The blog of photographer Kim Ayres

What is different about Mickel Therapy? Part 3

In Part 1 I talked about the misconception of the separation between mind and body. In Part 2 I wrote about how that misconception leads us to respond in ways that will reinforce rather than help the condition, and that what we need to do is start listening to what our body is telling us and change our responses. In this post, I thought I would outline the impact taking this approach has had on my illness.

One of the key things to understand about Mickel Therapy (MT), is it is a system. Results come from understanding how the system works, applying, and committing to it.

In this respect, it’s remarkably similar to losing weight (for those who don’t know, 7 years ago I used to be around 90lbs heavier). Short-term, quick fixes rarely work in the long term, and might even be counter productive. It’s known, for example, that 95-98% of all diets fail – that is, within 2 to 3 years the dieter has put back on all the weight they lost, and in many cases more. In order to sustain the weight loss, you have to shift from thinking about diets and move to thinking about a lifelong commitment to healthy eating. If you choose to eat healthily, and stick with it, then weight loss becomes an inevitable side effect.

But behind eating healthily, you have to first understand why you have been overeating in the first place – addressing not just habits, but your emotional relationship with food becomes crucial if you ever going to be able to make sustainable changes.

Nor is it a matter of blind faith or belief. Of course, if you don’t believe eating healthily will help, then you’ll never be able to commit to it, and keep doing it through times when you would kill for [insert craving of choice].

So MT is a system where you learn how to become aware of what your body and emotions are up to; you learn how to accept what you are feeling and place it in an appropriate context; and you learn how to change your actions so you are no longer fighting, but working with your body and primal emotional states.

On one level, you could say you are learning to become authentic. And this can have a profound effect on your entire system.

In this way, you could just as easily commit to Buddhist principles to achieve the same end. The 4 Noble Truths give you a starting point, and the 8-fold path is a system, which will bring about balance and authenticity. Again, no belief in anything mystical is actually required. And if the commitment is there to the system, over time, the brain actually rewires itself (click here for a 4-minute interview with the Buddhist Matthieu Ricard on a BBC News radio programme, after his brain was scanned by MRI machines).

So as I see it, at the core of how something like MT can work are 2 fundamental ideas. The first is the mistaken notion that the mind is a separate entity to the body - and the traditional sense of the conscious mind as being the “real” self and the primary authority – is dangerously naïve (as described in the previous posts). The second is the understanding of the plasticity of the brain – how we respond and how we act lay down and reinforce connections and pathways – and if we change our understandings and actions, then we can rewire aspects of the brain.

It is not passive, and it is not necessarily easy. Many of our thought patterns and responses are so embedded we are not even aware of them. But part of the system of MT helps to identify them. As time moves on, and we establish new ways of interacting with our bodies, minds, and the world around us, many of the symptoms begin to reduce in their severity and may disappear altogether.

Over the past 6 months I have learned all sorts of things about myself – how I think, how I react, and the unseen, unchallenged pathways I follow by default. Despite the fact I thought I was pretty self aware already, the reality is we all have multiple blind spots.

And our biggest blind spots are usually hidden in plainest sight. In fact, it’s not uncommon for our biggest areas of self-sabotage to be hidden smack bang in the middle of what we perceive to be our greatest strengths.

Nearly 6 years ago, when the term CFS started to be mentioned by the doctor I was seeing, my good blogging friend Carole said, in her opinion my problem was TMB – too much brain. I was constantly thinking of anything and everything, pulling it apart and reassembling it in a multitude of ways. She expressed surprise that I couldn’t see I was probably exhausting myself with that amount of cranial activity.

Of course I laughed and dismissed it. My problem solving abilities were one of my most powerful strengths. Now, though, I’ve come to realise that on some levels, she was right (Carole, you can say you told me so, but only once – OK?).

Regardless of what triggered my condition, my investment in the authority of my fast and agile thoughts was now playing against me. In a brain primed for fight-or-flight responses, grabbing hold of any thoughts that flittered across my consciousness and trying to solve them, was now a dangerous thing to do.

And as I became increasingly tired, so I tried even harder to “solve” this mystery illness – analysing aspects of my life, looking for traumatic episodes, searching for patterns. Far from helping me, this activity helped to embed the pathways that were assisting in my decline.

As the Mickel Therapy got underway, this realisation was one of those epiphany moments for me – it’s when I wrote the post Who’s in Charge.

I understood that one the primary strategies I had to develop was to learn let go of trying to solve everything that came into my head; to stop constantly ruminating and continually gnawing away at thoughts.

And the best tools for this are Mindfulness and Meditation.

In essence, the basic approach is to be in the moment, rather than mulling over the past or the future – each time you find your mind digging its claws into some thought, you gently release it and return your attention to whatever you are doing.

