topic My Healing Journey by Flick SnotGrass in Staying well

My Healing Journey by Flick SnotGrass

Flick_SnotGrass — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 23:30:31 GMT

I was born with a very severe case of eczema.

Right from day one & throughout my childhood, teenage years & a good portion of my adulthood, 65% of my body was covered with horrible, itchy, maddening sores. Eczema is a debilitating immune system disorder that causes your body to attack itself ... all of the time.

Those of you who have or have had this terrible condition will know what I am talking about.

For those of you who have not, let me just say you feel trapped, always itchy, always scratching your skin raw, waking up every morning with your face stuck to the pillow & going through the day in agony & watching people react with looks of disgust or sympathy.

The doctors of the day said “There is nothing we can do for Flick. His condition is genetic. He’ll have it all his life.” Can you imagine having to live your whole life knowing that you would never get better?

The idea that ‘nothing can be done’ simply was unacceptable to me. I went looking for ‘out of the box’ solutions & my journey took me to a whole new world of unorthodox thinking & faraway places I would never have explored otherwise. Wonder of wonders, I discovered that there were indeed solutions for me. They were just not where I had been looking.

They had to do with MY BRAIN.

My first big AHA! moment happened at the ripe old age of 19 when I met my first Yoga Teacher. She taught me some powerful breathing exercises that helped calm my nerves & to lessen my skin’s unhealthy response to stress, fear, anxiety, pressure. For the first time in my life, I started to feel normal. My skin was healing & I was hooked. I searched more & came across more skills to add to my repertoire of healing tools.

I discovered I could send this horrible condition into remission indefinitely by facing & resolving my feelings of panic, self-doubt, fear, anxiety & helplessness. I understood that it begins with reprogramming my brain. That realization became the guiding principle upon which I based what was to become my 40-year career in applied neuroplasticity.

Long story short I got rid of the excema. It’s gone. I know now today with absolute certainty that NONE OF US ARE STUCK & while we may not have a ‘cure’ for everything, we have the ability to rewire our thinking to live healthier, happier, more fulfilled lives & combat depression, fear, stress, anxiety, addictions & so many of those constant miseries that grind us down & prevent us from being the amazing human beings we know we can be.

My Healing Journey by Flick SnotGrass

Quercus — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 01:00:01 GMT

Hi Flick,

I love the hope in your story. I dealt with pain and restricted movement for a long time and the hardest feeling was hopelessness.

You're right about the brain bein central in managing illness. Look at mindfullness and cognitive based therapy and acceptance therapy... All challenging the way we think.

Have you read Paul's (Blond Guy) thread about mindfullness? I'd be interested in hearing what your thoughts are on this as well as more of your story and what you found helped you along the way.

Nat

My Healing Journey by Flick SnotGrass

Flick_SnotGrass — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 03:22:32 GMT

Hi Nat,

Glad you like my story, it's great to 'put the past firmly in the past'.

I will def check out Paul Blond Guy's thread. Thanks for that.

I've been a practitioner of Pranayama and Raja Yogas since the age of 19, VERY helpful stuff. My Raja Yoga teach, Keith, is still alive and still kicks my butt!! 🙂

I think the tools I find most helpful these days could be called 'electroceuticals'. They are safe, fast and cheap have you used them much yourself?

Cheers,

Flick

My Healing Journey by Flick SnotGrass

MarkJT — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 03:28:47 GMT

Flick, brilliant - just bloody brilliant your post is.

Living with PTSD, depression and anxiety, I learnt early on that positivity is so crucial to being able to function and your post just oozes positivity.

Thanks so much for posting and a massive well done to you. One of my fave sayings is, "Adapt and overcome"...and you certainly adapted and overcame!!

Mark.

My Healing Journey by Flick SnotGrass

velvetfaerie — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 03:52:26 GMT

Love it. I need to listen to it LOL! 😄

I am just going to smack my brain about for a bit..... smack some sense into it...

😄

My Healing Journey by Flick SnotGrass

Quercus — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 07:26:20 GMT

Hi Flick,

What is an electrocutical? I have a tens machine in my mind but not sure if I'm on the right path 😊.

There are quite a few members here who are keen on yoga. I was speaking to AllDoneWithIt lately and he does yoga to deal with pain. And another user Ross has created threads about the effectiveness of yoga. If you use the search and the keyword yoga you may find something that interests you and people with similar passions.

Nat

My Healing Journey by Flick SnotGrass

Flick_SnotGrass — Sat, 30 Sep 2017 00:50:05 GMT

Mark, thanks man!!!

"Adapt and overcome"....and ... "Adapt and overcome"... and "Adapt and overcome"....Keep varying your approach, you'll get there.

ABSOLUTELY...

the tough bit's getting up after another disappointment...brush off the gravel ... get back on the bike.

Be better than well,

Flick

My Healing Journey by Flick SnotGrass

Flick_SnotGrass — Sat, 30 Sep 2017 00:51:53 GMT

Hey Velvertfaerie [love the name] have you read "The Brain's Way of Healing" by Norman Doidge yet?

Great read...lots of tips,

best,

Flick

My Healing Journey by Flick SnotGrass

Flick_SnotGrass — Sat, 30 Sep 2017 01:33:22 GMT

Hey Nat,

You asked: "What is an electrocutical? I have a tens machine in my mind but not sure if I'm on the right path 😊."

You are on the right path Nat.

...now extended the idea of your TENs machine - which uses electrical signals to talk to your muscles and proprioceptors -

and

(A) LOWER the current density by a hundredfold,

(B) play with the signal frequencies and

(D) "lo and behold" you have a multipurpose device that

(E) can talk to the neurons in your head and [amongst many other applications] get the Amygdala~Adrenaline Fear Cycle to turn off and get calm quickly..

Electroceuticals are not a new idea.

Not at all.

Electroceuticals have been around for between 2,000-5000 years!!!! when the court physicians of those days are on record for using Torpedo Fish and Electric Eels to cure --- wait for it MELANCHOLIA - yes and old fashioned word for Depression and MIGRAINE Headaches and, of all things GOUT.

I like electroceuticals because they are safe, proven to be effective with placebo controlled double blind randomized clinical trials are cheap and pharma free and easy to learn to use.

Happy to talk off line.

Better than best as all ways,

Flick