My Story
Educator, Author, and Healing Guide who is navigating life with Fibromyalgia
My personal fibromyalgia healing journey began thirty years ago. When I was diagnosed in 1989, there was minimal information available and no approved medications. I was single, a registered nurse, and had limited financial reserves. My mindset, during the early years, was denial while I witnessed my health steadily decline and I persistently pushed against my body to perform “normally.” By the 6th year, I reached a crossroads as I saw clear signs that I was slipping into depression. It was then I finally acknowledged there were undeniable changes in my body’s well-being. My longing for a return to quality of life was my motivation to begin taking new action.
This was the first of several crossroads prompting me to begin taking steps to discover and claim my own power in support of my healing. I learned there was an active Fibromyalgia research team at the Oregon Health Sciences University nearby in Portland, OR. I began attending their biennial public conferences to learn about latest research findings. This gave me a starting point for exploring how I might move forward in new ways.
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My journey has repeatedly returned to lifestyle choices and fostering a mindset that supports healing and wholeness. A foundational piece, for me, was discovering that we have the capacity to modulate our nervous system’s stress response. Hyper-arousal in the “fight or flight” stress response is a key malfunction in those of us living with Fibromyalgia. I learned ways to help modulate this response from the extensive neuroscience studies related to mindfulness practices. Mindfulness was first introduced into US healthcare in 1979 at the University of Massachusetts Stress Reduction Center. Having access to a practice (there’s a variety of forms) to help calm hyper-arousal in the stress response is a valuable resource since this dysfunction perpetuates many of the symptoms of Fibromyalgia via a domino effect in other systems of the body.
Other key contributors along my journey to regaining quality of life have included the complementary therapies of acupuncture, chiropractic care, body-focused trauma release therapy, modified yoga, and exploring meaningful and playful ways to express my creative energy and nurture my sources of joy.
Quality of life became my measuring stick for choosing what to keep in my life and what to let go. This wasn’t always easy, but my body kept me honest to the process. I often refer to my body as my personal “barometer of truth". My present life is grounded in much deeper personal meaning and in choices that nourish my wholeness. I can truly say that fibromyalgia has been my most honest and profound teacher for discovering what is of greatest meaning to me. This experience, though full of challenges, has led me step by step to a deeper reverence for life, for my body, and for my wholeness as a human being. During my healthcare career, I had read more than once that serious illness can be a powerful catalyst for discovering more of who we truly are. I have experienced this to be true.
Other key contributors along my journey to regaining quality of life have included the complementary therapies of acupuncture, chiropractic care, body-focused trauma release therapy, modified yoga, and exploring meaningful and playful ways to express my creative energy and nurture my sources of joy.
Quality of life became my measuring stick for choosing what to keep in my life and what to let go. This wasn’t always easy, but my body kept me honest to the process. I often refer to my body as my personal “barometer of truth". My present life is grounded in much deeper personal meaning and in choices that nourish my wholeness. I can truly say that fibromyalgia has been my most honest and profound teacher for discovering what is of greatest meaning to me. This experience, though full of challenges, has led me step by step to a deeper reverence for life, for my body, and for my wholeness as a human being. During my healthcare career, I had read more than once that serious illness can be a powerful catalyst for discovering more of who we truly are. I have experienced this to be true.