For a couple of years I’d been forcing myself to go for a walk every morning, but 10 minutes was my absolute limit. If I went to 11, it was like the plug was pulled out and exhaustion would overwhelm me.

Back then, I barely noticed what my body was up to - during my walk I would be absorbed in whatever was most prominent in my mind. Now I practice being Mindful. I pull myself back to the present, to the now, whenever I realise my mind has wandered off again. I feel the wind on my face and the pavement beneath my feet; I listen to the sounds of the birds, trees, passing cars. I try and experience being completely in the walk, ideally without much thought at all.

Every afternoon, instead of going to bed, I now meditate for half an hour, focusing on my breathing. Each time my mind wanders off, I gently bring it back to my breathing.

Every day I practice 10 to 15 minutes of Tai Chi, trying as best I can to be completely in the movement, feeling the body, the air and the flow – gently bringing my mind back to the movement each time I realise it has wandered off.

Along with starting to learn how to listen to my body and emotions, these things have had a profound effect.

I now happily go for a 20 minute walk every day, sometimes longer, sometimes heading out to the shops as well – and I’m not exhausted. If I do a lot of walking in one day, I might get a bit tired, but then part of that is I’m not particularly fit, having not been able to exercise for over 5 years.

I no longer have to worry about what will happen if I’m not home by 2pm to be able to sleep during the afternoon.

I no longer live in fear of the Fatigue.

Can I say with certainty that MT will work for everyone? No. As I said at the outset of these posts, I am not a medical doctor/researcher, nor I am not a trained Mickel Therapist - this is just my interpretation of MT. However, despite some of the fears I have read on various sites, I am convinced it cannot harm – how can becoming more in tune with yourself make things worse?

Am I completely cured? No. Quite apart from the fact I feel “cure” is a misleading word - it implies returning to a previous state of being, whereas I feel I’m creating a new way of being - the reality is there are still some symptoms that make themselves felt. As I said before, this is not a quick fix, and it is less than 6 months since I began the MT. But I am considerably improved on where I was – far more than I could possibly have hoped for at the outset – and can see how I will continue to improve as I continue to apply what I have learned.

What alternative would I recommend if for you MT is not possible (or desirable) for whatever reason? Zen Buddhism. And I’m quite serious about that.

17 comments

Anonymous said...

I get it...and how did I know Zen Buddhism was where it was at...years ago during my "hippie decade" I felt a calling to find peace for my spirit, to live in the now and quit worrying myself (literally) to death about the past and the future...what was my wake up call...Don dying! Sad but true! The event so traumatic, so earth shaking, so shattering made me see that all the time (years) that I've spent thinking, thinking, thinking...could have been spent doing, doing, doing in the here and now. Focus, self discipline (that thing my Dad told me I didn't have) concentration, I know I can do this and I will be further along on my happiness journey! Thank you for sharing all these posts Kim!

Pat said...

"I now happily go for a 20 minute walk every day, sometimes longer, sometimes heading out to the shops as well – and I’m not exhausted. If I do a lot of walking in one day, I might get a bit tired, but then part of that is I’m not particularly fit, having not been able to exercise for over 5 years.

I no longer have to worry about what will happen if I’m not home by 2pm to be able to sleep during the afternoon.

I no longer live in fear of the Fatigue."

The above gives me such a reassuring, almost joyous feeling.
In spite of the brain fog I recognise what you say and welcome them as tenets I try to follow in my muddled non academic fashion.
You are a great example of someone determined to deal with problems rather than be bowed down by them. Bless you for sharing.

Chocolatesa said...

Thank you for posting this, it was very interesting. It reminds me of my own current quest for gaining some more peace and stability in my life to increase my concentration and energy level. I agree with several of the ideas behind MT, some of them are similar to my beliefs and things I have started trying to put into practice already.

Anonymous said...

Hi Kim,

All three posts are great reads, really enjoyed them. I agree also that mind definitely has a big effect on body. There are arrange of emotions that are physically draining due to the automatic messages the send the involatory nervous system which then kick in. And it makes sense to me that an overthinker would feel this more than others. As a constant problem solver I can relate to that- I guess that is what all the chatter is.

It is good that you recognise there is a plateau due to fitness level. That is something that is a grey area for me and causes me more analysing in my head trying to work out how much is fatigue from physical activity and how much is from my own mentally induced tension. I can see that it doesn't really matter and just accepting it for what it is would be better but that mind goes off on its own course.

A lot more I would like to say but I'll just say thanks. Not only have your posts given me a clearer understanding of things but also a lift from reading about someone employing things similar to what I have read about and actually benefiting from it.

All the best

Nechtan

V said...

