Negative Self Image & CFS

[Recovery Soon]

There are many people posting that CFS is linked to negative self-beliefs.

I have what I consider a very positive self-esteem and image, and am not cured after 2 years on Gupta (though I am better than before I started).

Additionally, I meditated daily for years (8 years) prior to starting Gupta 2 years ago.

I don't really have negative thoughts about myself, and if one rarely pops up, I laugh at it and remind myself of my positive attributes.

I also have a very strong faith and spiritual belief.

Essentially, I am what I consider to be a mentally strong person with high self respect and esteem.

So, I am confused by the idea that my cure is vested in uncovering and changing my negative self beliefs.

I really think I am better off in this area than most "healthy" people.

Somone posted that Gupta said his main issue was that he felt he was not good enough.

But what if this is not your problem? What if you are using all the techniques, mediating, praying, feeling good about yourself, and are still not cured?

How does that scenario fit in with the Gupta theory?

Also...if negative beliefs are the core of the problem, why does CBT (positive self-talk) not clinically work with CFS?

[neil25]

i think it works for some people and not for others. i think you really need to have 100% belief that the threapies work.

[Recovery Soon]

I did believe 100% for the first 8 to 10 months, but it didn't seem to do the trick.

Anyone on the program have any ideas?

Thanks.

[kenvj]

I really think you should consider some other cause for your problem rather than CFS. You don't seem to fit the mold for CFS.
Best Wishes
Ken

[niaholt]

I have never had many negative thoughts myself so this is a bit of a mystery to me too. Since my BP is very high I looked into getting an Emwave device to help with a breathing strategy or PC software that does something to lower it. The distributor told me I have adrenaline running and that is the casue of my BP and it is all coming from negative thoughts.!!!!

I am an old warhorse, many bruises from lifes journey so maybe they are trapped in the subconscious and I have no knowledge they are there..... This is why I am looking in another area....like hypnotherapy. One of the forum members never had negative thoughts so juust did the program anyway and she is over CFS and living normally. Sometimes we just don tknow what we dont know.

[damask-rose]

Well Ashok did emphasise at his seminar that negative thoughts about the body are the ones to get rid of first. That's the main trap keeping us in CFS. It's not that everyone with CFS has low self-esteem, but we all have anxiety about our symptoms.

I think Recovery Soon, that it just takes longer than 6 months to reach full recovery, for many people. I think our nervous systems have been pretty devastated. But it's important to keep going STOPPing every negative thought about the body and every doubt that comes up that the process isn't working. And make the visualisations of glorious health very strong. That's all we can do. As you said, you've made some progress - so I'm sure you'll make more.

I was interested what one poster said about his wife, and how although she didn't have any negative thoughts, she just did the process every hour anyway - and she's made a really good recovery. I've started doing this - well every half-hour - and it's true, it makes me feel much better quickly. Maybe you could try that, RS? Just make it a discipline to do the full process every hour and see if it makes a difference.

[CS1]

If you not having results, you may want to consider:

1) talking to the gupta coach/ trainer
2) having sessions with someone who specialises in using hypnotherapy /NLP for Anxiety to uncover your BLOCKS and RESOLVE them
3) monitoring your stress patterns



Regards
CS

[dukey]

Maybe the problem is CFS isn't in your head. There is another physical reason why you are sick. Manic depressives don't normally suffer from extreme fatigue.

[Alienor]

I would also think that if the ART doesn't help at all that there must be another reason for your problems.

It could be many other things like Lyme disease, celiac disease, other food intolerances, heavy metal poisoning, dental problems... the list is long.

Did you look into these possibilities?

Alienor

[annie]

For myself, I find that if, at step 6, I can really FEEL the condition I am aiming for, in my body, in my head, in my heart, it has a more beneficial effect. Sometimes I can feel an undercurrent of doubt or other negative feelings going on, and I cannot shift that. I can start again as Ashok advises but usually the same negative sensation is still present. It can be so insidious. Keep going you never know, you might be on the very verge of a breakthrough. Good luck.

