A Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Recovery Story and How Science Shows Us the Way
- Brainz Magazine
- 5 days ago
- 14 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Mel Abbott is a mind-body health specialist and founder of The Switch Program, a pioneering approach that helps people recover from chronic illnesses such as ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, CRPS, anxiety, and many other conditions.
After being told there was no cure for chronic fatigue syndrome, one young woman’s life collapsed into exhaustion and despair. Years later, she discovered how science-backed mind-body retraining could calm the nervous system, restore balance, and make full recovery possible — offering new hope for thousands living with ME/CFS.
The day my world fell apart
I remember that day with crystal clarity, one of the worst days of my life. I was 21, sitting in a cold consulting room that smelled faintly of disinfectant. Across the desk, the chronic fatigue specialist adjusted her spectacles and looked at me with a deadpan expression.
“You have chronic fatigue syndrome,” she said flatly. “There is no cure. Here is a pamphlet so you can learn how to manage your symptoms.”
That was it. No warmth. No hope. Just a sentence that took any chance of a recovery away from me. The thought of a whole lifetime of suffering ahead was unbearable. She handed me the pamphlet, a depressing page of “tips” on pacing, rest, lowering your expectations, and acceptance, then moved on to her next patient.
I remember walking out of that office feeling a strange mixture of numbness and an inner screaming all at once. I sat in the car and stared at the pamphlet in my lap, reading the words “There is no cure” over and over. That was the day I lost my future. Or so I thought.
The descent into illness
It hadn’t always been that way. At 18, I was bright, busy, and full of dreams. But after a concussion, things began to unravel. It started subtly, headaches, fatigue, and trouble concentrating, common concussion symptoms. But over time, I developed muscle weakness and exhaustion that sleep could never fix. I could no longer climb even one flight of stairs unaided. My heart would race at 118 beats per minute while lying down. I couldn’t read or study or drive. My world shrank to the size of a couch and a stack of audiobooks.
Even the smallest tasks became monumental. I’d wait until I was very thirsty before reaching for a glass of water because lifting a glass felt like too much effort. I’d delay walking the ten steps to the toilet because I knew it would trigger a wave of exhaustion that might last for hours. Every afternoon, I slept for three hours. It felt like the only way to get through the day. Seeing friends for half an hour would send me into a crash so severe that I would be bedbound for two weeks. I was twenty, and my life had become one long horizontal blur. All I had were my symptoms and my thoughts. I felt like a ghost of my former self.
When that doctor told me there was no cure, it was like being sentenced to a lifetime in a body I could no longer bear to live in. I remember thinking, genuinely, I don’t want to be alive if this is all my life will ever be. That was my rock bottom. Thankfully, that specialist was wrong. But it would take years before I learned just how wrong.
The hopeless narrative
For decades, the narrative around ME/CFS has been one of hopelessness, that it’s incurable, mysterious, and beyond repair. This message is repeated so often that it has become a collective belief system that seeps into patients, families, support groups, societies, care workers, and doctors. It is such a deeply entrenched belief that even though there is a huge amount of evidence-based research for ME/CFS recovery, this evidence is often ignored.
Related article: Research into effective treatments for ME/CFS
When someone in authority says, “You’ll never recover,” it becomes more than just words. It becomes a prognosis that shapes your biology, your emotions, and your future. It’s one of the most dangerous sentences a doctor can say.
Thankfully, my illness was before the age of widely used internet, so I was not exposed to the doom scrolling that people experience now. Despite it feeling like an impossible task to recover, I always kept seeking answers.
Learning how to recover
After a decade of chasing dead ends, specialists, supplements, and alternative therapies, I came across something that seemed different, mind-body retraining. I was open-minded because a friend with ME/CFS had done it and recovered. I don’t know how I would have felt about it otherwise.
My illness was very real and physical. My blood cortisol levels had been measured every three months for 11 years and were always triple the normal healthy level. My doctor would comment that I would feel very unwell with levels like that, but other than temporary management with Propanolol, there was nothing she could do. I had terrible constipation that even daily strong laxatives often couldn’t shift. Despite being so exhausted, my sleep was terrible.
But when I began learning about the neurophysiology of chronic illness, something clicked. I discovered that my body wasn’t broken, it was stuck. My nervous system had become trapped in a chronic stress response, the same “fight, flight, freeze” mechanism designed to protect us in emergencies. Only mine had never switched off since my concussion. All my physical symptoms were a result of my body living in constant survival mode, even though the original threat, the concussion, was long gone.
