We should all go talk to a therapist
What neuroscience has to do with rheumatoid arthritis.
“And how does this make you feel? I imagine it might be hard for you to cope with that?”
I blankly looked at the osteopath sitting across me, back at my wrist, back at him. I had heard his question, but it didn’t really register. Why was he talking about feelings? I had just explained that I had been diagnosed with Rheumathoid Arthritis half a year before, that the meds had helped a bit but that they hadn’t had any effect on the pain in my wrist. My rheumathologist wanted to move on to cortisone injections directly into the joint. I was only 27 years old, so I was looking for second opinions. I went over those things in my head again, confusedly looking for what feelings had to do with this.
Little did I know that I had just heard the most pivotal question of my life.
“From what you tell me, you’re identifying as an athlete and you’re used to have things under your control. How is it for you to accept your body is failing you?”
Long story short — the osteopath in whose office I had stumbled was also a psychotherapist, luckily I had not known that before or I probably wouldn’t have gone. He worked with me over the course of 2 months and did not touch my wrist once. He helped me change my perspective on the diagnosis I had received. Encouraged me to take account of what was going on in my life, how I was eating, working, moving, talking to myself. To reflect on what had gone on in my past and if I was okay with that. To be more aware. To be open to accept that there is more to the world that meets the eye. He invited me to take an active role in deciding how my future would look like.
He explored with me that the body and the mind are connected in so many ways.
These few hours of talking in his office opened so many doors to sources of inspiration that had been all around me all along but that I hadn’t taked seriously. Yoga teachers, meditation apps, nutrition experts made their way through these doors — and spirituality tiptoed into my life alongside them.
Inspired by all of this, I moved many pieces in my life. I started eating better, I mostly stopped drinking alcohol, I was patient with the meds I’m taking, I moved to a sunnier country. But also — I started meditating, being mindful of my stress-level and becoming more aware of what’s going on in my head. Nobody promised me that any of this would work, but as my osteopath put it:
“They tell you you will take meds and still be in pain for the rest of your life. Sounds to me as if you have quite some time to explore if that’s the only option.”
Fast forward a couple of years. While I’m sitting here and writing this, I am pain-free 95% of the time. I’ve reduced the meds to a quarter of what I started with. I might be healthier and happier than at any other moment of my life. I sometimes forget that I have a chronic illness but I’m greatful that I do. It keeps me on my toes and gives me a good reason to look after my body and my mind.
Many people asked me what did the trick and made me feel so much better and of course, noone knows. I have reflected a lot on this and there are a few topics running through my head.
5 thoughts that I can’t shake
- At least in theroy, we all look after our body now, we understand that we should move and not stuff our face with pizza and donuts because we will get sick otherwise. But we don’t feel the same compassion towards our mind
- We all should go talk to a therapist
- I think that by spirituality not having a place in the western world, we lost some very important ideas
- Neuroscience is a highly exciting field that helps us understand why our brain is not made for the world we live in today
- I want to know more about all this and maybe inspire others to learn about it too, without having to go through a medical adventure first
I feel that there is so much knowledge out there, both old and new, that is far beyond my understanding. I plan to be around for a while though, so I decided to start exploring it. This is why I signed up for a certification to become a brain-based coach and learn the 101 of neuroscience and solution-focused-coaching. I’m also exploring buddhist ideas and picking my meditation practise back up.
The content I’m coming across is deep and challenging and very different to what I’ve been thinking about in my life so far. I hope that writing about what I am learning might help me put some structure to my monkey mind and understand more.
Who knows if I will ever get to the bottom of anything, but for now the way seems fun.
