Stan’s next session was so fascinating that I just had to share it with you.  How wise can a 21 year old be?  Find out by reading this (condensed) session:

Therapist:  How are you doing today Stan?

Stan:  I’m good.  I woke up to the sound of birds.  I’ve been waiting all winter for this.  Spring can come now.  I just love it.

I’m good.  I guess I’m kind of sad though.  Looking from the outside in I see that my mother and father are just so different.  They are two people that developed in their careers and professions.  They both love what they do.  They couldn’t be happier in what they are doing.

But after 30 years together they are so distant from each other.  I feel like they wasted so much of their lives with each other.  It makes me really sad.  They are always upset with each other.  They go through the same fights over and over.  For as long as I remember it’s the same cycle over and over.

When they were younger they focused on us kids.  It was family work.  Now they are left with each other and they are either fighting or are distant.  I see now that it is not just my brother’s passing.  It’s the choices they made in their life.

People go through so many changes in 30 years of marriage.  They tried but in the end it was such a waste of time.  Me and my brother know it.  I wish I could make them happy, but I can’t.

The way she is, I know what I can and can’t say.  And that is kind of sad.

Therapist:  When you and your brother move out of the house they will be left alone to face each other.  There will be no distraction.  We will see what they do with each other then.

Stan:  Even as a couple they are very lonely people.  Especially Mom.  She wants more out of Dad and he just doesn’t have the emotional capacity.

Mom always looked for more.  Look, it’s not my relationship, but it’s depressing to see such good people living out their lives of misery.

Therapist:  Do you think their unhappy marriage was in any way connected to your brother’s suicide?

Stan:  No.  He wasn’t happy with himself, his medical condition.  He loved his girlfriend but he felt he could never provide for her the way he wanted to.  Maybe the family stressors played a part, but it wasn’t the cause.

He wanted our parents to be proud of him.  It meant so much to him – not so much for me.  I never needed that, but he relied on them.

I wish Mom could see the reality of her relationship.  You know the truth?  Their relationship wasn’t a waste.  The two of them raised three good kids!  It’s just so lonely to watch them.

Therapist:  What lessons have you learned from how your Mom and Dad have conducted their relationship?

Stan:  It keeps me reminded.  It’s why I’m not dating.  It reminds me that I won’t marry because it’s “time” or because other people my age are getting married.  I will know when it’s right.  If it’s not there, it’s not there.

Therapist:  I know what you mean!  That’s what happened to me when I met my husband.  It truly was love at first sight.

Stan:  That’s what I want.  I don’t want to waste my time.  I feel that a lot of people choose comfort over love.  I want to experience love to its fullest potential.  Most people don’t really think about what they are doing and why they are doing it.

If “society” says it time to get married, I like this person enough, I am comfortable, let’s get married – what does this really have to do with the real you?  It’s like society “dumbs us down”.  Am I over-thinking here?

Therapist:  Not at all.  You are looking deeply into your feelings and what really matters to you.  You are considering the long term.

Stan:  Like my brother’s friend.  He’s been with this girl for 10 years, since Junior High School.  Their relationship already shows signs of dysfunction. He is so easy going.  He jokes around and is so much fun.  That’s the very thing that she hates about him.  Sooner or later he is going to resent her for sucking the life out of him.

I just want to shake him.  “Don’t do it!”  “What are you doing?!”

Yes, I know marriage is work. You will have ups and downs, but if you make the wrong choice, you are divorced and you just haven’t signed the papers yet!

If you don’t see it, I can’t make you see.  As for me, It would be nice for me to get married and have kids, but if I don’t I will be fine.  It’s OK.  There are plenty of kids to adopt.  Marriage is not something I expect of myself.

Therapist:  You are very wise.

Stan:  What I wish is that if I want to marry that I ask my family and friends to give me the most honest appraisal of what they see, and what they recommend for me.  They may see something I don’t.  I will listen and take seriously into account what they see.

You know what I think?  Comfort is dangerous!  It is the enemy to being true to yourself if you don’t really love at the same time.

The sun is shining today.  Summer is on the way.   Haa-haa.  I love the sun.  I love living…..

This young man is determined to find his truth and follow it.  Through the pain, suffering and loss he has gained a deep wisdom that has allowed him to forge a path of integrity and authentic love.  He has found a way to honor himself in a way that will not compromise his need for true and honest love.

What a joy to see him grow and find his true self.

Cynthia

Many of you have never been in therapy.  Maybe you wonder what it would be like.  You may be curious about the kind of interactions that take place, and what can be expected.  Here is one example of a successful therapy.  If you noticed my write-up on the home page of this website, I outlined the trends associated with the beginning, middle and end phases.  This is an example of a session in the latter phase of therapy where lessons have been learned and integrated.  The learning is not over, the challenges will continue, but this person has the tools that he was missing before.

So here is an inside look at the process.  Remember, each person is unique, each session is unlike any other.  Here is one hour in the life of a therapist and patient:

Therapist.  Hi Stan.  How are you doing today?

Stan.  I’m still doing well.  Though it has been difficult to adjust to a life without chaos.  I actually feel selfish because things are going so well.  The one thing I wanted I’m getting.  I have my mother back in my life and we are getting along just like we used to, only better. Better now than ever…. It’s hard to live without stress.  It’s a learning curve.  Ironically, it’s the hardest part!

