Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic condition that affects the central nervous system. It is believed to be an autoimmune disorder, where the body mistakenly attacks itself. MS is an unpredictable disease that manifests differently in each individual. While some may experience mild symptoms, others may face challenges with their vision, writing, speech, or mobility due to disruptions in communication between the brain and other body parts.
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Myelin is the fatty tissue that surrounds and protects nerve fibers. In MS, the myelin is destroyed in many areas. This loss of myelin forms scar tissue called sclerosis. These areas are also called plaques or lesions. When the nerves are damaged in this way, they can’t conduct electrical impulses to and from the brain.
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What causes multiple sclerosis?
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There are many possible causes of MS, including:
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Autoimmune disorders
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Infectious agents, such as viruses
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Environmental factors
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Genetic factors
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What are the symptoms of multiple sclerosis?
The symptoms of MS are often unpredictable. They may be mild or severe, short-term or long-lasting. They may appear in different combinations, depending on the area of the nervous system affected. The following are the most common symptoms of MS. But each person may have different symptoms.
First symptoms of MS
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The following are often the first symptoms of MS:
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Blurred or double vision
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Red-green color distortion
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Pain and loss of vision because of swelling of the optic nerve (optic neuritis)
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Trouble walking
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An abnormal feeling or pain, such as numbness, prickling, or pins and needles (paresthesia)
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Other symptoms of multiple sclerosis:
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Muscle weakness in the arms and legs
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Trouble with coordination. You may have problems walking or standing. You may also be partially or completely paralyzed.
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Spasticity. The involuntary increased tone of muscles leading to stiffness and spasms.
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Fatigue. This may be brought on by physical activity, but it may ease with rest. You may have constant tiredness that doesn't go away.
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Loss of sensation
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Speech problems
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Tremor
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Dizziness
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Hearing loss
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Bowel and bladder problems
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Depression
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Changes in sexual function
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About 50% of all people with MS have thinking (cognitive) problems linked to the disease. The effects of these problems may be mild. Your healthcare provider may only find them after much testing. The problems may be with:
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Focusing (concentration)
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Attention
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Memory
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Poor judgment
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Deep Healing with BodyTalk
By: Shelley Poovey|Published on: Mar 29, 2021
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Marylene Smeets was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2003. At the time, her doctors told her there was no cure for MS, an autoimmune disease that causes a slow deterioration of the myelin sheath of the nerves. MS results in partial or total loss of muscle control, including tremors, double vision, and memory lapses.
The year she was diagnosed, she tried MS injections for six weeks, but when they started hurting more and more, her therapist said, “Your body is trying to tell you something.” This rang true for Marylene. Could it be possible for her body to heal by tuning into the messages it was sending?
By the time Marylene walked into my office, she believed that her body did know the story of why she became ill and that it was capable of healing itself. Her previous BodyTalk practitioner had gone on sabbatical, and she desired to continue the work they began. At the time, she wanted to focus on a combination of lifestyle changes, stimulating the body’s ability to heal itself, and uncovering the root cause.
During the first year, a recurring theme of gut inflammation kept coming up, well before any ties between gut health and MS were known. Marylene continually posed the question, “Why gut inflammation? I have a neurological disorder.”
As a BodyTalk practitioner, I knew that her body was taking us exactly where it needed to go but explaining that to Marylene felt incredibly challenging. I was aware that her experience with BodyTalk was limited to her own sessions, and without any scientific research to validate what was coming up, I was left asking her to trust the BodyTalk principle that session priorities may not always seem related to a diagnosis.
Our process challenged my own perceptions too, but when a landmark study was published linking MS to inflammation in the gut, we both dropped into a deeper level of trusting the work we were doing. Marylene started writing letters to her body, asking it questions, and bringing those questions into our sessions.
It made it so much easier when the difficult questions arose, “Is my double-vision a symptom of MS? Or could this be a sign of my body having completed a cycle of healing?”
We realized that instead of trying to answer these questions intellectually, we could bring them into each session, allowing the formulas to work with the questions through priorities—not problems or problem-solving. This basic concept helped both of us stay grounded during our three-year journey together.
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What does healing look like? For Marylene, each BodyTalk session seemed to be informing or validating her intuition as well as the recommendations from her team of practitioners, helping guide her process. Over time, sessions uncovered early childhood trauma as an underlying factor, catalyzing an unwinding process of layer upon layer of locked emotions that seemed to be at the root of her inflammation.
My work with Marylene taught me to appreciate that what comes up in a BodyTalk session can be outside of the known, established paradigm—things other modalities and treatment protocols are unable to uncover; things only a person’s innate wisdom knows; things unique to them.
In Marylene’s case, unresolved sadness and anger came up around the death of her father when she was ten years old. All of those locked-up emotions had finally surfaced, ready to be released.
That was eight years ago. Marylene continues to receive clean scans and is thriving and living her purpose, sharing her miraculous story with others: Sometimes healing is messy. Healing has no defined timeline. The healing journey is unique.
Marylene’s journey took her into the depths of childhood trauma—somewhere she never expected to go—but also into the realm of the mystical, which brought healing and resolution to these inner conflicts. As she followed signs and synchronicities, had major breakthroughs and incredible setbacks, there were moments she came in for sessions feeling completely lost and hopeless. To be honest, so did I. However, we both remained committed. We felt we were truly onto something even in those darkest moments.
Working with Marylene taught me that trusting the body’s wisdom by simply following the BodyTalk Procedure and Protocol charts while educating clients about the science and philosophy of BodyTalk is critical to its effectiveness. It helped me deeply appreciate that part of being an effective practitioner is walking alongside our clients, providing critical support that is so rare to find anywhere else.
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MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS remission
Submitted 25-May-12 by Christine Corlett, Practitioner, Courtenay, B.C. Canada
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Thanks to Skot for his testimonial explaining how he has gone from bedridden with Multiple Sclerosis to pain free in about a years' time. BodyTalk Practitioners around the world have been working with MS patients and here is a powerful example of how BodyTalk has helped the body heal itself in short time and with a complete turnaround of symptoms. When I first encountered Skot- he was experiencing a relapse and literally shaking and squirming in pain with his nervous system feeling like it was on fire- After several sessions he is now off interferon and is back on his bike after 4 years and living his life again!
BodyTalk Testimonial: Multiple Sclerosis Remission "During my first session it was clear to me that Christine was a natural healer. She is highly intuitive, and highly focused on helping in the healing process. During her scans she found and conveyed information that only I could have known, and told me things that I wanted to know but had not yet asked her about. It was a very inspiring, insightful, and exhilarating experience. I have gone from being bedridden with my MS symptoms, suffering debilitating relapses and taking interferon and chemo therapies to: drug free, relapse free, pain free and feeling better with more vitality than I have in 4 years. The knowledge that she has imparted has helped guide me toward a deeper understanding of my body, and my life on many levels. I have been back for more, and will continue to do so. Well worth it!" Robert Skot McMillan