[annie]

Just re-reading the newsletter sent out by Ashok on sept. 7th. on page 3, at the bottom, he refers to people who don't think they have negative thoughts or thoughts about the body, talks about it and refers them to page 31 in the book, the 3rd paragraph. don't know if this is helpful, i do have negative thoughts, i know i do, but thought this might be worth looking at for you.
best wishes

[java]

I know how frustrating that is. If you've tried everything else, there is a course at the Hoffman Institute. If you do have any buried issues, this will find it and resolve it. I know this sounds like a commercial, but most people who take the course go there thinking they have themselves figured out, and leave feeling like it was the best thing they ever did for themselves. It has been using the same system for many decades, and achieves amazing results. If you do want to check it out, go to their website and read a bit. I would never tell someone what to do because I am not you. I just wanted to leave the info in case it was of any use. Hope you find something that works for you. Java.

[Recovery Soon]

Thanks for the well wishes and good suggestions.

To address some of the points made- there is no question that I have CFS. My symptoms are the same as everyone else's, I have ruled out all other conditions, and have been diagnosed by 3 separate physicians (my current one is in the top 5 US CFS Doctors).

As far as applying the technique hourly- I think that goes against the grain of the amygdala theory. If you do the STOP technique randomly, and not consistently towards negative body/CFS thoughts, the rewiring is not really occurring in response to anything. It must be done consistently in response to the amygdala firing it order to retrain the amygdala. That's my take on it.

And for the coaching- I've gotten coaching from Ashok himself, and it didn't seem to help much. I received an initial benefit from the program, largely I think, because the negativity is so bad when you live with CFS that introducing positivity is bound to reap benefits. For this reason, I think the Gupta program would help with any illness.

As for stress, I have meditated for years prior to contracting CFS, and go on week long silent meditation retreats where there is nothing but meditation from sun up to sun down. During these times I experience the most profound peace you could imagine for days on end, and yet the symptom onset follows the same pattern as always.

In any event, I believe I have done everything a person can do in consistently applying these techniques, and taken all reasonable steps to reduce stress, short of quitting my life and moving into a cave (which itself would be stressful), and I just don't know how much else there is for me to do, or undo, in order to bring about a true recovery.

Yet, I do maintain the possibility, as some pointed out (which I very much appreciate) that the recovery could be very subtle, and I may be closer than I think. It's just difficult to draw the line sometimes between blind faith and being a realist.

Right now, for me to say that I am consistently getting better would be a lie. It would be truthful to say I am not getting any worse, and that the Gupta program initially got me better than I was, and that I haven't backslided much from that point.

The next step may be that Stress Eraser Biofeedback machine someone posted about. Maybe being more in touch with my parasympathetic system throughout the day might be one more portal in to help recorrect my system.

Yet, if the hour plus of meditation a day, and the STOP, STOP, STOPS are not doing it, I'm not sure what else can be humanly done.

Thanks again for the suggestions. I appreciate the kind and wise words.

[neil25]

hi there, it sounds like you've been doing a lot to help your recovery. It really surprises me that you got cfs if you were doing yoga previously. i thought the main reason as ashok says in his dvd is that cfs is caused by stress and i know at the time when i got cfs i was extremly stressed and generally i stressed person. ive being doing the program not consistently like yourself. i mainly use the short stop techinique when i think of negative thought but not all the time. i found that using the soften and flow technique has helped me tremendously, my body is so calm when i use it i dont get as much pain now as i used to unless i over do it.

[Recovery Soon]

I am surprised too. Admittedly, I did have a lot of stress when CFS first kicked in....I was taking on way too much, and pushing myself beyond healthy boubdaries. Foolishly, I thought my daily meditation practice would immunized me from any problems.

Don't get me wrong, the meditation helps now. But by help, I feel it prevents a backside. It is not, as I can detect, bringing me closer to not having CFS. As an example, post exertional malaise (as it relates to exercise) has not subsided to any degree I can tell, which is a real shame, because the cycle of exercise (in a non-CFS person) releases endorphins, which are very healthy, lower stress, and greatly improve one's sense of self.

I feel that if I could maintain a daily or couple times a week exercise program, that the benefits from it would push me over the hump to recovery. In essence that would really retrain the amygdala.

My body is strong enough to exercise now...it's just the reaction afterwards that is as yet, unavoidable, regardless of how otherwise healthy I might feel on a particular day.

Also, interesting to note, is that I switched careers with this condition. I had a high paying creative career with CFS, which I switched in favor of teaching to allow my body the summers off to heal. This past summer of not working did not provide any additional health benefits that I could detect.