In July of 2018 our family got sick with a virus. My husband was the sickest he’s been in a long time for about three days and then he bounced back to full health. My children, then aged 8 and 10, were quite sick for two weeks, then symptoms started to ease but it was hard to tell when they were fully better. The boys did not seem to get their energy back. Most of the extreme symptoms of the virus had gone but they remained tired, cloudy-headed, and flat.
Over the next 18 months they missed a lot of school. They were keen to get there and would try afresh each week to summon the energy but they couldn’t get out of bed in time and, when they did get to school, they’d come home exhausted and crash.
Our GP called it post-viral fatigue and gave us tips on how to manage their days – with part days at school and lots of rests. After a while she suggested it was chronic fatigue and offered to refer us to a specialist. I could see all the advice for chronic fatigue was purely around management of symptoms. I was experienced with routines and pacing having been through concussion recovery, so we tried that for a long time to no avail.
On good days we would all sit in beanbags in the garden and pretend everyone was on holiday so we didn’t feel like freaks. On bad days I would question the boys about whether they were just avoiding school and assert that surely now, after all this time resting, they had the energy to just get up and go to school. We felt the societal pressure for the boys to be at school but we couldn’t make it happen. I would wonder what I’d done wrong as a parent and rack my brain as to what I could possibly do to help them get better.
As a family we were at a complete loss as to how to help our boys find their energy again. Our hearts were slowly breaking as we watched them unable to do most of the things they had once loved. At the same time, we did our best to keep spirits up.
I still remember the ray of hope that entered our lives when my mother first mentioned the Lightning Process. She said I should look into it as it had helped a friend’s daughter fully and quickly recover from chronic fatigue. The more I researched it the more intrigued I became. All I had to do was find a practitioner and book us in fast! I chose Jenny because her background in teaching and drama looked promising for interacting well with children.
The boys went along to the training course with open minds and they took everything in their stride. Jenny perfectly tuned her delivery to engage the children. The course ended on a Friday. The following Monday they were back at school. Back at school! Everyday! Like normal children – phew!
The change seemed miraculous. The grandparents kept ringing up to see if it was “still working”. It was hard to believe. But it makes sense that when you’ve been very sick with a virus, your brain becomes accustomed to travelling the tired and sore pathways of illness. Sometimes, some brains just don’t click back into ease and energy. The Lightning Process helps you find the healthy and energetic pathways in your brain again. The boys were happy to learn that the chronic fatigue wasn’t their fault. Their subconscious brain just needed a good talking to and a reminder about how they wanted to live.
There have been speed bumps since the Lightning Process – it wouldn’t be normal life without those. But now the boys know what to do to get into a better place and they still feel empowered by what they learnt. As parents, we are eternally grateful to Jenny because she showed us how to get out of the dead end we were in, and into the big beautiful world again.
