Out of the 89 accounts with a clear outcome; 1 more don’t say how it went.
How it went
Did it last?
- 14 of 90 said the benefit wore off.
- 4 of 90 needed to keep doing it to stay well.
Read from what people wrote. A story that ends without a follow-up counts as lasting, so treat these as minimums.
| Outcome described | Accounts | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Full recovery | 44 | 49% |
| Near-full | 13 | 15% |
| Substantial | 23 | 26% |
| Partial | 9 | 10% |
| Relapsed | 0 | 0% |
| No benefit | 0 | 0% |
| Outcome unclear | 1 | — |
By how ill people were
| Severity at worst | How it went | n | Recovered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate | 8 | 62% | |
| Severe | 50 | 66% | |
| Very severe | 14 | 64% |
18 accounts don’t say how ill the person was.
Who published these accounts
57% of these accounts are on pages that sell this treatment or a program around it. Those pages publish their successes; compare the independent row.
Specific treatments in these accounts
- TreatmentHow it wentRecoveredFaded
- CBT and psychotherapy49 accounts
65% 10%
- Meditation, yoga, breathwork44 accounts
61% 20%
- Brain retraining programs (DNRS, Gupta, ANS Rewire, Primal Trust)26 accounts
65% 12%
- Pacing and the energy envelope19 accounts
63% 16%
- Trauma work (EFT, EMDR, TRE)15 accounts
80% 7%
- Sarno / TMS / somatic tracking / JournalSpeak10 accounts
60% 20%
- Graded exercise / graded activity9 accounts
89% 22%
- Elimination and ketogenic diets8 accounts
62% 12%
- Lyme / co-infection protocols5 accounts
40% 20%
- Low-dose naltrexone5 accounts
20% 0%
- Beta-blockers4 accounts
50% 25%
- B12 injections and methylation4 accounts
75% 50%
Within the accounts on this page. Grey numbers rest on fewer than 10 accounts.
All 90 accounts
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Jonathan Groves' Story
Jonathan practiced Ekadashi Upavasa fasting (fasting on the 11th lunar day) combined with autophagy principles, an elimination diet cutting out all processed food, caffeine, sugar and alcohol, the Silva Method, meditation, breathwork, affirmations and…
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Some thoughts on exercise and long covid
Credits trauma and somatic work and somatic meditation. Ariel was ill 2y with severe long COVID and is described as fully recovered. Now runs faster than before the illness.
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2025: the year I recovered from long COVID
Credits brain retraining, CBT or psychological work and pacing. Amy was ill 5y with severe long COVID and is described as almost fully recovered. Went from 75% to 95% recovered via a coaching program.
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179: The One Question that Can Change How You Heal From Chronic Symptoms - Dr. John Demartini
Credits mindset. John had ME/CFS and is listed among the recovery accounts. Human-behavior expert, not a patient.
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Karen Wright's Story
Karen started with a low-histamine diet that brought overnight improvement, then moved to a broader anti-inflammatory diet, alongside pacing, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy through the NHS Long COVID service, breathwork, meditation, yoga, counselling and…
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Hope Rooted in Biology: What Helped Us Recover from ME/CFS and Long Covid
Credits brain retraining and meditation. Rachel was ill ~1 year (Dec 2020-summer 2021) with long COVID and is described as fully recovered. Now runs marathons and ultramarathons.
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Hope Rooted in Biology: What Helped Us Recover from ME/CFS and Long Covid
Credits Gupta Program, somatic and meditation. Heather was ill 35+ years with moderate ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. Recovered 5+ yrs; works two jobs.
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A New Paradigm for Healing
Credits trauma and somatic work, EMDR and somatic. Harry Boby was ill 4y with severe long COVID and reports a substantial improvement. Relapsed with brainstem pain after a meditation retreat.
