I was in bed with severe back discomfort for three years, and I spent thousands of dollars on doctors. In the end, I was able to heal myself by writing down my unrepressed feelings
A fit, young freelance digital marketer who was nearly three years in bed because of a mysterious back pain has shared the path she took to become a yoga teacher.
Dani Fagan was 35 and living in Spain with her boyfriend at the time despite having no physical injuries she started experiencing severe discomfort throughout the lower part of her back.
The pain was so intense that Dani was forced to lie on her knees and hands to go to the bathroom.
Despite spending thousands of dollars on physicians or specialists, physios and chiros in finding her way out of pain that was constant – and the only tools she had to recover included a pen and paper , as well as her capacity to alter the condition that her nerve system was in.
She realized that her condition was Tension Myositis Syndrome and found that the more she wrote, and the more information she discovered regarding her childhood traumas and her afflictions were relieved.
Dani Fagan was 35 and living in Spain has revealed that she was in bed with no explanation for intense back discomfort – long before she was a yoga teacher
Dani basically spent the following three years in bed with her medication taken every day which did not even touch the discomfort
Dani said that her pain sometimes was unbearable she said: ‘I felt as if I had been repeatedly stabbed in the back I’ve never felt the pain that way. I was screaming and thought of calling the ambulance.’
Dani was basically spending the rest of the time lying on her back with a daily dose of medication that barely eased the discomfort.
A former fitness enthusiast with a full social calendar and a successful business, she is now unable to stand, sit or drive, or to take a wheelchair out of the home to travel only short distances.
Sometimes she’d be forced to climb on her knees and hands just to turn the kettle back on.
The woman said that’my only advantage was that I ran my own business from my home at the time, which meant I could continue working, even if I was lying in a couch.’
In search of relief, she attempted injecting steroids, muscle relaxants, any kind of physical therapy available as well as opioids.
If the pain was at the worst point she’d visit the emergency department and receive diazepam injections to ease the muscles. However, the relief would only last a few minutes.
Dani stated that she was always going to chiropractors osteopaths, physiotherapists and physiotherapists I was treated with lasers on my back I tried everything I could to get rid of discomfort, but nothing was working.
Dani stated that prior to suffering the back pain she was an avid runner with a full social calendar and a successful business
In discomfort, she could not stand, sit, or drive, or to utilize a wheelchair outside of the home to travel small distances
“Some of the treatment was actually making me worse and it was so painful that I was unable to lay on my back with my legs extended.’
In the end, an MRI found a disc herniated However, the doctors claimed that Dani’s pain levels were extreme, and was not in line with the diagnosis she was given as a result, so they decided not to operate.
While Dani is happy about this however, in the past it was a source of extreme anger for her.
She explained: ‘I simply needed a solution.’
In the end, she found that her disc herniation was merely what’s referred to as a “normal abnormality’, and not the primary reason for her pain. feeling.
Dani stated: “I was a total hermit for three years , as I was suffering too much to get out.
“I felt extremely stressed and depressed. It was as if I resided in a dark cave of darkness and sorrow.’
Dani’s biggest breakthrough was when she was browsing Facebook one day when she came across an article from an acquaintance who was going through the same thing and had suggested her publication Healing Back Pain by Dr John Sarno.
I was skeptical but I didn’t have anything to risk, so I picked up the book and began to read it,’ Dani said. “From the very beginning it was like going through my own autobiography.’
In the book, Dr. Sarno discusses the condition known as Tension Myositis Syndrome (abbreviated to TMS and now being known as Mind Body Syndrome.)
Sometimes she’d need to climb on her knees and hands to get the kettle in her, and then she’d be laying on the couch
Dani stated that she was “basically an apathetic hermit for the last three years’ as she was too pain-stricken to leave her house
He explains that unrepressed emotions and chronic stress may manifest as physical signs within the body, with chronic back pain being the most typical manifestation.
Dani stated: ‘There’s certain types of personality who are more prone to TMS, such as people who please and perfectionists, “goodists” high achievers, and I checked all the boxes.’
There is still doubt regarding Mind Body Syndrome in the medical field, Sarno’s revolutionary work from the early 1980s is acknowledged and reaffirmed by a multitude of neuroscientists in the past few years, and its popularity and effectiveness in treating chronic diseases by addressing the root causes has helped many people across the globe.