T. Harder than the chaos that you lived through?

S.  It’s like climbing out of the mental web that I built. I became so accustomed to  chaos dominating my day.  It’s weird now.  I have to be conscious all the time or I get caught back up in how I was, in how I reacted and felt then

It’s hard being here now because my mind constructs a pattern of  how to deal with the pain and chaos, even though my present life is good.

Like I drank this weekend.  I stopped for so long and it felt good, but then I got together with the guys and I went for it.  I drank.  I had a decent time but yesterday I felt so bad that I wasted my time.  I felt bad about myself.

Last night Mom and I talked.  She was rational and made so much sense.  She was calm and listened to me.  She walked me through it just like she used to.  It was so helpful.  She said, “Don’t worry” and I felt better! I told her I need reminders that it’s OK, that I’m OK.

At times I feel like I’m 30 or 40 years old.  The last three years felt like a lifetime.  With my brother’s suicide I went crazy, and the whole family broke down.  Now I see kids my age and they have moved on, they are farther along in college than me.  My life spiraled down into the depths, while their educational life took off.

That’s what I told Mom, and she told me, “What is the alternative?”  It made me stop.  She said it all evens out.

T.  That is so wise.  And you took it in?

S.  Yea, but I’m impatient.   I realize I have so much work to do.  And Mom kept on reminding me, “You’re only 21″.  But I don’t feel 21.  I’m in a mental marathon and it consumes me sometimes…. I guess I’m a work in progress….  But I did one thing right:  I asked for help before I started to spiral out of control.  I knew I started to freak and I just asked for help.

T.  Good for you.  You are starting a new pattern.

S.  Sometimes I feel like I live two different lives.  I’m here, then I jump ahead in my mind.  Like, where will I be in two years?  How will I ever do it?  When I said that to Mom, she said, “Be here now, be in this semester, breathe.”

T.  Great advice again.

S.  Now I have room to breathe.  I have room to think because we aren’t in the misery and anger and chaos anymore.  Ever since I wrote her that letter about how I really felt, it all changed.

Now I have a desire.  I am starting to think about being in a good relationship.  Before this, I was so messed up I felt I couldn’t put a woman through the complications.  My life was just too complicated.  So I decided just not to be with anyone.  For years, it wasn’t even a choice.

T.  But something is happening to you now, something is opening up so you are starting to want a connection, a real connection.

S.  But is it really possible?  And would it be positive?

T.  Absolutely!  If you are thinking these thoughts, then you are getting ready to let in someone special.  In some areas “if you don’t use it you loose it.”  Not in this area.  You have the capacity to love, and now that you have worked through your loss, you are beginning to move on, and you are ready to open up to love.  And to Now!

S.  Really??!!  This makes me feel hopeful that you say that.

T.  Yes, and when you feel ready you will send out a wavelength, a vibration – just like you can feel the energy of someone who quietly stands behind you.  And you will attract someone of the same wavelength.

S.  Ahh…  Just like in the song, “Wavelength,” by Van Morrison!

T. Right!!!  It took healing with your mother and accepting the loss of your brother to be ready and open for a relationship.

S.  I want to marry a woman who is like the best of my mother;  someone who is strong, assertive, who is an individual with her own thoughts.   I don’t want a passive and compliant woman.  The way my Mom brought me up I have a healthy respect for women.

I realize that lately I’ve been thinking about writing about my experiences and what a young person goes through when they loose a family member to suicide, and what the family goes through.  Then I wonder, who would care?  But then I say, wait, so many people have to deal with the suicide of a family member or friend.  I could write from the perspective of a young person who had to live through it.

T.  I didn’t realize that you had thoughts of writing about this.  I encourage you to start taking notes.  It doesn’t have to be in sequence, just jot down what comes to mind and you can pull it together later.  That is a fantastic idea.

S.  Yea, I have this urge to visit high schools and to be real and talk about my experiences, to give kids an idea about the consequences of a suicide, how it affects others.  Coming from a young person it could be more powerful.

T.  Absolutely!

S.  Even if I changed one mind, it would be worth it

T.  You have transformed your own pain into the gift of giving to others your hard won wisdom and love. I am so proud of you.

S.  And I realize that I need to learn how to become a man!  I like that my Mom taught me and was the one who brought me up.  I feel that that transformation will be complete when college is done.  Then I will enter life as a man.  I know I have the perfect formula.

I want to become a wise person who is positive and helpful.  I feel like I’ve already done the hard part.  The next part is in accepting how well things are going.  Now I need to accept the calmness.

I see that If I can put it together I have the potential to be a positive force in the world.  It’s hard as hell.  All I can do is hope and stay focused.  I couldn’t have done it without you.

T.   Congratulations.  You are transforming now into the person you have always wanted to be.  I am so honored to have helped.

So that is one session.  This is one hour in the life of a therapist and one patient!  Sounds too good to be true?  Actually, no.  This session is the culmination of years of hard work.  So young, yet he has worked through so much pain and loss, and transformed in a most amazing way.  This session is a literal transcription.  Amazing isn’t it?  Amazing but true.