Finally, someone had explained to me why I was so sick. Just understanding the physiology of my illness started helping me to calm down, and the symptoms were not as severe. Further training taught me techniques to calm that physiological stress response more, how to re-educate my brain to stop perceiving danger where there was none, and how to make thinking and lifestyle adjustments to restore balance to my body’s systems.
It wasn’t about denying that I had an illness, it was about understanding the illness differently.
Recovery: The return to life
Initially, I had to work really hard using the techniques over and over again to keep calming my nervous system and reinvigorating my body. I had to shift out of habitual thinking patterns around energy conservation, fear of being awake all day, and micro-monitoring my symptoms. But every day, I could see evidence in small ways that it was making a difference. As my physiological stress response calmed down, I was able to do more in a day without having the post-exertional malaise effects that even a one-minute walk used to cause me. My afternoon sleeps were gone. I began to sleep deeply at night for the first time in years. I realised one day that I hadn’t taken any laxatives for over a week and my bowels had been fine. Another day, I realised I’d walked up a flight of stairs, easily and joyfully, and hadn’t even thought about it. My most special moment was seeing a clock in a town square, 2 p.m. My goodness, I had been out since 9 a.m.! I had energy, walking the whole day, and had not even thought about fatigue.
At 29 and a half, I was fully recovered. After 11 years of illness, I finally had my life back.
That experience changed everything. It ignited a fire in me, not only to help others recover but to change the entire negative narrative around chronic illness.
From patient to practitioner
After my recovery, I trained in all the techniques that had helped me, and I founded Empower Therapies. My mission was, and still is, to help others do what I once thought was impossible, to heal.
Over the past fifteen years, I’ve worked with thousands of clients around the world, 75% of whom were told they would never recover. And yet, the majority of them do.
In one calendar year, I saw 95 clients with ME/CFS. Of those, 82% reported resolving all or most of their symptoms, and 83% now rated their health as good, very good, or excellent.
Doctors now refer patients to me. In fact, medical professionals are my second largest source of referrals after word of mouth. I’ve presented six times at national GP conferences and been voted Best Speaker twice out of more than 200 presenters. I also contribute to the Otago Medical School programme, teaching future doctors how to discuss mind-body factors in a way that empowers patients instead of invalidating the severity of their illness or implying that it is made up (more on that later).
The science behind ME/CFS recovery
Over the years, I’ve worked with people who developed chronic fatigue syndrome from remarkably different beginnings. Some fell ill after glandular fever or a severe flu. Others after an injury, surgery, or chemotherapy. Some after emotional trauma, a divorce, bereavement, or abuse. Others burned out from high-pressure careers or the relentless drive of a perfectionist, Type A personality.
With such a wide range of origins, it’s unlikely that there’s a single biological cause. What all these experiences have in common is that they triggered a prolonged physiological stress response, the same fight, flight, or freeze state that keeps us safe in moments of danger but becomes destructive when it never switches off.
This, I believe, is the true cause of CFS and other chronic illnesses.
When the body remains in survival mode for too long, every organ and system begins to suffer. Stress hormones flood the body, raising heart rate and blood pressure while diverting energy away from digestion, immunity, and healing. The longer this continues, the more depleted the system becomes, until it can no longer repair itself. Helping clients calm their bodies out of this chronic stress response allows their natural healing mechanisms to resume.
The scientific evidence is also supporting this opinion.
A 2023 paper in the Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care states:
“After 40 years of research into CFS/ME neither a specific biological defect or pathology, nor a specific biomarker, has been identified. Whilst many pathophysiological abnormalities have been reported, these remain as non-specific associations. Similar abnormalities have also been found in patients with other illnesses including chronic pain and fibromyalgia… We therefore think it is time to explore alternative perspectives that include psychological, social as well as biological factors…
Whilst we regard the symptoms of these conditions as real, we propose that they are more likely to reflect the brain's response to a range of biological, psychological, and social factors, rather than a specific disease process… Possible causes include persistent activation of the neurobiological stress response… Recovery is often possible if patients are helped to adopt a less threatening understanding of their symptoms and are supported in a gradual return to normal activities.” (Alme et al., 2023)
This understanding isn’t new.
In the 1930s, endocrinologist Hans Selye first described the General Adaptation Syndrome, showing how prolonged stress leads to “adrenal exhaustion” and systemic breakdown, what we might now recognise as burnout or chronic fatigue. When the body stays in fight-or-flight mode for too long, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis floods the system with cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones are lifesaving in emergencies but toxic when chronic. They raise heart rate, tense muscles, and redirect blood flow away from digestion, immunity, and healing. Over time, every organ system begins to pay the price.
