Guest guest Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 Hi Marsha, well I admit to having strong opinions and here they are! I did have a thorough look over the site and I must say that, to me, it doesn’t sound essentially any different then the CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) that is offered to ME/CFS etc. patients in lieu of actual medical therapies. This kind of thing derives from the (unsubstantiated) idea that we cause our illness with incorrect thinking and negative thought processes. If you read the site, that’s all it is. Not neurological really – (they say this because of the NLP component, an old, aggressive life-coaching method) – but psychological. Things to watch out for in assessing any alternative approach – is it enormously expensive? Is there an online “store” with many more expensive products to get your money? Are there glowing testimonials aplenty to lure you in, but no negative stories or scientific research as to the effectiveness of the method? Is there a guru-ish leader (and corporation head) that everyone adores? Ra-ra seminars designed to get you all enthusiastic? If the therapy does not work for you, do they say it is your own negative thoughts that made it fail? This is nothing new. It is just another example of New Age hucksterism designed to part you from your money. Believe me, I have had ME for a long time, and these techniques come and go, there are hundreds if not thousands similar. If it is so effective in “rewiring the brain”, why do they not talk about it curing MS, Parkinson’s, or other neurological diseases? HMMM…. They are specifically targeting a very vulnerable patient population. I know how desperate it can be, not have access to effective therapies and real treatment, and the constant barrage of docs’ stated or unstated opinions that these diseases are at root “somatisation syndromes”. We all long to get better. I personally have tried almost every alternative method out there…and I am more sick than ever. I continue to work with a wonderful alternative practitioner to minimize the chemical sensitivities and generally support my system through acupuncture, nutrition, and other modalities that have been of help to me. I’m not ill from “negative thoughts”, but because Moderate/Severe ME progresses over time, just like other neurological diseases. If anything, I have negatively impacted the disease by being so hopeful, and being convinced in every remission that I am getting well, and behaving accordingly. I ask you to cast a thought towards Sophia Mirza, Jerry Crum, Kaiser, and untold others who have died from this disease (in the Lightning Process they do not distinguish between ME, CFS, or Fibro, even though they are clinically distinct) as well as Dessin and others lying in agony in end-stage ME. Do you really think this would have cured them? To me, that is an affront to their memory. Just my opinion! If there is anyone on the list who has actually tried this, I would like to hear of their experience. Of course, according to their website, everyone who uses this method is well, so they wouldn’t be here <sigh>. Aylwin xox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 read this on my other m.e. group. thought you should have the other perspective. *Lowestoft Journal Letters*. The Lightning Process may well be " thriving " because of the free advertising it is getting in articles such as this one (*Ex-sufferer champions ME therapy, Lowestoft Journal, 20 June 2008*), featuring Kate Simpson, who sells it on, in pyramid-fashion, after claiming that it brought recovery, at quite miraculous speed, when all other treatments had failed. There is no reliable scientific evidence that the Lightning Process works for any of the conditions listed on its website but it is especially doubtful for M.E. (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), an acknowledged neurological illness, which it heavily exploits with before/after treatment photos in its advertising campaign. The majority of people with the diagnosis M.E. would be able to be amongst those who " travel all over the UK and from abroad " because 25% of them are housebound, or bedridden and the remainder are mostly just not that mobile and are, therefore, it is unlikely that they would " get well with us. " It is unknown and unexplained how the Lightning Process works; it is not approved by any orthodox medical organisation; it has not been independently, scientifically, tested but relies, one-sidedly, on references from former patients - sometimes now turned trainers - who say it worked for them. It is practised by a disparate group of people with diverse and vague qualifications, such as " Life Coach " for example, with no recognised universal standards. The trainers, who are franchised by Lightning Process inventor Phil , in return for a training fee and a percentage of the take, appear to be sworn to secrecy about what will happen in a session, until the patient parts with the money. It's quite a costly business. A session costs as much per hour as some people with M.E., on benefits, have to live on for a week. The final total figure, most often quoted, is £560 but we have heard of people who have paid much larger sums. The Lightning Process relies on faith and on cooperation by the patient so, if the patient says they improved, it is possible to claim success for the Lightning Process but, if the patient complains they are no better, it is possible to say that they were uncooperative or somehow not ready for it. Perhaps, worst of all,it