Cynthia

I have been researching the work of Dietrict Klinghardt, MD, PhD, for months now, seeking to understand his overall approach and underlying assumptions.  He has been synthesizing traditional and alternative medicine for over 30 years.  He has studied medicine, psychology and spirituality with an over-reaching high level of integrative intelligence .  He has studied the effect of heavy metals, environmental pollutants and electromagnetic effects on the human body. He seeks to understand the underlying factors of dis-ease and share his wisdom with us all.  His work is comprehensive, broad-reaching and at times, erudite.

Dr. Klinghardt is a neurobiologist, an integrative physician and is a leading proponant of holistic treatment. He studies the nervous system in an interdisciplinary way that involves other disciplines such as psychology, computer science, statistics, physics, philosophy and medicine.    He is a fierce advocate for patient self-care; he publishes and teaches his approach in America and Europe to educate us about prevention and natural treatments  so that we all have access to the means of cleansing, balancing and healing ourselves.   His work is , in many respects, consistent with other naturopathic physicians in that he seeks to assist the human body to function optimally through the use of herbs, homeopathic medicine and lifestyle changes.  He has added an energy medicine component for both diagnosis and treatment and is in the forefront in proposing this ancient, and at the same time, newest and most promising approach to healing.

The foundation of his approach is based on his understanding of the five levels of healing. While in India about 30 years ago he went to a lecture given by a Guru (wise man) who talked about an ancient  (12,000 years old) Tibetan philosophy based on an understanding of humans as beings comprised of five different levels: the physical, the electromagnetic, the mental, the intuitive body, and the spirit body.  All but the physical are invisible to the human eye, although some people can “see”, feel or sense fields of energy relating to the other, usually invisible aspects.

The premise that is most fascinating for our purposes is that in order to be well, all levels of the human being must be healed.  This is so because the physical aspect of us is the materiel manifestation of all the other components.  The other four layers interpenetrate with the physical and affect the health of the physical being.

Let’s reference each of these layers and briefly touch on how each of these layers relate to illness.  Let’s say that a person has been diagnosed with Lyme disease.  On a physical level it means that bacterial organisms are multiplying in the body, moving to different parts of the body, generating neuro-toxins which cause symptoms in their own right.  It may be that the physical body has been diagnosed with heavy metal toxicity, for example, mercury, and that the toxins need to be cleared so that the body may more effectively fight it’s battle against the bacterial invaders.  This is the world of orthomolecular and allopathic medicine.  On this level antibiotics may be prescribed to kill off the unwanted organisms, detoxifying herbs given for clearing out the neuro-toxins and by-products of the die-off.

On the second level, the electromagnetic level, it may be seen that the patient has developed an inflammatory response (physical level) that produces inflamed, painful energy in response to the direct effect of the bacteria, or the by-products of their living and dying. This energy may be present in the physical mass of muscles, joints,or organs.  Since pain causes us to contract, resist or avoid, that energy may become stuck or constricted.  Within this model, healing energy work, such as Reiki, Hands on Healing, acupuncture, reflexology, or (in Dietrict Klinghart’s lexicon) Autonomic Response testing may be used.  Through the movement and clearing out of painful, inflamed energy the void is then filled with the natural life force within all human beings; it then has a chance to flow and heal.  Note:  according to this model, the layers below (in this case the physical) are affected positively.

On the third level, the mental body, unresolved emotional conflict creates a disturbance in (what is known in neuroscience as) the bio-photon field which surrounds the body, and is generated by the DNA.

Neuro-science tells us that short term memory is tracked in brain circuitry (first level); according to this way of understanding the human, long term and extrasensory perceptions reside in the energy field that surrounds the body- the physical brain is seen as a “tuner” for memory storage. 

Fritz-Albert Popp, a German physicist pioneered research about the vibrational nature of our cells, and is reported to have confirmed the existence of biophotons which emit tiny quantities of light.  We are beginning to understand how these invisible entities communicate complex information and orchestrate metabolic function.  For details about this go to mercola.com to see an interview of Klinghardt on the subject – fascinating!)

If this Lyme disease patient were to enter into psychotherapy there may be found traumatic, unresolved issues in their own life history, or in the family history that may have been passed on.  This unresolved history is held in the field of energy that surrounds the physical body.  By facing and resolving this (conscious, unconscious or sub-conscious) pain, that then allows a flow and healing of the energy body that would otherwise weigh down or inhibit full healing.

The forth level of healing is identified as the Intuitive body.  It is realm of the shaman, the religious, the spiritual, and your metaphysical experiences.  Dr. Klinghardt postulates that on this level unresolved conflict and trauma from a person’s past and from their history can generate physical illness.  Unless these traumas are faced and resolved, they may act out these unresolved issues in spite of a medical approach dealing only with the physical body.

So for our purposes, with this same Lyme disease patient, if this person, for example, had parents or grandparents who were sexually or physically abused, the unresolved trauma may be carried on the the person’s memory/field of energy;  unless faced, mourned and the associated feelings of anger, rage and despair are released, the effects of the trauma are played out in the present.  Klinghardt developed something he calls Family Constellation work to delve into the family history and therapeutically identify and resolve the trauma.

Our Lyme patient may receive the best treatment for the physical components of Lyme disease, but, according to this model, the patient will be vulnerable to continued illness unless this “contaminating” emotional disability is healed through psychotherapy, family therapy or other uncovering and healing teahniques.

