After an 11 year losing battle with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I came to The Option Institute out of desperation, in hopes of just finding some peace in my life. I was ready to apply for disability, and give up my dream and my passion of working with children with special needs. Before I came to The Option Institute, every day was a struggle. I woke up more tired than I went to sleep the night before. I dragged myself through a very much shortened work day, and still would end up with only enough energy to drag myself in the door after work and go to bed by about 6 pm. Many times in the middle of my day I would end up crying. A short trip to the grocery store was enough to wipe me out. I would forget even the simplest things, and my mind seemed like it was in a fog much of the time. I felt like I was in a living hell.
After attending my very first Option Institute week-long program, I was able to climb the mountain on the property, attended classes, went out to eat, went swimming and woke up rested and relaxed for the first time in years. Within the year, I came back and attended the Couples Course program with my husband, and then completed the Grand Summer Sequence. The emotional and physical changes I have experienced and continue to experience each day of my life are nothing short of miraculous. I am fully recovered from an illness many experts consider incurable. During Grand Summer Sequence program, I shoveled rocks and moved logs for 6 hours in a day. I worked community projects every day, and worked as hard as all my classmates. At the end of these days, I was still able to enjoy a night of talking with classmates, walking, and enjoying the Institute and its surroundings. I went dancing with friends. I took trips to visit relatives. I attended every class, and even avoided a cold that was going around!
Now, I work a 40-plus hour week at my dream job helping children with special needs, and still have plenty of energy left with which to enjoy my life. I am pursuing physical activities, such as hiking, biking, and kayaking, and enjoying every wonderful thing my body and mind can do. I have tried just about every other treatment out there for Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome, and I believe that The Option Institute has been the best investment of my time and energy and the results speak for themselves. I have my health and my life back, thanks to the tools I have learned. I know I possess the ability to overcome any challenge that may come along, live any dream I can dream up, and I will do it with strength, energy, and excitement.
Ellen Stanley, Manager/Developmental Therapists, Maine