offers false hope that will not be realised in most cases. Lightning Process advocates appear to be equally secretive about the success rate, without relapse, compared with those who remain so ill with M.E. that they may be discounted from the statistics. Yours sincerely drjohngreensmith@... Dr H Greensmith ME Free For All. org Ex-sufferer champions ME therapy (Lowestoft Journal, 20 June 2008) *http://tinyurl.com/62rerw* > > I just read an interesting article in the current " Phoenix Rising " > that talks about the success of Phil 's " lightning process. " > He's in the UK. He has trained Maxine Henk in Vancouver. It may be > available in the US (Boston) in the fall. He takes the approach that > CFS and FM are more like a neurological disorder (like Parkinson's) > and not an immunological dysfunction. He says that the brains of > people with CFS and FM have been wrongly " wired " and his technique > reverses this brain wiring. (www.lightningprocess.com). I read an > astounding story of a young woman in the UK who had extreme CFS and > this process cured her completely! Now, I know that sounds too good > to be true. But: > > Has anyone heard about this? Talked to anybody about it? Tried it? > > Marsha > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 > > I just read an interesting article in the current " Phoenix Rising " > that talks about the success of Phil 's " lightning process. " > He's in the UK. He has trained Maxine Henk in Vancouver. It may be > available in the US (Boston) in the fall. He takes the approach that > CFS and FM are more like a neurological disorder (like Parkinson's) > and not an immunological dysfunction. He says that the brains of > people with CFS and FM have been wrongly " wired " and his technique > reverses this brain wiring. (www.lightningprocess.com). I read an > astounding story of a young woman in the UK who had extreme CFS and > this process cured her completely! Now, I know that sounds too good > to be true. But: > > Has anyone heard about this? Talked to anybody about it? Tried it? > > Marsha > Hi Marsha, Ofcourse this is just my opinion, but....... I think you were right when you said it sounds too good to be true. I am extremely dubious of the so called " lightening process " (named, I believe because it is supposed to cure people so quicky), for several reasons: 1. Any of us who have ME will probably tell that if there is ever a cure, it certainly won't happen virtually overnight, or in under a week, as this is supposed to. Many of us have been ill for more than ten years, all that damaged is not going to be cured quickly.. 2. They charge large amounts of money. 3. Details of this process are extremely sketchy, nobody will actually tell you exactly what it is they do. 4. There have been no clinical trials, or any kind of respectable research go into it. 5. Many of, if not all the well know ME professionals are also very dubious of it. I know it is enormously tempting to believe that there is a quick fix cure out there, but I really do believe that if something sounds too good to be true, that's because it is. Don't let anyone con you into parting with any money for vague promises of a dubious cure. take care, ness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 Like the previous posts, it seems there are still snake oil salesmen that use the internet to get business - mainly because it is cheaper than hay for the horses and new wooden tires for their old buggies. While it seems there aren't going to be quick recoveries, as previously mentioned, it seems we must remain open to the possibility that some people will go into remission and think they are cured until the next time. Like others mentioned, when we start to feel better it is so easy to convince ourselves that this is behind us. While I don't believe in books like " The Secret " that imply all bad things are attracted to us like magnets, I also wonder if that 75% of our unused brain doesn't hold the answers to some of our health. Please understand, I don't mean this is psychological, because it isn't. There is just so much we don't know about untapped portions of the brain. I'm always hopeful that we'll unlock a portion of the mystery that will help us regain our bodies. Until then, keep investigating. Maybe we'll strike gold one of these days. To life! DeAnn > > > > I just read an interesting article in the current " Phoenix Rising " > > that talks about the success of Phil 's " lightning process. " > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 28, 2008 Report Share Posted June 28, 2008 While I'm not familiar with Lightning Process, I wonder if it isn't something like EFT. Search fibromyalgia on www.emofree.com and you will see many cases of fibro getting better or disappearing. This one doesn't cost you anything either. You can learn it for free. Youtube has many videos about EFT so you can learn easy and there are podcasts to follow along by Carol Look. I don't know whether the healing is permanent or if it will need repeated sessions which aren't a problem anyway...safer, faster and cheaper than drugs. I think heavy metals block the energy flow in the body. The meridians all start in the head which is where most of us have dental fillings. I think EFT just gets that flow going again. Maybe Shan can add something more to this topic since she's studied up on it more recently than me. I use it only very occasionally now when I get stressed out. Sharon Hoehner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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