In 2015 I developed Cauda Equina Syndrome which is a Spinal Cord Injury and a medical emergency. It changed my life completely.
I had spinal surgery at Kings College Hospital in London and rehabilitation at the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Without warning I became a walking paraplegic and on enough prescription painkillers to kill an elephant.
I spent the first couple of years in a ‘morphine fog’ that wouldn’t clear and I slept so much that I became semi-nocturnal. The drugs didn’t stop the pain, they merely moved it to one side. You name it I had been prescribed it, plus additional medication to counteract the side effects of the pain killers. I began to drink more alcohol to try and make everything better – but it didn’t. The constant pain was excruciating and I was willing to try anything to get back to how I was before.
I tried Kinesiology with Annie Jenkins. I’d never heard of Kinesiology but I am so glad that it exists! She tested mostly my arm or leg muscles which sometimes made the muscle go weak and sometimes it would stay strong. She put pots of supplements or flower remedies against my cheek, touched specific points on my body or asked me to think of how I was feeling and again sometimes my muscle would go weak and sometimes it would stay strong. She used her spiritual intelligence, tapped, held or rubbed on points on my body (some of which were sore) and then she might recommend that I take certain supplements or avoid specific foods and always told me to drink a lot more water. It blew my mind as to how it worked, I thought that it must be some kind of magic because whatever she was doing was making me feel more alive again. Annie explained that my body was the best judge of what it needs, she was merely interpreting its innate intelligence.
After a few years of having treatments I signed up to the Kinesiology Foundation Course – to fix myself and save some money rather than keep paying for treatments. I knew nothing about being a therapist and I wasn’t interested in being one as I was doing it purely for my own benefit. I was anxious having to practice on other people, especially as the other course participants were massage therapists, reflexologists, other holistic therapists and an osteopath – I had previously worked paying invoices in a School Office!
On completion of the Foundation Course I had the bug for learning more and started the Practitioner Diploma. Soon I also obtained qualifications in Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology, First Aid, and Nutrition. The Kinesiology practical exam was the most terrifying thing that I’d done for years, but I passed and now I’m a real therapist!!
In recent years I have qualified in Past Life Regression, Intuitive Card Reading, Sound Healing and Spiritual Healing. I am a member of a Psychic Development Circle and I have been known to stand up at a local Spiritualist Meeting and demonstrate Mediumship.
I believe that in 2015 I was stopped in my tracks (quite dramatically) as I was on the wrong path. I have learned so much since then about life, life beyond life, and all things ‘woo woo’. I have learnt to go with my gut feelings about people and things and I try to stay with people from my tribe. I now know that I am here to tell everyone about everything that I have discovered - which is why I do workshops.
I have gone from being totally devastated by my spinal cord injury to being able to accept it (mostly). I no longer take any painkilling drugs and I have given up alcohol, which just happened rather than it being intentional. I am still in constant pain but I deal with it much better now that I have a clear mind. I know my limits and regularly push them to the edge 😊
I often get told that ‘I look alright’ and hurrah for that! However looking alright doesn’t mean that I am, nobody sees the pain, nobody sees the immense tiredness and luckily nobody sees the hidden ‘joys’ that come with a Spinal Cord Injury. Nobody sees me on the difficult days.
I was once told by another participant in a yoga class that I was inspirational. I thought that it was something that she thought she should say as it was the done thing and she felt awkward. I was very polite but this comment annoyed me immensely. I know that she meant well but what had I inspired her to do? I festered on this comment for a very long time (years) and it has never left me.
I am now in the position to be inspirational. I can, will and do inspire people and I will continue to do so by showing them the side of life (and beyond) that they are missing being a part of.
I encourage everyone to stop doom scrolling and start bloom scrolling. Change your feed from things that keep you small and in fear to things that give you the confidence to stop the negativity and start really living!
They say I changed a lot.
I say a lot changed me.
