Neil McHugh
I Was Told 'You Will Never Have A Normal Life Again'
From a very young age in life I was always fascinated by “The Mind” and our thought process. I was fortunate to be given a book that I still read today “Bring Out The Magic In Your Mind” by Al Koran.
This book opened up my mind to the Universe. It allowed me to dream about things that did not seem possible. My mother & father worked every possible hour only to struggle from week to week. This surely was not the way God intended us to live. Life had to be more than this!
I started visualizing on and off throughout my teen years which allowed me to escape the violent streets of city life in Scotland. It lifted my spirit out from the gutter to a place that had no crime, worries or gloom and doom. This is where I went when I felt depressed.
I practiced my visualization technique throughout my adult life with great success. My life was on track and very different from the life style my parents worked so hard to achieve.
I just turned 36 and was about to face my biggest challenge ever. Like many adults, sometimes we awake from sleep with minor aches and pains. My pain was from my lower back. I felt as if I had pulled a muscle and the dull ache would not go away. I hated going to the Doctor, so I ignored it. Two weeks passed and the sensation increased. I noticed my flexibility was decreasing rapidly. Bending over was proving to be a problem.
I reluctantly made an appointment with my local GP. After a 3 minute inspection he diagnosed it was “Old Age”. I was 37. Now you can understand why I was reluctant to go. He prescribed muscle relaxants and told me to lie down for a few weeks. Of course it did not work. Then my muscles surrounding my lower back were going into spasms. In addition I was experiencing shooting pains down my legs. Once more I went back and explained that the pain was becoming intolerable and I needed to see a specialist. After a few choice exchanges in words, he agreed to refer me, just so I would leave his office.
Four weeks later I was diagnosed with a chronic degenerating spine disease which was crippling me. The discs were degenerating at an alarming rate. I was on painkillers 24 hours/day. I could not bend more than a few degrees and I was unable to walk more than 10 feet without feeling as if I was going to blackout with the pain.
I had now seen the best two orthopaedic surgeons in my area and was told. “I am really sorry, but there is nothing we can do. It is too dangerous to operate in fear of damaging the spinal cord and you will just have to learn to cope with the pain. I am afraid you will never be able to lead a normal life as you once knew it”
Desperate, angry, frustrated were the best way to describe my emotions. I was confused why this was happening to me. I was angry because no one could tell me why, but I was determined not to end up in a wheel chair. I had two young kids and they needed a father who could walk, run and play with them.
I would NOT allow myself to just wither and die from this illness.
My favourite book came out from the cupboard. I engrossed myself in the book “Bring Out The Magic In Your Mind”. It was time. It was time to bring out the magic in my mind. If this really worked, this would be the test.
I devised a process knowing that I needed to treat this problem as a project. I mapped out my day so I would perform mediation and visualization three times each day. This was the most important thing in my life at that time. All my focus and energy was used to get me back on my feet. It was a long road with many up & downs. A few times I had those negative voices telling me “This will never work Neil, give it up” but I would not listen. Our bodies can regenerate. Our minds are the most powerful machines on this planet. With the right technique and perseverance, this would work.
After 3 months, which was 270 sessions of visualizations, I could ease off the painkillers and the muscle spasms were becoming less obvious. I could walk further without the excruciating pain and most importantly my hope and spirit was lifting. I was winning!
After 6 months, I was back to full mobility and started working out. I was a father again and could run and play with my kids just as I visualized.
-Neil McHugh, Author of: Dreaming Your Way to Pain Free Living
