Just before becoming ill I had recently finished a professional pantomime and had started a new theatre group doing 15 hours of singing dancing and drama a week and was searching for my next opportunity as well as doing well at school and seeing friends. But then I got M.E. and my life dramatically changed.

At first it wasn’t too bad (well it seemed awful at the time but this was before I knew how bad it could really get). I had really achy muscles, couldn’t walk properly, really tired, and light sensitivity. Over time symptoms increased and I deteriorated dramatically. For a while I suffered with depression, but mainly I was just very sad because I'd lost the thing I loved most in life: performing and ballet in particular.

At my worst I was in bed all day with no light or sound and not being able to eat or move and I was in a constant level 7-8 of pain. Mentally I couldn’t read or concentrate for long and I could never remember what things were called often referring to things such as serviettes as,"Those yellow things over there."

M.E. completely destroyed my social life and ruined the education and schooling side of things. I hardly ever saw my friends and at my worst didn’t leave my room or house for months. Although I was only ill for 10 months it felt like a lifetime. If I hadn’t come to Amir and learned The Lightning Process, I think I would have been ill for a much, much longer period of time.

Like most people I was worried I was going to be the "only person it didn’t work for in the whole world." But apart from that I was curious as to what the process was all about, what Amir would do to me or what devices were going to be strapped to my head. I soon found out that none of that was going to happen! I was assured by Amir that The Lightning Process involved no drugs or horrible things/devices strapped to my head and that no lightning was going to come from anywhere!

If I had to pick 3 of the most important things I have gained from doing the Process, they would be the following:

1) Re- gaining my independence.

2) Being able to socialise and see friends.

3) Not having to consider everything I do and being able to push myself to walk/concentrate etc. And not having to stay stuck in bed for the next 2 weeks afterwards.

My days are now so different from before. Take today for example, I've got up by myself, got ready, taken a 45 minute drive to Exmouth beach in Devon. I walked around collecting shells and skipped around the beach chasing Rolo (my dog). Then I read a few magazines. I had a lovely Sunday Lunch and am now writing this, sat bolt upright at the computer and tomorrow I’m going into school for my first "full day" as it is enterprise day and we can stay in the same classrooms. I couldn’t even think of doing any of that 2 months ago! Not even reading the magazines!

Although the M.E has left my body there are other things you have to recover from apart from the illness. For example you don’t go from being bed bound for months to going back to your dancer's body and extreme mental and physical capabilities overnight. It takes time and sometimes you get impatient but my progress is coming on in leaps and bounds and everyone is amazed at how I am coming on. Soon I will be the normal jumping, bouncing, pirouetting Chloe that is there waiting to burst out! Hehehe.

My advice for anyone considering The Lightning Process is GO FOR IT!! Give it your best, relax about it and don’t put up any barriers.

GOOD LUCK!!!!

- Chloe