The fifth level of healing, the individual’s connection to the divine, is deeply personal, and is the most important and largest part of the human being.  This is the level of self-healing and relates to the “highest self”.

Klinghardt’s premise is that illness can originate on any of the four lower levels and unless the source of the illness is healed disease will be resistant to healing, or it may transform into another form of disease.  Illness that is treated symptomatically but that does not treat the actual cause of the illness is short-sited and will likely be unsuccessful.

This concludes my summary of Dr. Klinghardt’s work.  I hope you have found it as stimulating and as interesting as I have.  Please let me know what your thoughts are, and send along any questions you may have!

Cynthia

Hello everyone,

Beginning on Thursday November 19th, 2009 a new support group will be held at the Old Lyme Town Hall.  Meetings will be held the third Thursday of every month at 6:30 PM in the beautiful new setting of Town Hall.  Meetings will be chaired by Cynthia M Chase, MSW, LCSW and Kelly Smith, Lyme Advocate.  We welcome all of you to come and share your stories, bring your questions and bring your loved ones.  If you are a caregiver, friend or relative of someone with Lyme, you are welcome.  this disease affects everyone who comes in contact with the one who is ill.

Hello, I decided to publish my notes in preparation for a presentation to those who are caring for someone who is ill, with Lyme disease, cancer, or any life-altering or life threatening illness.   The presentation will occur tonight, November the 5th at 6:30 at Bacchus Hospital in Norwich, Connecticut under the auspice of LymeLink.  I hope you will find it helpful and give you the support you need and deserve as you care for your loved one.  Since these are shorthand notes, if you have questions or want further elaboration, please blog or write!

• How do we really take care of ourselves, what does this really mean?

A.  Physical care for the caretaker

• A day in the (ideal) life
• Sleep – six to eight hours per day; create a sleep sanctuary, low electric magnetic frequency in room, no light, shades to keep out light, replace light emitting electronics, regular bedtime, natural bedding and covers, animals in the bed or room?, earplugs, (for you or partner, sleep apnea?)eye covers, cotton pajamas or no clothing, no TV in bedroom, no drinks after 6, dinner as early as possible, light dinner, heavier meal at lunch, warm shower or Epsom salt bath before bedtime, soothing CD to assist with relaxation, herbal tea to promote relaxation – not too late, melatonin, valarian, hops, liquorish, combination teas for sleeping, routine, calming ritual, foot bath/soak (Epsom salt), sit back on neck or back massager in chair
• Awakening – natural or alarmed? if alarmed, can it be soft, gradual? Or a combination of increasing natural light with carefully chosen music, hot-cold shower, glove scrubber, gentle, pure soap to reduce allergen challenge,  pure shampoos, other personal products, stretch neck in shower with hot water on neck, left and right, then forward (Yoga stretch), focus on stress and worry flowing down your body and down the drain – takes no additional time,
• Dry brushing with a natural bristle brush all over your body, all in the direction of your heart
• Neti pot – nasal lavage – 2 times per day to prevent colds, flu, sinus infections, nose bleeds, ear infections, etc.
• Frequent hand washing with warm water and soap (no need for anti-bacterial agents, can create rebound)
• Dental health critical – electric tooth brush preferred; regular dental appointments and cleanings
• Regular health check-ups
• Weekly or bi-weekly massage, Energy healing
• Daily moderate exercise at a regular time (15-20 minutes a day, at least three times per week); mix and match

1. Yoga – physical, emotional, spiritual practice – all encompassing life style
2. Walking – can be gently aerobic, easy on joints, can use iPod with uplifting music, mood elevating; running if conditioned, though this is potentially more dangerous
3. Biking (spinning classes)
4. Pilates – combination of Yoga and western type exercising – but be careful for pulling muscles
5. Swimming – excellent all over exercise; aqua classes are gently aerobic and strengthening as well as social
6. Jacuzzi, hot tub – toxin release
7. Sauna – toxin release
8. Steam room – toxin release – all are stress reducers

• Diet

1. Andrew Weil’s anti-inflammatory diet
2. Blood Type Diet
3. Drink ½ your body weight in ounces (if you weigh 120 lbs, drink 60 oz per day) – spring or filtered water
4. How much did you weight at age 20-25?  Was that your ideal weight?  Gradual restitution of body balance fosters the body’s self-healing
5. Focus on fresh, organic vegetables and some fruits – nurturing for the body, and detoxifying
6. Garlic, garlic, garlic
7. Focus on whole foods (foods that your grandmother would have recognized as food) – do you know what processed food is?  In my lifetime:  processed foods, genetically modified, chemicalized, denatured, dyed, bleached, enriched, stripped, hormone-fed, artificial fertilizers, artificial ingredients with names you can’t pronounce.  Read the labels, keep it simple and natural.  Introduce more raw foods into your diet – vita-mix and juicing; if our body does not “recognize” food substitutes, it turns to fat and cellulite (pollution)
8. Do not cook with aluminum pans; rather use cast iron or enamel covered pans
9. Use some Himalayan or Celtic seas salt:  provides micro-nutrients – composition is compatible with our body composition
10. Some animal and fish protein – organic and free range – very important.  Have less but of better quality – same money
11. Substitute natural sweets for white, cane, processed sugar; eliminate foods containing xxx corn sweetener xxx – molasses, local honey to reduce allergies, fruit, naturally dried fruit, 85% cacao chocolate
12. Moderate caffeine usage (excessive caffeine restricts blood flow to the brain, lowers cognitive function and can exacerbate emotional and mental health problems.)
13. Introduce green tea to promote focus, and enhance anti-oxidant function
14. Greens in powdered for capsule form helpful in detoxing
15. Moderate alcohol consumption of red wine with meals
16. Celebrate with each meal!  Candles at the dinner table, pleasant table talk, social time, or if alone, celebrate with yourself.