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Long Covid Healing Resources
Followed a 10-point Mayo Clinic-informed protocol: a TruVaga vagus-nerve-stimulation device for 2 minutes three times a day, guanfacine at 0.5mg twice daily (with room to increase to 1mg twice daily), L-arginine 2000mg twice daily, vitamin C 500mg twice…
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Caitlan's 1-2 punch works with her severe ME/CFS
Caitlan was a healthy personal trainer who became bedbound after a vaccination followed by a stomach bug, developing severe neurological and cardiovascular ME/CFS symptoms. She tried IV therapy, hyperbaric oxygen and stem cells without lasting success. She…
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This Is How I Recovered From Long Covid
Credits the Lightning Process and CBT or psychological work. Gill Deacon was ill 20mo with severe long COVID and is described as fully recovered. Promotes a $1,900 Lightning Process workshop by name.
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Mollie's ME/CFS and POTS Recovery Success with ANS REWIRE
Credits brain retraining and trauma and somatic work. Mollie was ill 5y with severe ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. Same story as the cfsunravelled family-psychotherapy post.
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Chronic Pain Success Story - Andrea's Journey Back to Health
Credits brain retraining, meditation and diet. Andrea was ill 6y with severe ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. Content confirms ME/CFS; 15% to 100%.
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Ela's Success Recovering from Long-Term Fibromyalgia and CFS
Credits brain retraining and meditation. Ela was ill 20y with severe ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. Norway, age 47; relapsed at 9mo, recovered by 18mo.
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Six Years Healthy - CFS Free
Credits CBT or psychological work, pacing and CFS Health program. Susie was ill 4.5y with severe ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. Six years healthy and counting.
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List of ME/CFS Recovery and Improvement Stories (page 14 discussion)
ixikd2025 credited a broad, kitchen-sink regimen spanning stimulant, mitochondrial, antihistamine/MCAS, and lifestyle interventions (meditation, running, acupuncture) for significant improvement. With so many concurrent changes, no single component could be…
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I Finally Found Answers and Turned ME/CFS Around - Jeff's Story
Credits CBT or psychological work and mind body. Jeff was ill 7y with ME/CFS and reports a substantial improvement. Cites Sarno's Divided Mind, Optimum Health Clinic.
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ME/CFS Recovery Story: How Pacing and CBT Led to Lynne's Success
Credits pacing and CBT or psychological work. Lynne was ill 6y with severe ME/CFS and reports a substantial improvement. Quit online ME forums; took a cruise post-recovery.
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How I Held On to Hope During Recovery Pt 1
Credits CBT or psychological work. Nicole had long COVID and is described as fully recovered. Psychological strategies used during recovery.
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Emily Mure's Success Story
Credits brain retraining. Emily had long COVID and reports a substantial improvement. Continued healing via retraining and meditation.
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Losing a whole year - my Long COVID story
D.C. Elton tried a series of psychiatric medications for sleep and mood — Lexapro starting at 1 mg, trazodone escalated from 10 mg to 150 mg nightly (ineffective at any dose), sublingual Ambien, Remeron 10-15 mg (caused daytime sedation), and Wellbutrin 75…
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Overcoming CFS Relapses: Rebuilding and Shifting Perspectives
Credits the Lightning Process, mickel therapy and CBT or psychological work. Katy was ill 10y with severe ME/CFS and reports a substantial improvement. Says recovery is not permanent without maintained habits.
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My long covid recovery recap: the timeline and tools
Ariel Conn's recovery centered on mind-body approaches: Claritin as one of only two things that helped in her first 18 months, then somatic meditations, Nicole Sachs' JournalSpeak journaling method starting December 2021, somatic and Internal Family Systems…
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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: My 13 Year Crash to Cure Story
Credits trauma and somatic work, CBT or psychological work and somatic tracking. Rebecca was ill 13y with severe ME/CFS and reports a substantial improvement. Broadcast journalist; Sarno/TMS work; now sells coaching.
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The Healing Dudes: Getting out of Long Covid and Chronic Lyme together
Credits nervous system, meditation and community. Joe was ill 4-5yr Lyme then LC relapse with long COVID and reports a partial improvement. Relapsed into long covid after Lyme recovery.
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The Healing Dudes: Getting out of Long Covid and Chronic Lyme together
Credits nervous system, meditation and community. Josh was ill 17 years with severe long COVID and reports a partial improvement. Chronic Lyme primary; "incredible progress," not cure.