Wise words Kim. I'm sometimes baffled by the fact that doing nothing, going with it, letting things go and not trying to fix everything and just being can the hardest thing to do and takes effort to learn. Logic would dictate otherwise. It also amazes me that adults we have so much still to learn about ourselves! I'm pleased for you that you're finding progress and sound like you're enjoying the journey, Vx

Hindsfeet said...

hi Kim,

thanks again for taking the time to share this...

...hey, in light of what you said here, you may be interested in a book I'm reading right now (you may have already read it), called "Wherever you Go, There You Are; Mindfulness Meditation In Everyday Life" by Jon Kabat-Zinn...

....I've also found helpful in this practice a book by Melody Beattie called, "The Language of Letting Go", a centering meditational, on a very pragmatic level.

Both of these books have been invaluable to my own "rewiring/reprogramming", and may I say, "bullshit detection" process......

Thanks again for sharing your journey; always appreciate your intelligent insights.

(incidentally, I can also appreciate -- for better or worse -- the tendency to hyperanalyze, deconstructing and reconstructing every thought, decision, philosophy, etc.....I think, if channeled well, this can be a good thing, but, yeah, it does tend to take over the ol' noggin a bit and have the synapses rapid-firing both barrels most of the time....and yeah, the wrestling matches that ensue up there between the ears can get pretty exhausting....especially when you've pit a new idea/philosophy/belief against some ancient belief hardwired into your primal self....tough contest there....it's a wonder we're not horizontal most of the time.)

Thanks again, Kim

Unknown said...

I so love reading about this therapy. The number one reason is that Mickel Therapy is bringing you relief. The number two reason is that I am learning so much. And number three, I know longer have to worry about ever getting this horrible diesease. My mind is a one thought a day processor.

Keep these posts going.

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

I've thought a lot about what you've written in these 3 posts...what has helped you seem to be a bit like the freeze frame technique. I googled it and found many [many] links, but haven't been able to read any of the articles to see which one's the best to share with you.

You're absolutely right about coming back to the present. It's the free-floating stuff that can cause harm.

I was also thinking that it takes courage to seek help. You've done more than that...you've shared what you're learnt!

Kim Ayres said...

Theanne - if you've been able to connect to anything I've written here, then I'm glad :)

Pat - you've been reading my blog for years - you know there have been times when I've been completely bowed down by it. I'm just relieved to have found a different system that's having a postive effect :)

Chocolatesa - I think I've come to realise it's got to be a good thing to be on a quest - it means we haven't entirely given up or given in :)

Nechtan - if you haven't done so already, I really would recommend you look up info and techniques on Mindfulness. I'm sure you would find it helpful :)

V - we have become so conditioned to responding to everything immediately - exaggerated further by the technology surrounding us that demands constant attention and reaction - I think it's hardly surprising it can take years of training to learn be able to sit quietly without feeling we ought to be doing something else :)

Liz - I do have another book by Jon Kabat-Zinn on Midnfulness, which has been a big help :)

Carole - and you didn't even say you told me so! If you like a thought a day, you might enjoy a new blog I've set up where I'm offloading one a day until I can finally get rid of all the notebooks and scraps of paper with them scribbled on :)

GG - I don't think there's been much courage, just a desire to find a way out. As for sharing - it's waht I do - I can't help myself. If you ever do come to Scotland (or I come to Guyana) and you get your photo taken by me, you'll also get a tutorial on how to take a portrait, as I'm constantly blethering about what I'm doing as I'm doing it :)

@dansoapbox said...

Hi Kim

I appreciate the length you have gone to to get your thoughts & experiences across. I only discovered the 'Alba' film yesterday and was delighted to see what is a 'common sense' approach to me, being talked about by so many professionals & sufferers alike, albeit with many confused outcomes! You have clearly understood what I have gleaned from the chemical science (through Dan Neuffers book, cfs unraveled) and the spiritual side that raises the necessity to find 'a new way of being me' Dr Mickel is a bit of an empire building guru it would seem, but at least his empire is being built on a sound principle ;-) I commented on this youtube channel too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li7zQgN-PxQ Good luck to you Kim, I love whh you are and what you do :-) Honesty with Love. Dan xo B-)

Kim Ayres said...

Dan - thanks for taking the time to comment on my blog (I took a look at the YouTube channel, but couldn't find your comment there).

It's now over 2 years since I began the Mickel Therapy and I'm still in a much improved state. I wouldn't say I was 100% - there are still a few ME/CFS side effects that can make themselves felt, but I am considerably improved on where I was 2 and a half years ago.

If anything I have written has been of use to you, then I am pleased.

Wishing you all the best

Kim :)

Ar said...