More recently, Dr Stephen Porges’s Polyvagal Theory expanded this model by identifying how the vagus nerve, a major pathway connecting brain and body, governs our sense of safety, social connection, and healing. When the vagus nerve signals safety, the body shifts from defence to restoration. But when the brain perceives threat, whether physical or emotional, it keeps the body in protection mode, suppressing digestion, immunity, and energy production.
In essence, chronic fatigue isn’t a failure of willpower, it’s the body doing its best to survive under constant perceived danger. Mind-body retraining doesn’t “cure” illness by positive thinking, it teaches the nervous system that it is safe again. Once the body feels safe, it physiologically calms down, which allows it to restore its natural innate healing abilities.
The DecodeME study: Genetics and hope
Then came the 2025 DecodeME study, the largest genetic study ever conducted on ME/CFS, involving more than 15,000 patients. It found eight genetic variations that may increase susceptibility to ME/CFS.
Related article: DecodeME Study: What ME/CFS Genes Really Mean for Recovery
For many, this was long-awaited validation. One of my clients told me through tears that her husband finally believed her illness was real, after 30 years of doubting her, only because of this study. I am so sad for this lady to have been disbelieved by her closest loved one for so long. People should not need a genetics study to be believed. Thankfully, my family and my doctors always believed me, so I never dealt with this judgment at such a deeply personal level. I can understand that for people who have been doubted in this way, being validated for having a real illness would become even more important.
While the DecodeME findings are important, they don’t determine destiny. They show risk, not certainty. Genes can load the gun, but environment, stress, and lifestyle pull the trigger, or put the safety catch back on.
Research in epigenetics proves that genes can switch on and off based on how we live, think, and manage stress. One landmark study found that men who changed their diet, exercise, and stress levels switched the activity of more than 500 genes related to cancer growth in just three months (Ornish et al., 2008).
If genes are flexible in cancer, why not in ME/CFS?
That’s why the DecodeME findings should give validation, but not hopelessness. My fear is that for many ME/CFS sufferers, the results of this study are going to further add to their belief that their illness can never be cured. The message should be, “Your illness is real, and you can still recover.”
Understanding the divide: Why the ME/CFS conversation became so emotional
Over the years, I’ve shared my work with people from many different chronic illness communities, from autoimmune disease to endometriosis to chronic pain, and most are curious and open to learning about mind-body approaches. They’re often relieved to discover that there may be a way to reduce their symptoms without endless medication or surgery.
But in the ME/CFS community, the reactions can be much more complex. Some people respond with warmth and curiosity. Others feel deeply wary or even hurt at the very mention of mind-body methods. And I think I understand why.
In the 1980s and 1990s, many people with ME/CFS were told their illness was “all in their head.” They were dismissed, gaslighted, and sometimes pushed into harmful exercise or return-to-work programmes. That experience was traumatic. Being told that your illness isn’t real cuts deeply, and it leaves an understandable legacy of mistrust.
So when people now hear about mind-body interventions, it can trigger old wounds. If I had been told for years that I was faking my illness, I would feel cautious too.
But here’s the crucial point, mind-body does not mean “made up,” “all in your mind,” “fake,” “psychosomatic,” or “choosing to be sick.” And it does not mean “pushing through,” “pretending to be well,” or “just think positively.” It means that the mind and body are constantly interacting, and that we can use that connection to influence physical healing.
ME/CFS is real, serious, and physical. And it’s also, often, recoverable.
It’s time to find middle ground. The old narrative, “It’s all in your mind,” was wrong. But so is the recent one, “It’s so physical that it’s incurable.”
The truth lies between, ME/CFS is real, serious, and physical, and the body can recover when we address the neurophysiological processes driving it.
Compassion and change
I want to say something important to anyone who has been dismissed or disbelieved, I see you. Having ME/CFS was not your fault. The pain of being told your illness is psychological, or being ignored altogether, can be as damaging as the illness itself. It’s traumatic, and it leaves scars of mistrust.
That’s why any conversation about mind-body healing must start with empathy, not defensiveness. We need to create safety first, the very thing this illness has taken away. Only when people feel seen and validated can they open to new possibilities.
I’m not here to argue that my way is the only way. There are many wonderful approaches out there that can help people recover from ME/CFS. Just because I’m saying that ME/CFS is curable does not mean that I’ve ever said it’s not real or serious. I’m here to invite a broader understanding, one that honours both science and human experience, and enables the best opportunities for healing.