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Has anyone recovered from CFS or been able to radically improve? (Ananda1)
Credits pacing and acceptance. Ananda1 had ME/CFS and reports a partial improvement. Paid clinics and DNRS failed her; light cycling and acceptance helped.
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My ME/CFS Recovery, Part II: GET, CBT, and Brain Retraining
Credits graded exercise, CBT or psychological work and brain retraining. Jay was ill 10y with moderate ME/CFS and is described as almost fully recovered. GET worsened him; DNRS gave temporary gains; ~90% recovered.
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Esther
She recovered after listening to a Nicole Sachs podcast and then beginning expressive writing about her feelings, which she says produced an 80% drop in symptoms that same day, followed two weeks later by starting Dr. Howard Schubiner's Mind Body Program and…
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Michelle
Michelle saw more than ten specialists and tried extensive medical treatment: beta blockers, the migraine drug Ubrelvy, meclizine for dizziness, two rounds of prednisone, B12 shots for neuropathy, and Paxlovid taken months after her initial infection, plus…
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Helen
Helen recovered through Mickel Therapy -- weekly hour-long sessions by Skype starting in September 2020 -- alongside the Curable app, meditation, breathwork, yoga, Trauma and Tension Release Exercises (TRE), and daily gratitude-diary journaling; no drugs or…
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Gary
Gary's recovery is credited to Nicole Sachs' free YouTube series "Healing Yourself" (Parts 1-4) followed by her paid course Freedom from Chronic Pain, plus Dr. Howard Schubiner's mind-body material at unlearnyourpain.com, applying pain-reprocessing…
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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: one woman's story of recovery
Credits CBT or psychological work, diet, somatic and breathwork. Anaya was ill 2.5y with severe ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. Mindset shift and somatic breathwork; ran 42km ultra days later.
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CFS recovery success stories on YouTube
Credits CBT or psychological work and somatic tracking. Nick had ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. Sarno-style mind-body case; forum doubted the diagnosis.
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Jason's Eclectic Mix of Treatments Returns Him to Near Normal Health
Jason Boyce fell ill in the early 2000s with what he believes was a flu or EBV infection and spent sixteen years bedbound for days after exertion and unable to play with his kids. He assembled an eclectic mix of treatments, crediting nebulised hydrogen…
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Matt Sibert
Matt Sibert credits reading Dr. John Sarno's books The Divided Mind and The Mindbody Prescription, then practicing somatic tracking, somatic meditations, expressive writing/journaling, breathing exercises and general meditation, after an earlier…
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Robyn Dale
Robyn's treatment combined short courses of propranolol, zopiclone and diazepam early on with medium-term amitriptyline for insomnia, mood and muscle spasms, alongside daily walking, yoga, meditation and graded activity. She crashed severely in December 2021…
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Robyn Dale
Robyn was prescribed short-term propranolol for heart arrhythmia and palpitations, at doses that were increased despite her objections, short-term zopiclone and diazepam to help her rest, and medium-term amitriptyline for insomnia, mood, and to stop cluster…
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Instead of feeling guilty and tired out, I feel confident to live my life – I know how to manage my emotions better
Took an online Lightning Process course in November 2021, after a hospital ME/CFS clinic attended for "a couple of years," an unnamed alternative therapy and counselling had not produced a breakthrough. She had cycled through "crash and burn" episodes of…
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Bedridden for 1.5 years and still getting worse - IVIG only hope
Howard, exclusively bed-bound since 2015 with post-exertional malaise since 2009, said eight hours a day of outdoor light since the previous November, aimed at raising vitamin D, brought a recent sudden though gradual improvement, alongside tart cherry…
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Paul Garner
At seven months post-infection he was connected with a Norwegian psychology PhD candidate who had recovered from post-viral fatigue and taught him that unconscious defence mechanisms were generating false fatigue alarms, and that he could retrain his bodily…
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Oda Shares Her POTS and ME/CFS Recovery After 10 Years Using ANS REWIRE
Oda's recovery combined daily thyroxine for diagnosed Hashimoto's hypothyroidism with the ANS REWIRE program (daily meditation and "postural rewiring" videos starting July 2017), gentle home yoga via the Yoga Studio app, one session of Thomas Hanna-method…
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Explaining Paul Garner's Long COVID Recovery Story
Credits CBT or psychological work, brain retraining and time alone. Paul Garner was ill 10mo with severe long COVID and is described as almost fully recovered. Critics call the timing coincidental, not the technique.