C.  Mental, Psychological, Emotional Care for the Caretaker

• The Dark Side:

1. My state of happiness depends on you; if you are well, then I will be OK
2. I love you
3. You matter more than me
4. I am unworthy of care and love
5. I am a function of giving
6. I do not honor my individual self
7. I am here for you
8. I am a machine; I can give unconditionally without regard to my own resources
9. I can do anything out of Love for you regardless of my own needs
10. I have no needs, it’s all about you
11. You first
12. Me last
13. I deny my exhaustion, pain, fear, need
14. I insist I can do this
15. I have no time for caring for myself
16. I am too busy, I have too much to do
17. Doing is more important than being
18. Love is a one way street, for now
19. My time will come, but I can’t think about that now
20. I numb myself in order to keep on going
21. I am helpless to heal you
22. I cannot control your illness, so I feel out of control
23. I want to fix you so you will feel better, then I will feel better
24. I am overwhelmed
25. I find myself compulsively engaging in pleasurable but dangerous behavior
26. I get irritable and tired, but I must ignore it
27. I feel like I am being used and victimized
28. No one is taking care of me and I resent it
29. I am sacrificing myself and no one even notices it
30. I don’t feel appreciated
31. I resent that others are not helping out
32. Why am I always the one that others rely upon?
33. Why do I have to do it all?
34. I am angry, but feel guilty about it
35. I shouldn’t be feeling what I am feeling
36. I love you, but now you are becoming a burden
37. When will it be over?
38. I want out
39. Guilt, guilt, guilt
40. I hate you
41. I hate myself for hating you
42. I should be a better person
43. I deserve punishment for being so mean, irritable and hateful
44. I don’t feel well
45. I am tired
46. I have pain and misery
47. I feel isolated and alone
48. I can’t tell anyone about these dark thoughts and feelings
49. If I did they would see through me
50. I would be rejected for the selfish person I am
51. I feel like giving up
52. Stop being a baby
53. Buck up
54. Get over yourself
55. I am hungry
56. I am tired
57. I want to disappear

• The Light Side

1. I love myself
2. I love you
3. I deserve time for myself every day
4. I nurture myself for me
5. I nurture myself so that I can share my love and care for you
6. I consciously work at balance in my life
7. I tune into my feelings and my body
8. I identify compulsive behaviors and begin a recovery program
9. I am aware of what defenses I use, and use them consciously as I need them, not automatically
10. I identify and express my feelings in a healthy, assertive manner
11. I avoid extreme and all or nothing thinking
12. I challenge rigid thinking and seek to expand my consciousness
13. I key into my body to check for somatic feelings so I can know what I am feeling
14. I recognize boundaries and maintain boundaries with others
15. I stop trying to control and fix others. I give less advise and fewer explanations
16. I treasure myself
17. I eat well, I exercise and relax every day
18. I honor the different parts of me: wife, husband, daughter, son, mother, father, aunt, uncle, colleague, student, friend, worker, chef, housewife
19. I honor the physical, mental, psychological and spiritual aspects of myself
20. I remember that I am larger than any one moment
21. I swim, walk, meditate, dance, pray
22. I get massages, energy work, other healing on a regular basis
23. I watch funny movies
24. I nurture my creativity
25. I remember what play is; I play
26. I learn to trust myself
27. I love you
28. I care for you
29. My cup floweth over and I joyfully share what I have with you
30. I say No so I can say yes
31. I talk to you (as appropriate) about my feelings and needs
32. I honor your strength and gifts and ask for your help in the ways that you can give
33. In so doing, that strengthens you
34. I confront you if you become abusive or irritable with me
35. I offer “in your face compassion” if that is what is needed
36. I protect myself from abusive and destructive relationships.
37. I focus on what people do, not what they say:  reality
38. Therapy helps at an impasse

D.  Spiritual Care for the Caretaker

1. I express gratitude for the gifts of life
2. I practice surrender to a higher power
3. I pray (talk to Spirit) and meditate (I listen to Spirit) daily – start out with just 5 minutes—up to 30 minutes
4. I walk the earth and feel connection with the force of nature, and accept solace from that connection
5. I practice living in the present, being here now
6. I practice compassion and forgiveness for myself and others
7. I open myself to intimacy and tenderness in my relationships
8. I practice the art of “seeing” the beauty in nature, art, music
9. I remember that this, too, will pass
10. I remember that I, and we are part of the whole
11. I surrender to Spirit and ask for help
12. I remember that I am not alone

Namaste,

Cynthia

I would like to acknowledge the hard work and commitment that my friend, Kelly Smith offers to the Lyme community.  It is though her review of current publications, her attendance at numerous meetings, and her tireless research that I am able to offer to you the best information available on this website.  Thanks Kelly!