The power of healing stories
Nothing illustrates this better than the words of one of my ME/CFS clients, Charlene, now aged 75, who emailed me just a few days ago:
“It’s just short of a year after meeting you and taking your Switch programme. I continue to marvel at the opportunity you’ve given my mind to unlock its power and consequently, my body! My personal trainer and ballet teacher say I am a miracle, as I am now stronger at age 75 than I was before I got sick five years ago. I can literally run up three flights of stairs, do ballet developés over 90°, and walk five miles after a 90-minute class. I give gratitude for all my mind and body do, and I thank you once again for your courses and insight. Anything is possible when thinking positively, showing gratitude, being happy and calm. You do good work, Mel. Great job!”
Related article: Read Charlene’s full story here
When I read letters like that, I’m reminded why I do this work. Because healing is not a miracle, it’s the natural intelligence of the body, restored.
How doctors can talk about ME/CFS and recovery
The medical profession holds enormous power through language. A diagnosis can validate, but it can also imprison.
When doctors say, “There’s no cure,” it is emotionally catastrophic for the patient.
Instead, they could say:
“ME/CFS is a complex, real condition. Recovery can be challenging, but it is possible, and there are ways to support your body’s natural healing.”
That single sentence can reignite hope. And hope is not naïve, it’s neurochemical. It reduces cortisol, releases dopamine, and motivates behaviour change. It literally fuels recovery.
Here’s what compassionate communication can look like:
Validate first: “Your symptoms are real, and what you’re going through sounds incredibly hard.”
Normalise complexity: “We don’t fully understand why this happens yet, but we do know your body is reacting to prolonged physiological stress in a very physical way.”
Introduce hope carefully: “Many people improve by retraining their nervous system to calm down so that the body can re-engage its own rest and digest healing systems. It’s not psychological, it’s biological learning. Would you like to explore that?”
This approach honours suffering without reinforcing helplessness. It gives patients both validation and agency, the twin pillars of recovery.
When patients feel believed, their nervous system shifts toward safety. And that physiological safety is the foundation of healing.
Because the truth is, recovery isn’t rare. It’s just rarely talked about.
Danny’s Story: Finding balance again
Another story that moves me deeply is from a client, Danny, who shared his experience publicly. He lived with ME/CFS for six years. He described feeling like “a human husk,” his once active life reduced to surviving each day.
After years of trying every supplement and therapy imaginable, Danny found hope through my programme, The Switch, breathwork, and gentle lifestyle shifts to rewire those pathways.
He describes his recovery not as instant or perfect, but as steady and self-compassionate:
“I’ve stopped trying to perfect everything. Eight out of ten is usually good enough. I quit drinking, cut caffeine, learned to rest without guilt, and now I’m about 95% recovered. Progress isn’t linear, but I’m running 10km again. Health is a work in progress, after all.”
Danny’s story shows that recovery isn’t about denying reality, it’s about reshaping it.
What I do now
Through Empower Therapies, I offer a range of programs to help people retrain their nervous systems and rediscover wellness.
The First Steps to Recovery: A free 40-minute webinar introducing the five key traps that keep people stuck in illness.
Next Steps to Recovery: A practical follow-up program teaching techniques for calming the stress response.
The Switch: My flagship live four-day course, teaching the Quick Switch and Deep Switch methods for rewiring neural pathways, releasing stored trauma, and rebuilding health and hope.
Closing thoughts: The gift of suffering
If I could go back and speak to that 21-year-old girl in the specialist’s office, the one clutching the pamphlet that said “no cure,” I would take her hand and say:
This is not the end. You are not broken. You will recover, and one day, you’ll help others do the same.
I wouldn’t wish those years of illness on anyone. They were lonely, terrifying, and heartbreaking. But they also gave me the gift of understanding the human body and recovery in ways no textbook ever could.
Now, every time I stand in front of a group of doctors or a room full of patients desperate for recovery, I remember that day in the consulting room. And I think, if I can stop even one person from feeling as hopeless as I did, then it was all worth it.
Because recovery isn’t a miracle. It’s biology, empathy, and belief working together. And it starts with one powerful idea, healing isn’t something we force, it’s what happens naturally when we switch our nervous system out of survival and back into safety.
Read more from Mel Abbott
Mel Abbott, Therapist in Chronic Illness Recovery
Mel Abbott is a mind-body health specialist and founder of The Switch Program. After an 11-year struggle with chronic illness herself, she made a full recovery and has since helped thousands of people worldwide overcome conditions such as ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, CRPS, anxiety, and more, achieving around 80% success rates. She has been voted best speaker at two national GP medical conferences and is a contributor to the Otago Medical School Year 3 handbook, where her insights help shape the next generation of doctors. Mel’s work blends science, compassion, and practical tools to calm the nervous system and unlock the body’s natural healing ability. Her passion is simple yet powerful, recovery is possible!