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From 5 minute walks to a marathon comeback: Chris' CFS recovery story
Credits diet, meditation and cold water. Chris was ill 4y with moderate ME/CFS and reports a substantial improvement. Teacher, 30% functional; Ayurvedic diet, cold water; ran a marathon.
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CBT for CFS: Luke Shares His Experience and Recovery
Luke combined self-directed CBT (working through his own negative thought patterns rather than with a therapist) with a methylation protocol developed by Rich Von Konynenburg (B vitamins plus folic acid), guidance from two books -- Kristina Downing-Orr's…
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Adrienne Dellwo Shares Her Fibromyalgia Remission Story
Adrienne Dellwo's regimen included low-dose naltrexone at 3mg (compounded, versus a standard 30mg dose per the article), plus rhodiola rosea, L-theanine, vitamin B and D, a custom herbal blend and acupuncture from her rheumatologist, meditation, yoga, a…
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Recovery from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: One Person's Story
Credits pacing, CBT or psychological work and energy envelope. Bruce was ill 4y with severe ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. Psychologist; energy-envelope pacing; 20+ years sustained.
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3 Decades of ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia, MCS, Lyme End Fast
Claudia treated chronic Lyme disease from 2012-2015 with three years of low-dose Byron White herbal protocols plus a strict elimination diet, then in 2019 did the three-month ANS REWIRE nervous-system retraining program alongside naturopath adjustments that…
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Sirin Gnadeberg Shares How She Cured Her ME/CFS and POTS
Sirin Gnadeberg added salt to her drinking water starting in April 2016, which significantly improved her POTS symptoms, then took 16 weeks of antibiotics after a Lyme specialist found elevated antibodies to Bartonella, Chlamydia and Mycoplasma (despite…
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Alison T's Recovery Story
Credits CBT or psychological work. Alison was ill 20y with severe ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. Type 1 diabetic; diabetes also improved alongside recovery.
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Full recovery - is it possible???
Credits undisclosed. femtosecond99 had ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. Claims recovery with no drugs/supplements/CBT, withholds method.
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ANS Rewire Program Works For Bed Bound 11 Year ME/CFS/FM Patient
Peter, a businessman, developed ME/CFS and fibromyalgia after stress and trauma, becoming mostly bedbound for 11 years and running up significant debt on other treatments. He enrolled in Dan Neuffer's paid ANS Rewire course, a mind-body program of…
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Frances Recovery Story
Credits CBT or psychological work and trauma and somatic work. Frances was ill 4y with ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. Describes recovery as a spiritual and personal development journey.
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Easy Does It For Nathalie: A Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Improvement Story
Tried Low Dose Naltrexone (immediate but partial relief from stiffness), a six-week high-dose course of Famvir that gave no benefit, and three years on Valcyte (valganciclovir), which brought her "back to life" out of a bedridden state within weeks but left…
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I just "graduated" from a GET/CBT therapy at the Mayo Clinic. Ask me anything!
Completed a 3-week, daily 8am-5pm CBT/GET program at the Mayo Clinic combining graded light resistance work, aerobic pacing and forced sensory exposure. Came out able to walk again and "moderately prepared" to think about returning to work, crediting part of…
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Taking back control
Credits pacing and CBT or psychological work. Diane was ill 18y with moderate ME/CFS and reports a partial improvement. Self-management course shifted mindset more than symptoms.
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Iron Man: How One Young Person Recovered From POTS / ME/CFS
Jack Schlanger fell severely ill with POTS and ME/CFS-like symptoms at 13 after an infection, unable to attend school full-time with near-constant stomach pain and exercise intolerance. Diagnosed with iron deficiency contributing to his POTS, he was treated…
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9 Years With ME - Finally Transformed Against All Odds
Credits pacing, diet, CBT or psychological work and sleep hygiene. James was ill 9y with severe ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. Multilateral lifestyle overhaul: sleep, diet, posture, mindset.
