In 10 years of working in the field of fatigue and stress related illness. Profiling over 2500 patients struggling with stress and fatigue related illness flagged up some very themes and common traits.
Can you resonate with any of these characteristics?
• An A type over achiever – who pushes self very hard in work or sport or is an over-giver
• Perfectionist tendencies- high expectation of self and very self-critical
• Takes on multiple responsibilities with many projects on the go simultaneously
• Lives in their head- lots of to do lists- and a need to be in control
• Highly empathic – feels deeply what others are feeling – puts others needs first
• Feeling different as a child -like a fish out of water in your family or school
• Highly Sensitive – easily startled, dislike of noisy environments reacts badly to medications
and a tendency to supress difficult emotions or situations rather than stop, grieve and process them.
Reference: The Chrysalis Effect Fatigue Profiling System
If this sounds like its describing you perfectly, have you noticed how often you experience overwhelm, reduced energy levels and a lowered resilience to stress?
If you are a therapist do you see increasing numbers of patients struggling with multiple unexplained symptoms?
Genetic Sensitivity, Childhood Adversity and Online Technology
If you do, then it will be a relief to know why. The ‘5-HTTLPR’ gene variants will determine how often your body goes into a ‘high alert’ state and why you feel stress much more acutely. The concept of the sensitive or ‘orchid child’ opens up our understanding of genetic pre-disposition and the impact of a challenging environment. Those with the NR3C1 variant you will be pre-disposed to a heightened reactivity to the negative impact of stressful environments. Your ‘HPA Axis’ drives your fight, flight or freeze response mechanism. Dr Robert Naviaux identifies this as a ‘Cell Danger Response’. For a sensitive there will be a hair trigger response to situations that other less sensitive souls can shrug off.
Ideally in the future, GP’s would offer a simple genetic sensitivity test to all babies, but for now, recognising which contributory factors lead to the firing of this mechanism and the resulting symptoms which include: headaches, insomnia, bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, susceptibility to recurrent viral and bacterial infections, fatigue and foggy brain, muscle and joint pain and feelings of anxiousness.
ACE most significant predictor of Disease in Adulthood
Sensitive or not, it must be said, that many of us have not had the perfect childhood environment to grow up in. Our childhood, shapes us, it is where we develop our ‘sense of self-worth’. More than that, it is proving to be an accurate predictor of the specific health issues we are likely to develop in our adult years. It was ACE Score pioneer Dr Vincent Felitti who stumbled upon this link in his research into underlying causes of obesity. His work gave us a very quick to do ‘ACE Score’. Categorising your level of childhood adversity which falls under 3 main areas: Abuse, Neglect and Household dysfunction. Interestingly, neglect is not necessarily being deprived of food and love but encompasses abandonment which can be having a parent die or leave after a divorce.
From my own personal and professional experience. I have learned that abuse does not have to be physical, sexual or emotionally cruel in intent. It is any behaviour or experience that feels emotionally traumatic to a child that sets up an unconscious feeling of being under threat.
Sensitive adults often recall being chastised, teased or made fun of in front of other people. Many have experienced ridicule for being ‘too sensitive’. They learned quickly that being sensitive is not okay. They learned to employ behaviours and strategies to please others by hiding or suppress who they really are. Common ways of doing this include proving they can cope with or achieve more than others by working harder or doing more which sets up a tendency to perfectionism. This is the beginning of a ‘masking behaviour’ and what often emerges is the ‘A type’ driven personality so common in sensitive fatigue prone clients. Being seen to be externally strong and coping admirably when in fact deep down their sensitive needs are not being met. Admitting to vulnerability is perceived as dangerous.
And here is where ACE and being highly sensitivity create the perfect storm. We have witnessed the emergence of a person pre-disposed to health issues that don’t respond to traditional methods. In short, they require a new integrated model of healthcare.
The consistent rise in anxiety, depression, eating disorders, including anorexia and bulimia and those often termed ‘medically unexplained symptoms’ like ME, CFS and fibromyalgia indicate that the ACE study, though ground-breaking and brilliant is limited.