BIOFILM:  A NEW HIDEOUT FOR BORRELLIA BURGDORFERI

It is as though Dr.Eva Sapi is on a Safari in the deepest jungle in Africa.  She is mapping out a totally unknown area of the world filled with dangerous animals, new forms of life never seen by man (or woman) and she is armed only with her microscope.  She is in this reality Eva Sapi, Ph.D., assistant professor of cellular and molecular biology at the University of New Haven, Connecticut.  Her brand new article in the Lyme Times summarizes her research on an entity called biofilm.  A rather dry word, but an amazing concept.  For those of us lay persons interested in Lyme disease and co-infections and why it appears that some people have chronic infection the concept is revolutionary in its possibilities.

Here is how it works:  the research shows that when enough microbes gather they begin to adhere to each other or to living or inert surfaces.  These organisms then communicate to each other and start a change in “gene expression” that allows the cells to produce something called “exopolysaccharide” which becomes a “protective matrix“.

Like a moat which surrounds the castle it provides protection from attacking forces – like phagocytes or antibacterial agents!  Not only that, German scientists  using  marine bacteria identified that this biofilm actually is capable of  releasing a paralyzing agent.  “It appears that biofilm is not just a defensive fortress, it can also fight back.”

Dr. Sapi in conjunction with Dr. Alan MacDonald has recently worked “in vitro” to study biofilm formation of Borrelia burgdorferi. In her words:  “In summary, if we can demonstrate that biofilm structure of Borrelia burgdorferi renders them resistant to antibiotics, it could provide a logical explanation as to why extensive antibiotic treatment for patients with a tick-bite history could fail.  The end result from our study could provide novel therapeutic approaches for Lyme literate physicians to explore for chronically ill patients”

Please go to lymetimes.org for the above-reviewed article in its entirety and join to receive the most up-to-date research and support.

Cynthia

Untreated or delayed treatment of  Lyme disease or coinfections can lead to spirochete involvement in the brain. Some researchers believe that bacteria may migrate to the brain even early on in the infection.

Many psychiatric  and neurological conditions can manifest in degrees ranging from mild to severe.  It is critical that treating professionals and patients themselves understand that this medical condition may be at the bottom of clinical manifestations of conditions such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks, mood swings that may mimic bi-polar disorder, sleep disorders, Attention Deficit Disorder, Autism-like disorder, rage and impulse disorders, psychosis, seizures and cognitive losses.

Dr. Robert Bransfield, a Lyme-literate psychiatrist from Red Hook, New Jersey has developed an amazing and comprehensive neuropsychiatric evaluation.  What makes it ground-breaking is that he understands what happens to the brain and mind from the inside-out.  He tracks common neurological and psychiatric conditions that can be associated with Lyme and associated illnesses.

This is not a blaming, as in “It’s all in your head.”  This is a validation and understanding that bacterial invasion into the body and brain can produce unusual and unexpected effects that color the way we feel, sense and experience the world.

By discretely and in a detailed way tracking the inner world, he allows the patient to understand how these strange and seemingly unconnected pains, feelings, thoughts and experiences are tied to a physical illness that demands healing – not just one-dimensional medical treatment.

Here is a description of Dr. Bransfield’s evaluation:

Cognitive symptoms that are commonly associated with Lyme disease and other coinfections are associated with:

A.  Attention span:

• Is sustained attention possible?
• Can attention be prioritized and allocated in an effective way?
• Is attention easily distracted by frustration?
• Is attention distracted by excessive sensitivity to auditory stimulation?
• Is attention distracted by visual stimulation?
• Is attention distracted by tactile stimulation?
• Is attention distracted by olfactory stimulation?

B.  Memory

• Can information be kept in the mind long enough to complete problem solving?
• Can awareness be maintained of structures in surrounding space?
• Can information be recalled that was learned in prior years?
• Is information stored correctly in the mind?
• Is memory retrieval slow when retrieving:

1.  words

2.  numbers

3.  names

4.  faces

5.  motor sequences

6.  geographical and spatial data

• Is there a decreased ability to spell correctly?
• Is there a tendency to reverse the sequence of letters in words?
• Is there a tendency to insert opposite, closely related or incorrect words in a sentence?
• Is there a tendency to reverse numbers when writing a number?

C.  Processing

• Is there a decrease in the ability to understand what is read?
• Is there a significant decline in the ability to understand spoken language?
• Is the ability to track where a sound is generated from reduced?
• Is the ability to track spatial awareness of the environment reduced?
• Is there an increased difficulty targeting movements through space (for example, bumping into doorways)?
• Is there a loss in the ability to rotate something 180 degrees in your mind?
• Is there a tendency to confuse left and right?
• Have calculation abilities declined?
• Does speech flow fluently, or is there a tendency to it to be interrupted?
• Has stuttering increased?
• Is speech slurred at times?
• Can thoughts be put down in writing, or has that ability declined?
• Has handwriting deteriorated?
• Is there at times a feeling of loss of connection with physical existence?
• Is there a loss of the feeling of reality?
• Is there a loss in the ability to recognize familiar objects?
• Is there a loss in the ability to perform skilled tasks?