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Katie Shares How She Broke the MECFS Relapse Cycle
Credits CBT or psychological work, diet and trauma and somatic work. Katie was ill 8y with moderate ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. Mindset shift, dropped perfectionism, protein-focused diet.
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Maureen's gradual onset - and her gradual recovery
Maureen developed ME/CFS at 35, waking one day unable to get out of bed with profound exhaustion, followed by recurring exhaustion, rashes, painful joints, constant colds and insomnia. She used Dr Teitelbaum's integrated protocol of diet, vitamins, herbs and…
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Hitting Rock Bottom Leads To Turnaround for Dan
Dan developed ME/CFS after a chickenpox vaccination during an intensely stressful period, and over six and a half mostly homebound years suffered extreme fatigue, bouts of fever, cardiac issues and brain fog. He attributes his recovery to addressing…
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From the Bedside to the Outdoors: Green Girl Goes Green Again
An outdoorsy environmental scientist who blogs as Green Girl contracted Ross River virus in 2009 and relapsed severely in 2010, becoming mostly bedbound with fatigue and brain fog so severe she could only read small amounts. She used pacing, graded exercise,…
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Yoga Slowly Coaxes Fiona Back to Health
Fiona, a PR executive, developed ME/CFS in the early 1990s after stress, poor diet and flu, and by 1992 was wheelchair-bound, too tired to hold a conversation and having panic attacks. Gentle yoga focused on relaxation and breathing, meditation and a…
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Stinging Her Way Back to Health
Nancy developed chronic fatigue syndrome in 1994 and experienced a relapse along the way. She credits bee venom therapy, which she says is not a cure but helped her get her life back, together with vitamin B12, hypnotherapy, guided meditation and…
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Multidimensional program is the ticket for Michelle
Tai chi and qigong practice, described as vital for immune function, balance and heart functioning, was one element of a long-term multidimensional program that also included an elimination diet (no dairy, most grains, fermented foods, alcohol, MSG, sugar or…
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Mickel Therapy Turns the Corner for Experienced Mind/Body Practitioner
Susie, herself a trained mind-body practitioner, became severely ill in 1991 with energy near zero plus severe pain, having already tried homeopathy, visualisation, acupuncture and CBT without success. About 24 years later she credits Mickel Therapy, built…
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20 Years of Fibromyalgia, CFS, PTSD, Depression End
Credits mindset book, EFT tapping and diet. Leah was ill 20y with severe ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. EFT, anti-inflammatory diet, lost 70lb.
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On the Path: Dan Moricoli's Remarkable Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Recovery Story
Dan Moricoli, 71 at the time, had been severely ill since May 2006, at his worst largely housebound with myoclonic seizures, speech difficulty and comatose-like crashes lasting hours. He credits a carefully graded, heart-rate-based exercise program built…
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Going Under the Knife Does It
Diane had sinus surgery, along with herbs, nutritional supplements, hormone supplements, and "serious meditation"; IVIG was also tried but had no effect. None of these interventions are given specific names, doses, or durations. She fell ill in her mid-30s…
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Is Lyme Disease Curable? Katina Makris' Story
Credits CBT or psychological work and mentor mindset. Katina was ill 10y with severe ME/CFS and reports a substantial improvement. Chronic Lyme plus fibromyalgia; mindset shift.
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Tips and techniques of how I completely recovered from CFS / ME!
Credits pacing, graded exercise and CBT or psychological work. Emily was ill 2y with severe ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. Full-time gym plus strict pacing; called it mind-over-matter.