Hi Kim, i'm so glad i found your blog and read your part 1-3 on MT. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I had seen you once before in a documentary about ME, which i found was very honest and must've been confronting for you at the time. I myself as well suffer from what looks like ME for about 6 years now. Ideas about what action to take go through my mind a lot, they change, and when something feels right i take action. Non-duality is what i've been looking into for a few years now, after realising there needed to be some form of acceptance of the present moment. My conclusion was that fighting what already is, in this case ME, is a waste of precious energy and a guarantee to stay/become depressed. I had heard about MT before and wanted to look into it a bit more. From what you write i can totally see the similarity between MT and Zen Buddhism (or spirituality, non-duality, whatever name to give it). It sounds like MT is a more practical version of that message, more focussed on 'dysfunctional' conditioning. Reading your blog by itself already seems to free up something. Exactly the opposite of my experience with CBT, which just caused more thought and more contraction. I'm wondering if this is something i need help with or i could do myself. If you have an opinion on that i'd love to hear it. Again: thanks so much for sharing this. love, Arjanneke

Kim Ayres said...

Arjanneke - if you go to the labels at the end of this blog post, you'll find one for Mickel Therapy, which will take you to a few other posts about it.

I agree with you about CBT - the solution lies in less cyclical thinking rather than more.

One of the most useful books on Mindfulness I've found is this one - I would highly recommend it:

www.amazon.co.uk/Mindful-Way-Through-Depression-Unhappiness/dp/1593851286/

And this book on Reverse Therapy is not unlike Mickel Therapy - www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0755201620/

I would suggest you see how you get on with these, but don't be afraid to get some help too. Sometimes it's a lot easier if someone else can help guide us, because left to ourselves, there will be a tendency to put it off until another day.

esp said...

Hello Kim

I'll try to make a long story short but it isn't.

mi: Electronics education and work. Amateur athlete.

Had CFS/ME 2003-2006

Found MT, had one phone session with practitioner in Liverpool, began recovery immediately.

Six weeks later I was hiking volcanoes in Oregon, Washington, USA

Two months later participated in Dr. Mickel's first USA training. I wanted to know EVERYTHING about Mickel Therapy so I would never go back to CFS/ME.

Became a practitioner.

2009 went to second training in Denver, Colorado, USA. Protocol changed slightly.

2012 or 2013 Quit. Retired from MT. Most clients were not having symptoms but rather side effects from their many SSRI & psychotropic legal drugs. Frustrating.

Wrote a book about backpacking and hiking and river rafting extracted from my journals.

Dec 2014, got SuperBug Clostridium difficile from a dentist appointment.
Accessed my Mickel Therapy information but this was a hardware problem, not software. Kicked its butt without use of more Western Medicine, no more antibiotics.
Wrote a book about it. http://www.CdiffBook.com

Two months ago, my partner was diagnosed with psoriasis, an autoimmune condition.
Two weeks ago, it really, really got bad and is getting worse each day.
Have found and tried four Elimination Diets and he's been pretty good about what goes into his mouth.
He's lost 15 pounds in a week and a half. He's 70 years old but was physically active. We met hiking 16 years ago.

Four days ago we evolved into an impromptu Mickel Therapy session. He felt a shift in consciousness.
Psoriasis is getting worse.

Last night he expressed that he felt the Mickel Therapy session did something valuable and prompted me to follow that direction rather than food sensitivities.
"Something triggered this autoimmune response. Let's find out how to turn it off. What's it, the hypothalamus?"

I hadn't considered trying to HEAL him with Mickel Therapy because his condition is not included in the Mickel Therapy bundle of conditions, i.e. IBS, Depression, Anxiety, etc.

So i put in the keywords, MICKEL THERAPY PSORIASIS, and found part 2 of this blog.
Thank you for writing this blog. It clearly lays out the process. I am better than 100% now because putting MT into practice taught me how to "use the keys", draw boundaries, communicate and stand up for mySelf. Who else will do it if I won't?

My maiden name was Ayres. My brother is Tom Ayres, (an incredible musician ~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9AMXXnSWro ) and has recently been diagnosed with Chronic Lymphoma Leukemia, another autoimmune disorder, so it would be handy to learn how to treat autoimmune disorders with MT.

Isn't the Universe amazing???

Thank you.

And i remember seeing Part 2 of the YouTube video years ago and felt sad that the brilliant genius of Dr. David Mickel was not shown sweetly in the light.

be well

esp

Kim Ayres said...

Ellen - thank you for taking the time to share your story. So glad the Mickel Therapy worked for you, and for the people you helped. Wishing you and your husband all the very best :)

Candid Kelly said...

Loved these posts, beautifully written. Might give MT a go

Kim Ayres said...

Kelly - glad you found it interesting. Hope all works out for you :)

All content copyright of Kim Ayres. Powered by Blogger.