my story part 2

Meditation
I initially committed myself to some voluntary work with Disability Wessex in 2004, helping as an advisor. After a while I no longer had the energy to continue with this. Every six months I would have a medical review, and I was clearly deteriorating each time, despite increasing my meditation from 2 to 4 times a day.

Expert Patient Program
My turnaround started in May 2005. The Director of Disability Wessex told me of a great free 6-week course called the Expert Patient Program (EPP). I was inspired by the course and those running it. The focus was on people with a long-term condition helping each other. This course is still free and I would highly recommend it for sufferers (and it has now been extended to carers). This course inspired me to not accept my status as a housebound victim. Previously, I had even given up going to my local shops a mere 100 meters away because I found it too exhausting.

Training
EPP asked me to become a tutor, and I underwent the training. At the same time, I was told about funding available to those in need of a carer. I realised that if I got this help, I could take charge of my life again and it would free up energy to become a tutor. In summer 2005, I got a personal assistant for 12 hours per week.

Electric scooter
In September 2005, I treated myself to an electric scooter. It was as instant success. Previously, I would go to the beach and sit on a bench while Marie walked on her own, but now we could do little trips together. I described it as watching a film rather than looking at the poster outside the cinema.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming
I had, some time before, come across Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and began to investigate how it might be applied to my situation. I began an Adult Education course in September 2005 and was blown away with the techniques and was also inspired by the content and the tutor.

Jeremy Vine
In February 2006, while listening to Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine show, I heard a feature on the Phil Parker ‘Lightning Process’. I had looked into it a few years before but this was a person live on the radio talking about how great it was. Radio 2 had a follow-up in April, which was also very positive. I later tracked down people before and after they had taken part and I was determined to give it a go. We decided to make our holiday out of going on the Phil Parker Lightning Process training program (so called because it is so quick) about 12 hours over a three-day period