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Mind-body Work and Alternative Treatments Kisses 15 Years of ME/CFS Good-Bye
The unnamed subject first fell ill after measles at age 12 and was severely disabled by 1979, losing his balance, unable to stand, with headaches and muscle pain, eventually working part-time before retiring at 50. Over 15 years he pursued self-hypnosis,…
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My Story - Dan Neuffer's ME/CFS Fibromyalgia POTS Recovery
Dan Neuffer's page gives only general categories of treatment rather than specific drugs or doses: he says he "healed my gut and changed my diet" under a doctor's guidance, used unnamed supplements to support metabolism, detoxification and oxidative stress,…
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Dr. Patricia Williams's Client Story
Credits brain retraining, CBT or psychological work and diet. Patricia was ill 15y with severe ME/CFS and reports a substantial improvement. Severe cognitive impairment; no longer housebound.
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Karen Burns's Client Story
Credits brain retraining, CBT or psychological work and diet. Karen was ill 14y with moderate ME/CFS and reports a substantial improvement. Cyclic flu-like crashes since 2005; now cycles 800km+.
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Louise's Client Story
Credits brain retraining, CBT or psychological work and diet. Louise had severe ME/CFS and reports a substantial improvement. Couldn't climb stairs or play with her kids.
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Bradley's Client Story
Credits brain retraining, CBT or psychological work and diet. Bradley had ME/CFS and reports a substantial improvement. Condition stated only as fatigue; video-centric page.
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Alison's Client Story
Credits brain retraining, CBT or psychological work and diet. Alison had severe ME/CFS and reports a substantial improvement. Post-viral CFS, unable to work; life turned around.
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Bethany's Client Story
Credits brain retraining, CBT or psychological work and diet. Bethany had severe long COVID and reports a substantial improvement. Mild COVID became debilitating post-COVID fatigue and spasms.
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A Package Deal Works for Clare
The title states that a combination of supplements, diet, yoga and meditation worked for Clare, but only a brief quotation could be retrieved: that to be well she has to put in as much as she wants to get out. Her illness duration, severity, specific regimen…
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Overcoming ME - My Path to Recovery and Regaining My Life
Credits brain retraining, trauma and somatic work and CBT or psychological work. Sue was ill 18y with moderate ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. 18y including remission gap; psychotherapy plus ANS REWIRE.
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Lynn Shares Her Thoughts on How to Recover from Fibromyalgia
Credits CBT or psychological work, diet, graded exercise and meditation. Lynn had severe ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. Hit rock bottom first; 3-5hr daily meditation.
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Alex Howard of OHC Discusses His Experience
Credits CBT or psychological work and ANS approach. Alex had ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. Optimum Health Clinic founder's own account.
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How Recovery from ME/CFS and POTS Was Enabled by Family Psychotherapy
Credits brain retraining and trauma and somatic work. Mollie was ill 5y with severe ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. Husband's account; IFS family therapy plus ANS REWIRE.
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The Lightning Process - His Last-Ditch Effort for M.E.
Simon's recovery centered on the Lightning Process, alongside earlier CBT and a general multivitamin, mineral and vitamin C regimen; beyond noting it teaches relaxation techniques and is more than self-hypnosis, the page gives no detail on the Lightning…
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A Long-Term M.E. Recoverer Shares His Journey
Credits CBT or psychological work and mind body. Tim was ill 5y with ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. Stayed well over a decade; stress-mindset focused account.
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There Is No Cure for Fibromyalgia? Interview on Recovery from MCS/CFS/FMS
Evelyn's recovery involved meditation, vitamins, saunas, daily walks, and weekly massage with exfoliation for "toxin" removal, plus diet changes, though the page does not give specific supplement names, doses, or sauna type. She had suffered for years with…
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Beth French's Journey from ME/CFS to Ultra-Marathon Swimmer
Credits trauma and somatic work, meditation and relocation. Beth was ill 10y with very-severe ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. Later swam the Channel; credits meditation and motherhood.
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CFS and how i found my way out
Gavin's turning point was Blackmores PPMP (a cellular-dose potassium phosphate/magnesium phosphate supplement), taken alongside years of therapy, meditation, and doctor-prescribed antidepressants; he says he felt well again within 10 seconds of starting it.…
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Jake Hollis - The Fatigue Psychologist
Credits CBT or psychological work and trauma and somatic work. Jake Hollis had ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. S4ME calls it survivorship bias.