E and fibro for over ten years , she too recently has been inundated with relatives and friends telling her about The lightening process and of course although instantly she felt it seemed far too good to be true she asked me to check it out online . Im afraid as she thought it appears to be high level crap and bunkum from all ive read and believe me there is no one more desperate to find some relief or cure than my mother and our family . The simple fact is the reality of M.E and Fibro for many people is they are in far to much pain and in the case of the more severe or long term afflicted like my mother often bed ridden or at best rely on a wheel chair to once in a blue moon venture out of the house nevermind embark of some course of treatment at a centre or practise where they will be relieved on nothing more than their savings .
To me this process lends itself heavily to the old and i had hoped discarded notion that somehow M.E and Fibro is as they used to put it "all in the head " , that somehow all you have to do is "think" yourself better and it will happen , that all manner of massage and tapping and reiki and potions and lotions coupled with this will if done correctly take it all away , or that somehow cleansing yourself of toxins , dealing with traumas and psychological blocks , blah blah blah are the only reason you have been in constant pain for the past ten years .
The one thing about most M.E sufferers is they WANT TO GET BETTER , they would give anything to go back to work , to have thier life restored , to be able to go longer than a day without excrutiating pain or exhaustion not to mention the plethora of other conditions and side effects they have to deal with . To suggest any of it could be down to the way they think , to their need to remove negative thoughts or past traumas from their lives as though somehow they had caused their descent into ill health is sickening and if anything anykind of negativity they experience or feel is manily due to the opinions of dinousaur doctors who havent moved with the times and read up on the studies that say this ISNT ALL IN THE HEAD AND CANT BE THOUGHT BETTER . Or worse still the countless people out there who are ignorant of the condition and who still cling to the idea that everyone who has M.E or Fibro is some kind of malinger or just needs to "get a grip " . I totally empathise with Pillsbury and everyone here who has experience of both of these illnesses , i know how much it can eat into lives and confidence and hope for any kind of relief . But i dont think this new pretender to the cure throne is anywhere near the answer but more yet another of the new wave new age bandwagons thrown in the path of people who are desperate for a cure and no doubt another way for the "healers" to scam yet more money out of people they know would give anything .
I know of several other M.E sufferers who over the years have tried almost all of anything new that came their way or was offered , they have spent thousands of pounds on all kinds of therapy , techniques , herbal infusions , massage , reiki , CBH , EFT , anything and everything understandibly so , not one of them has found any help in any of it .
My mother still lives in hope that there will be a cure but feels it will come from traditional sources , through more clinical research that so badly needs to be done but is poorly funded , through a clearer study of sufferes which is so hard to do as so many are unable to submit to trials and studies due to the pain they are in daily .
Heres hoping that day comes soon , but meanwhile id avoid these people like the plague, and sstick to things you know really do help get you through the day , the best thing you can have on your side with M.E or Fibro is an understanding and uptodate on the illness doctor and a family who understand and have read as much as they can on the subject to support and care for and with you .
The cost for the training in the UK is £590. In Norway the cost is £1300.
To simply teach some relaxation , stress relief techniques and positive thinking twaddle anyone with a pc could get for free ?
The other thing that made me realise this man isnt dealing with anyone who has a severe condition , they very people who would be most desperate to have a cure -
"The course takes place in small groups over three consecutive days with four hours of training each day"
I dont know who he has been treating or seeing at his course but i can only think they must be quite light cases or people who have only begun to experience the very first hints and signs of the illness (which to be honest most people dont even realise till it takes a full hold) Because out of the five or six sufferers ive come to know over the years including my mother NONE of them could travel to a course , far less over three days and even farther less for four hours at a time . They simply would be in far to much pain nevermind be able to get the energy to travel or sit for four hours anywhere without having to rest or lie down and even if by some miracle they could the cost would be weeks of pain as a result of the effort .