D.  Imagery

• Is there a loss in the ability to visualize an image in your head?
• Do images intrude that may be aggressive, sexual or in other ways disturbing?
• Is there a tendency to dream even when awake?
• Is there a tendency for vivid nightmares?
• Are objects  in peripheral vision sometimes distorted?
• Is there evidence that you may hear, see, smell or feel things that are not there?

E.  Thought processing and Executive Function

• Memory impairment or loss – also called Lyme fog
• Difficulty in concentrating
• Inability to absorb information
• Tangential thinking – that is, starting in one direction then going off in a different direction
• Difficulty in planning and prioritizing multiple tasks
• Difficulty in performing multiple simultaneous tasks
• Racing thoughts
• Obsessive, repetitive thoughts that cannot be controlled
• Mental apathy, or lack of spontaneous thought, ideas or initiative
• Lost ability for abstract reasoning

F.  Mood Symptoms

• Decreased frustration tolerance
• Sudden abrupt mood swings
• Hypervigilance
• Paranoia

G.  Behavioral Symptoms

• Lack of normal inhibition (disinhibition)
• Exaggerated Startle Reflex
• Explosive anger
• Suicidal
• Homicidal
• Accident Prone
• Decreased social functioning
• Decreased Job or school performance
• Marital or family problems
• Substance abuse
• Legal difficulties
• Dissociative episodes (feeling separate from your own self)
• Compulsive behavior to compensate for feeling of failure
• Dropping objects
• Crying spells

H.  Psychiatric Syndromes

• Depression  (this and all other conditions not previously experienced)
• Manic depression rapidly alternating between depression and mania
• Panic disorder
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (not previously experienced)
• Social phobia
• Generalized anxiety

I.  Maintenance of Life functions  (also called Vegetative Functions)

• Impaired sleep wakefulness cycle

This can vary from not feeling well-rested in the morning to initial, mid and late insomnia.  It may also be that one sleeps too much (called hypersomnia) or looses the 24 hour cycle altogether.

• Eating disorder

Newly diagnosed anorexia, weight loss,  or overeating not motivated by hunger; there may be weight gain with increased food intake and at times there may be weight gain even without increased food intake.

• Sexual disorders

There may be decreased or increased libido; there may be decreased capacity for arousal or orgasm or pleasure.  There may be a change or alteration in sexual imagery.  Menstrual irregularity may occur as well.

• Disturbed temperature control

There may be body temperature fluctuations, flushing, night sweats, low grade fevers and chill, intolerance to heat and cold.

J.  Neurological Symptoms

• There may be a variety of headache types:  general, cervical radioculopathy, migraine, or orgasm migraine.  It is also possible to have headaches associated with TMJ (temperomanidbular joint syndrome), tension, cluster or sinus headaches.
• Cranial nerve involvement

1.  Olfactory nerve

There may be loss of the sense of smell altered sensation of smell or hypersensitivity as well as altered taste.

2.  Opthalmologic involvement

When this nerve is affected there may be blurred vision, aversion to light , either bright, florescent or flickering light (photophobia).  There may be excess floaters, light flashes, conjunctivitis, eye pain or dry eyes.  There are sometimes blind spots, night blindness, peripheral shadows, inflammation of the iris, inflammation of the uvea, optic neuritis and papilledema (swelling of the optic disc).  There may be double vision or the eye may drift when tired.  There may also be drooping of the upper lid.

3.  Sensory Loss; what this means is that there may be areas of numbness.  It can feel both without sensation, or painfully numb.

4. Bell’s Palsy (facial paralysis)

5.  Ringing in the ears (tinnitus), hearing loss, dizziness, vertigo, motion sickness or sound-induced vertigo, dizziness, nausea and/or eye movements (tullio’s syndrome)

6. Episodic loss of speech, choking on food, difficulty swallowing

7. Paresis is partial loss of movement, or impaired movement. It usually refers to the limbs, but it also can be used to describe the muscles of the eyes and stomach.

8.  Tongue veers off to one side

• Seizures
  

1.  There may actually be Tonic-clonic seizures (previously called Grand Mal Seizures) which are a type of generalized  electrical firing or overstimulation affecting the entire brain.

2.  There may also be complex partial seizures. Complex partial seizures take place in a discrete part of the brain, usually in the temporal or cortical part of the brain and cause impaired consciousness. What this means is that there may be decreased responsiveness and awareness of the self and surroundings. It may be difficult to communicate, respond to commands or remember events.   During a complex partial seizure, the patient may not communicate, respond to commands, or remember events that occurred.

• Other Neurological problems

1. Numbness
2. Tingling
3. Sensory Loss
4. Burning
5. Static electric sensation
6. Crawling sensation under the skin
7. Stabbing sensations
8. Partial loss of movement (paresis)
9. Tremors
10. Twitching
11. Muscle tightness
12. Muscle discomfort (like restless leg)
13. Myoclonis – brief, shock-like jerks of muscle or group of muscles.jerks of a muscle or a group of muscles.
14. Torticollis, or wry neck, is a condition in which the head  is tilted toward one side, and the chin is elevated and turned toward the opposite side.
15. Tourette’s syndrome - that is, a complex of symptoms that include multiple involuntary muscle movements called tics, and impulsive verbal (sometimes in the form of swearing or insulting) tics.
16. Ataxia, that is  gross lack of coordination of muscle movements
17. Fainting
18. Herniated disks
19. Spasticity
20. Meningismus – that is an intolerance to bright light and headaches

• Musculoskeletal

The joints may be painful, there may be swelling, tightness; there may be bone thinning or fractures, bone pain, inflammation of the elbow, plantar fascitis (heel pain), muscle pain (chronic fatigue syndrome), fibromyalgia (chronic widespread pain), inflammation of the cartilage – it may turn red and be warm to the touch (of the ear and nose for example), tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome (painful wrist/s)

• Cardiac

Microbial involvement in the heart may manifest as chest pain, mitral valve prolapse, racing pulse, episodes of rapid and slow heart rate, inflammation of the pericardium, cardiomyopathy (that is, the heart muscle becomes inflamed and doesn’t work as well as it should), heart murmur, hypertension, or hypertensive crisis.