Dani said: ‘The most important aspect to be aware of is that it’s not saying that it’s all in your mind’. The suffering is 100% real.
“The key difference is that the pain is resulted from the brain, caused by chronic dysregulation of the nervous system that is stuck in a freeze-flight state instead of an underlying issue within your body.’
Dani was immediately convinced of this being the root of her discomfort. Her mental health problems along with her previous experiences and a the history of trauma led her to become the classic TMS poster child.
When she realized that her pain wasn’t risky, Dani began to reduce her medication, and slowly began to resume activities she’d previously not dare to try.
The freelancer spent thousands of dollars on specialists, doctors as well as physiotherapists and chiros trying to find the solution to her discomfort.
In time, Dani was able to eliminate the fear associated with her pain. Gradually, she began to feel less fearful of the symptoms she was experiencing.
“I would sit up for a while before having to lay back to sleep and again,’ she claims. “I was still hurting however, I wasn’t as scared of the symptoms that I was experiencing, and this helped me to begin to slowly begin to get my life back.
“Removing the fear that I felt about my suffering was a massive decision for me since anxiety fuels the fight or flight response of the nervous system, which is the fuel that keeps chronic diseases alive.’
At this point, Dani had moved back to the UK and despite the fact that she’d thought the cause of her pain was emotional trauma and nerve systems dysregulation, she was sucked back to the medical model hoping that UK doctors might come up with a physical or, at the very least, a alternative that involved the body and mind.
However, as soon as she was able to see another physiotherapist who was not helping her, she knew she was headed back on the wrong track.
Dani decided to re-read Sarno’s book. Dani determined to read Sarno’s work, which brought her into the practice of Nicole Sachs, a Psychotherapist and Mind Body expert, who’d worked with Sarno and created her own method of dealing with this kind of pain which included journaling about unrepressed emotions, and managing the burned out nervous system by regular meditation.
Dani wrote about body image and trauma issues, and other challenging emotional states, stress-inducing relationships and family, work, everything she’d put away or kept for years finally got an outlet.
She realized that her emotional state was directly related to her physical experiences.
She said: “Sometimes I was finding it extremely difficult to keep writing however, I made sure that I was present each day.
“Everyday I’d wake up, have a cup of tea and then get back to the bed with my notebook and allow myself to explore the things that I’d been putting away for many years.’
Dani had relocated back her home in UK and, despite having thought her pain was due to trauma from the past and nervous system dysfunction, she fell back to the medical model and hoped that UK doctors might come up with a physical or, at a minimum, a alternative that involved both the body and the mind.
The moment she was able to see another physio who was not helping, she realized that she was going back on the wrong track
Dani was known to follow each journal entry with a practice of meditation and then began to incorporate easy yoga and short walks in her daily routine.
Within the space of three months Dani was nearly without symptoms. Her anxiety that she suffered from for decades also diminished and she didn’t realize it was due with the dysregulation the cause of her pain.
To assist the world, Dani made her own website titled My TMS Journey (mytmsjourney.com), offering free information and all the resources essential to the Mind Body Syndrome, neuroplasticityand trauma, and the connection between mind and body for those who are seeking answers, as she had been for a long time. She also offers daily tips and information on managing the chronic pain she has on Instagram as well as Facebook.
She continued to educate herself and create her own service in the world of chronic pain. realizing how yoga helped her to heal her back pain, manage her nervous system, and help her get back to a safe and healthy lifestyle She began to teach yoga classes that are gentle and restorative that included meditation and breathing elements, geared specifically at those who suffer from chronic illnesses or who are on the way from it.
“Now that I’m pain-free I’m a teacher as well as run online classes and am truly finding my passion for helping others overcome their chronic illnesses rather than just managing them.
“Whether it’s chronic discomfort, fatigue, CFS/ME) and fibromyalgia migraines or POTS IBS or anxiety it all stems from the same cause – trauma, chronic stress and the nervous system disorder which these experiences cause.’ Dani stated.
I want everyone who is suffering to know that there’s an escape route when we treat with compassion the root of the problem.’
To assist other people, Dani made her own website, dubbed My TMS Journey, collating details for free and vital resources regarding Mind Body Syndrome, neuroplasticity Mind Body Syndrome, neuroplasticity trauma, and the connection between the mind and body to those seeking answers.
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