There are of course varying degrees of the illness yet i see no mention of this in his sight or if his "techniques" can only be used by the less acute sufferers . Is it just a cure for some then and not all ? Would be interested to see what his views on treating long term severe cases are ? I think miraculously he would say it wouldnt work for them , why ? Because he knows there would be NO CHANCE of any of his techniques working for them . Sure meditation , stress release , relaxation basically anything that can be done with out physical exertion are usefull to calm , relax and centre people , we all can use a bit of that to a certain extent but jeeeeeeeeeez last i checked none of these things could cure IBS , syndrome x , extensive muscle pain , aching bones , extreme non restorative sleep , headaches that could drive you insane , digestion problems , nightmares and sleep terrors , frequent confusion of words and thought processes , poor balance and co ordination , then there are all the conditions that being unable to excersise or socialise can bring , weight problems , angina , depression ,muscle weakness , spasms , isolation , etc etc etc .
Thats just the tip of the ice berg sadly for many sufferers .
After having another quick read of the article, alot of what this guy is offering you can actually get on the NHS for free....
There are various support groups for sufferer of ME/Fibro and Arthritis, where relaxation techniques are taught and how to handle the condition and more importantly people in the same position you are, who you can talk to.
There is also a lot you can do for yourself, now I am one of the lucky ones, so far my fibro is fairly mild at the moment compared to some and luckily the bouts of chronic fatigue are worse in winter.
As far as I am concerned you dont need the lightning process, alot of what he says you can do your self, the relaxation for one....if you can get some time to yourself, bung on your favourite cd of relaxing music and just get lost in it for a while, even if you end up falling asleep to it, it doesnt matter, you are relaxing the mind and body. That is what I do and it does help, ok it might only help short time but it works, and if you want a more relaxing atmosphere a few insence sticks and candles burning helps too, just make sure you dont fall asleep if you have these burning tho .
Alot also depends on the severity of the bout of ME/Fibro your going through at the time and some times you just have to go with it and sleep when you need to sleep, take the pain killers and let that particular episode "burn" itself out. My advice on the days when your your feeling up to doing things, then do it. Some with these conditions get a warning that another episode is on its way ( that is where I am lucky) others dont.
Exactly Gizzy , pacing is all important for people with M.E and fibro , relaxation techniques and aids are great to help relax and prompt better sleep and rest , ALL OF THEM FREE . And NONE OF THEM a cure of course , just coping mechanisims that can help make the days easier to get through . This guy seems to think that he can preach to the choir of people who already are mainly aware of these kinds of things because they have had to find out for themselves over the years what helps and what doesnt , what they dont need is someone offering it up as some miracle cure and charging a fortune for the privilage of information they can freely find on the M.E associtation website and many other credible support organisations who all (at least all the credible ones ) warn against the endless stream of "new cure" oppertunists . What i dislike even more is his mingling of these kinds of coping and relaxation techniques which can be helpfull and have thier place with complete and utter wooism and embelishment intermingling them with sheer rubbish as if the combination of these with his "treatments " is a magical answer .
I have to agree with Gizzy you dont need the "lightening process" you need only what works for you and common sense and a bit of support , support being something that has a massive effect on sufferers of this condition , support groups and often just being able to talk to someone who is going through exactly what you are can have a massively beneficial effect on someone living it , it wont make them better but it sure as hell gives them a lift and sense of understanding that can make getting through it all that bit easier .
John, there is very little info on the process available and that is half the problem.The basics of what this guy claims are that over three days he will help you learn mind techniques in both group and one to one sessions that will help you think yourself better.He also says you need several follow up appointments and over 90%of people who go thru the process get better and the ones who dont are those that dont go in with an open mind and pay for the follow up visits. Does that last bit sound familiar?it certainly reminds me of many of the new age weird things we have had thrown at us down the years.He also claims that most of the problems of M.E and Fibro are down to over production of adrenaline,this was a popular theory until about two years ago where it was found to be unlikely as a precursor or factor in the illnesses. So in effect the process is to cure bad thoughts created by too much adrenaline.
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I wonder what Dr Charles Shepherd the medical advisor to the M.E association would have to say about this guy , im pretty sure none of it would be good . Im sure he's probs already aware of this but might drop them a line anyway .If anyone wants to check them out or drop them a line the links www.meassociation.org.uk/ Here are some articles they have on the LP - www.meassociation.org.uk/content/view/705/70/
But there is no firm scientific evidence of raised adrenaline, and no results from clinical trials to show that the Lightning Process actually works. The ME Association has been monitoring a succession of miracle cures' from the alternative health sector for the past 20 years. They are expensive, nearly always based on unproven or highly speculative scientific theories, and are seldom subjected to objective clinical assessment.