Last May I wrote an introduction post about my search for health - although health is not a new topic on my blog this certainly is a whole new adventure I started. And I can definitely say: it's starting to show some results!
First steps in PNI
The (clinical) PNI is based on the idea that all kinds of systems in our bodies can be affected and then affect each other. Layer by layer fixing those systems, sometimes individual organs, can lead to better functioning in other systems, in the end getting a person healthy by simply getting the body back to function the way it was supposed to function. But first you need to understand why each and every system started 'walking out of pace', and make sure the person (me) who is visiting the therapist experiences deep understanding, as understanding why you're sick can already attribute to feeling a little better.
This is why my search for health started with writing up a timeline of my life: literally from birth (and before, the pregnancy of my mother was very important in laying out the pieces of the puzzle) to bigger life events my therapist created a 'movie' of my life which showed where and why in life I had gotten problems - in my case, as a teenager pain in feet, extreme back pains, then in my twenties stress, burn out (I never called it that before though), extreme migraines that made me literally want to stop living, and then of course at the end of my twenties arthroses/cartillage damage in my feet, weight gain and depression (which I also never called it out loud before).
Those are just the outcomes: the causes lie in a stressful birth, some life events that I had to carry the weigh of for way too long, and, surprisingly, the periods of rest that followed the stressful ones are when/why it goes wrong. As long as your body is under stress it will carry you through it, but then, when you finally stop/get some rest, systems in the body 'allow' you to collapse. Which is why I experienced my most painful years after the years I had had a difficult time, not during it.
Whenever I tell people this they often recognize it: "Ohhh, so THAT's why I always get sick in the first week of my holidays? Never while I'm still working that deadline?"
Yes, indeed. I might write up how all of this works in a later post because it certainly opened my eyes to quite a few things.
But on to my journey for now.
Fixing the systems
The first fixes my therapist proposed were basically redirecting my stress signals - where my thyroid gland would now send all energy sources directly to my stress systems, it would have to learn to redirect to for example my metabolism and sex systems again, equally. I would also have to get that stress system down, by doing multiple smaller interventions like 20 minute uninterrupted 'hugging therapy' each day (I don't mind :D) to increase Oxytocine, but also by sleep better (quality, not quantity), and take in more mind supporting vitamins and minerals that would result in a more calm mind.
And hell that was a journey!
I started with a bunch of vitamins and mineral supplements, all already present in the healthy body, but not present enough in mine, and from there on it was a rollercoaster.
I had nights where I didn't sleep, nights where I slept but woke up too early to get enough hours in my nights, nights where I wanted to scream because my mind was sooo awake but my body so tired, or where my mind was tired and I couldn't sleep.
Basically I had a quite strong reaction on the stress-reducing interventions, which meant my mind wanted to start the day earlier than I was used to, but other systems in my body why were running their own clock were not yet ready to accept I needed to go to sleep earlier :D
Very complicated stuff, but as I studied psychology I understand a bit of how those clocks (yes, we have multiple, not one as is more commonly thought) in our body work and started to slowly accept it needed a lot of time to adjust - as probably many of my clocks have been out of pace for 20 years at least.
The first night I slept early and woke up at a normal hour I was thrilled. The day after I said to my boyfriend: "I feel so weird - I'm totally rested but I want to chill on the couch all day? I don't understand?"
He looked at me, face smiling, half-believing I was serious, and said: "You mean you feel... relaxed?"
I almost cried, and laughed, because WHOA, yes, I was relaxed, and it was a glorious feeling, and at the same time I felt so incredibly sad I had forgotten the word for it.
The impact of sleep on, well, everything
As sleep is the basis of so much it is finally time to go on to the next few steps. I can honestly say it took me two months to 'fix sleep' - which explains why I haven't been super active on Hive or anywhere else really. I've been surviving for the most part. The first few weeks I had a job, a writing one, and ohhh how impossible was it to write with nights with no sleep at all! So I had to cramp a lot of the work in the last week, while still struggling with sleep, but getting a bit better at it.
I felt like every waking hour where I was also mentally sharp needed to be used to the max - so I wrote and wrote and wrote and finally ended up delivering a decent report. I had another job after that one, which I realized I was able to handle a lot better: this was after I had already experienced I could feel relaxed again, and I immediately noticed that I had less stress, and when I felt anxious it wouldn't be all over my body. A huge change.
Some quotes from people around me the last few weeks show me I'm noticeably changing:
- "You look less hurried/restless"
- "Your skin is glowing"
- "Something in your face has... changed?"
- "You look very well-rested"
These are all remarks about my face from people unrelated to each other, and I think it's fascinating the remarks are so similar in a way.
I personally noticed my skin looks better, I think clearer, I feel less groggy right after I wake up, I find it easier to do small tasks, I even think I can remember more from texts I read - and I definitely smile easier and feel more energetic and happy.
To be continued
This is going to be a long journey, as it's natural healing there's no quick fix but I'm very excited about the first results, the amount of energy I already have, and the fact I have been able to do so much with Vitamins, Minerals, and of course, food. Because although I've not yet written a lot about that, the basis of (c)PNI is eating the right things - mainly skipping a few foods that actively disturb systems in the stomach, which is often the start of all chronic illnesses that come after.
I really hope I can find some time to write a decent explanation of the full therapy as I haven't found a good source in English, yet. But I'm already looking into studies that I can follow as I might want to become a PNI therapist myself - that's how excited I am about it.
Sorry for the rambling post! But it was time to write one. With an extra wink to 