• Pulmonary/Upper Respiratory

Complication in this system may include shortness of breath, cough, sore throat, swollen glands, or asthma.  There may be upper gastro-intestinal distress, chronic or recurrent indigestion, irritable bowel, abdominal bloating, delayed gastric emptying (the vegus nerve may be impaired, which gives direction to the intestines to promptly move digested food out of the bowel), hepatitis, pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel, inflammation of the gall bladder, gall stones or fecal incontinence.

• Genitourinary Problems

There may be genital pain, breast pain or tenderness, inappropriate lactation, irritable bladder, interstitial cystitis – this is a painful condition of the bladder, urinary incontinence, atrophy of the genitalia, numbness of the genitalia or recurrent urinary tract infections.

• Autoimmune Symptoms

Since Lyme disease affects the body’s ability to defend itself, there are a multitude of possible repercussions.  Here are some of the symptoms or syndromes that can result:  alcohol intolerance, hair loss, thyroid dysfunction. There may develop a syndrome called Wilson’s Syndrome which is an alternative medical diagnosis (controversial) in which the syndrome’s manifestations include  fatigue, headaches, premenstrual syndrome, hair loss, irritability, fluid retention, depression, decreased memory, low sex drive, unhealthy nails, easy weight gain, and other symptoms, in the absence of a blood test indicating hypothyroidism.

A condition called adrenal insufficiency may develop in which the adrenals,  located above the kidneys, do not produce adequate amounts of steroid hormones (chemicals produced by the body that regulate organ function), primarily cortisol, but may also include impaired aldosterone production  which regulates sodium, potassium and water retention. Craving for salt or salty foods due to the urinary losses of sodium is common^.

Hypoglycemia is a medical condition in which the blood contains lower than normal glucose levels.  Hypoglycemia can produce a variety of symptoms and effects but the principal problems arise from an inadequate supply of glucose as fuel to the brain, resulting in impairment of function. Symptoms can range from vaguely “feeling bad” to coma, seizures and (rarely) permanent brain damage or death. Hypoglycemia can arise from many causes and can occur at any age.

Vasculitis may occur.  This is a condition referring to destructive inflammation of the arteries and veins.  Sometimes abnormal buildup of fluid is found in the ankles, feet, and legs called peripheral edema.  Tooth pain and periodontal disease is sometimes associated with Lyme disease.  Nose bleeds and multiple chemical sensitivities may develop along with severe allergies.  Enlargement of the speen has been observed in chronic Lyme patients, and easy bruising has been observed as well.  Chronic pain may be experienced in bone or muscle, or other locations, sometimes roving.

A condition called Lymphocytoma may co-occur:  this is a circumscribed mass of mature lymphocytes.

The overview here is that since immune function is compromised and the body is not able to protect itself fully, many unrelated conditions may develop.

• Fluctuation of Symptoms

To be continued!

This is the final chapter reviewing the amazing work of Dr. Joseph J. Burrascano Jr., M.D. This one is about Lyme Disease Rehabilitation.

Unless an exercise program is added, antibiotic treatment will not produce complete remission for the patient with chronic Lyme disease.  Clear and simple. That having been said, I understand personally how hard it is to move when you feel exhausted and in pain.  Yet, unless this ennui is challenged a more complete “healing” cannot occur.

Theories abound as to how this works:  exercise may provide sufficient oxygenation to promote organism die-off, and then again, it may be the increase in core body temperature which promotes killing off the Bb, in combination with the antibiotics.  A third factor may be the mobilization of lymph fluids which enhance immune functioning.

There is evidence that regular exercise promotes T-cell function.  However, aerobic exercise depresses t-cell functioning for 12 to 24+ hours, then rebounds.  Aerobics is therefore not recommended.

Goal:  intermittent exercise alternating with rest and quality sleep.  In the beginning if you are severely ill it may be effective to exercise one day then rest 3 to 5 days, reducing the days of rest as stamina increases.  It is recommended that you do not exercise two days in a row in the beginning!

In severe cases the protocol may begin with physical therapy involving heat, massage, ultrasound and simple range of motion exercises. Ice and electrical stimulation should not be used!

The program should evolve into a graduated, ultimately strenuous program consisting of a specific regimen of not-aerobic conditioning.  An hour of gentle exercise, hot bath or shower and a nap until stamina returns.

A cardiac stress test may be neessary prior to instituting the protocol to ensure safty.

I hope you found this series helpful.  If you have any comments, please feel free to leave them in the comment section.

Blessings,

Cynthia