How Does Mickel Therapy Work?

Recent science has shown activity in the emotional centres in the mid-brain (where the Hypothalamus is located) while there is none in the thinking part of the frontal cortex. In other words the 'body' is sending emotional feedback independent of thought processes.

Instead of seeing physical symptoms as things to get rid of via drugs or surgery, Mickel Therapy takes the perspective that the body is innately 'intelligent', and that symptoms are useful and necessary communication from the ’Body Intelligence’ & Hypothalamus.

Two ways of explaining 'body intelligence' are:|
1) You walk into a situation and your head tells you it is good but another part of you tells you “no it's not”. We call that the 'body intelligence'.

2) Imagine yourself sitting on a pin. Your body sends you a symptom of pain. You can shout and scream or even think positively about the situation but your body keeps sending the symptom. It is only when the pin is removed that the body can stop sending the message & the pain subsides.

Mickel Therapy works by interpreting & translating the communication and symptoms rather than by trying to eradicate them or ‘killing the messenger’. Once the message the body has been trying to communicate to the person is received and heard, they are then taught how to use certain tools and skills to work with the ‘Body Intelligence’ so that it no longer needs to send symptoms.

The good news is that the body is designed to be a self-healing mechanism and that we all have the ability to heal ourselves. Mickel Therapy allows a person to move from a place of disempowerment to self-empowerment, allowing them to restructure their approach to and experience of life.

Initially client and therapist work on interpreting and translating the message that has been hidden behind the symptoms, so that the client can at last hear what the body has been trying to communicate to them. Then the therapist instructs the client in the use of specific tools which they use when symptoms arise so that the body can see that it does not need to send symptoms anymore.

Is Mickel Therapy a form of psychotherapy?

No. Mickel Therapy is a body-mind healing process. This means that we work with physical symptoms in order to clear the messages that are linked to them. Unlike psychotherapy, we do not investigate thoughts in order to treat the mind. This makes sense since CFS/ME and Fibromyalgia are physical illnesses and not psychological. In contrast to most forms of physical therapy we do not try to remove symptoms through massage, diet or drugs that merely 'shoot' the messenger. The key to the work is to teach clients how to work with their innate ‘Body Intelligence' to the degree that it is then allowed to stop sending symptoms.

what can i expect in a session?

The first step is to brief clients so that they understand why the ‘Hypothalamus' is going into overdrive creating the symptoms of their condition. All clients are then introduced to the difference between 'head intelligence' and 'body intelligence'. The therapist & client then go on to do some detective work to reveal the message their body has been sending behind the symptoms. Once revealed, clients use their message each time they notice and increase in symptoms.

They are asked to keep short notes that record when, where and how often symptoms occur in order to elicit more information and to ensure the appropriate action is being taken to prevent the need for the body to send further symptoms. This enables client and therapist to monitor a reduction in symptoms and identify real progress as well as the required next steps.

Other tools to further enhance the process will also be introduced for clients to work with outside of sessions and will be based on their individual requirements. These will always be agreed with the therapist.

Sessions consist of one to one consultations which last for one hour. Sessions are arranged on variable intervals though generally we have found that having the first 3 sessions on a weekly basis to be most effective. Sessions can then be on a 1 - 2 week interval. Treatment length varies but a large proportion of clients complete treatment after 8 - 10 sessions.