At a recent Conference held by eating disorder charity BEAT many young sufferers admitted to being highly sensitive, driven perfectionists and cited the rise of Instagram and bullying as factors in the development of their life-threatening illnesses.
In the words of paediatric oncologist Dr Bernie Siegal. ‘Our Childhood is stored up in our bodies and one day it will present its bill’
When we look at what is being stored in the bodies of our children today we must consider the impact of 24/7 access to social media as a significant environmental factor in adversity in childhood. Donna Jackson Nakazawa author of ‘Childhood Disrupted’ ‘How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology shares the worrying but unsurprising fact that environmentally sensitive children are prone to the development of addictions and psychological issues by the age of 25.
The Office for National statistics tell us that virtually all adults - 99% aged 16 to 34 years are internet users So even if home life is perfect. Children are exposed constantly to the messages from peers, which may not always be positive. Can you imagine trying to ban your adolescent from using social media? It would never work.
If learning about the sensitivity gene and ACE today has been helpful, if it has opened a window into the importance of living in a way that honours who you are. You will be as excited as me about making this information central to preventative healthcare.
It is this kind of insight that must be delivered to move away from a symptom base approach.
In 2009 The Chrysalis Effect began prototyping an online educational recovery pathway for people suffering with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, simply because many clients had no understanding of why they were ill, most had been told they might not recover and were literally too ill or exhausted to travel. We had no option but to take the mountain to Mohamed. It worked. The transformation in recovery outcomes for fatigue and fibromyalgia was successful beyond our wildest dreams.
We harnessed cutting edge technology to create immediately accessible health-care. It allowed us to train specialists in a specific health issue with No waiting for weeks to be referred to a specialist unit.
No being left high and dry and floundering between seeing a specialist. The internet allowed us to merge complementary medicine with the power of wellbeing coaching to build a referral practitioner community delivering lifestyle medicine 24/7.
With mainstream docs like Dr Chatterjee embracing social media to collaborate with complementary therapists and calling for all GP’s to do the same. It’s never been a more exciting time to be working in health.
And Here’s the Best Bit. A major factor in recovery was having a fabulously positive social media group brimming with recovered role models. All sensitives- who understand. People who have been through the same thing and regained vibrant levels of health support the newbies every step of the way. Friendship, and encouragement on tap removed the isolation of illness and spurs people to stick with recovery protocols through the ups and downs of life.
Our Newly Launched sister organisation Chrysalis Effect Health is set to play a key role in the transformation the NHS are working toward. If you have been longing for a new person- centred healthcare model. It’s time to get excited Lifestyle medicine really is where the action is.
Elaine Wilkins is founder of The Chrysalis Effect and Chrysalis Effect Health. The recipient of APCTC Courage to Change Award and FHT Excellence Awards Tutor of The Year, A Published Expert for ME, CFS and Fibromyalgia for IHCAN magazine, Author of Finding ME; The Chrysalis Effect Online Recovery Programme, ILM Wellbeing Coaching Course and FHT Accredited Specialist Practitioner Training.
www.thechrysaliseffect.co.uk
www.chrysaliseffecthealth.com
T: 01883 712555
E: info@thechrysaliseffect.com
For Practitioners interested in delivering Lifestyle Medicine –
For ME, CFS or Fibromyalgia Recovery information – 8 essentials Guide
For Practitioners working with Fatigue clients – 12 - point checklist
References
Ref: Duke University
The January 2015 study, “Can Genetics Predict Response to Complex Behavioral Interventions? Evidence from a Genetic Analysis of the Fast Track Randomized Control Trial,” was published in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management.
*Benedicte Meyer et al October 16, 2015
Maintenance of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) in Young CFS Patients Is Associated with the 5-HTTLPR and SNP rs25531 A > G Genotype
The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACE Study) Dr Felliti and Dr Anda
The Sensitivity Hypothesis Dandelion Orchid Children - Bruce Ellis University of Arizona W Thomas Boyce University of British Columbia
Childhood Disrupted ‘ How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology - Donna Jackson Nakazawa
GSC – Genetically Sensitive Client- Chrysalis Effect Specialist Practitioner Training Elaine Wilkins
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