Ten years ago I never would have said I was grateful for Depression and Narcolepsy. I felt like they were ruining my life. I was the victim and there was nothing I could do about it.
But today I am living a completely different story. Depression and narcolepsy were catalysts that forced me to take a harder look at what I’m doing in life. Eventually they propelled me to create a life worth living. It didn’t happen overnight and it wasn’t magic. But it has lead me to live a magical life.
Diagnosed with Narcolepsy
But let’s start at the beginning. I have had narcolepsy, a chronic neurological disorder that affects the sleep-wake cycle for as long as I can remember. When I started full-day school, it was hard for me to stay awake in the classroom. I slept on the schoolbus. When I got home, I often crashed before dinner and didn’t get up until morning.
It took years to get a proper diagnosis. At the time, narcolepsy in children was not often recognized. Even now it can take many years to diagnose since the key symptom, excessive daytime sleepiness, is rampant in a society where sleep has become a sign of weakness.
Living with Depression and Narcolepsy
Long story short, growing up with narcolepsy was hard. I felt isolated and struggled with depression. I don’t know how many years I pushed away suicidal thoughts because I believed that suicide was a sin that could never be forgiven. I also didn’t tell anyone about those thoughts for the same reason. I survived years of self-harm. I was alone in my struggle with depression and narcolepsy.
I graduated from college in 2011, with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and African American and African Diaspora studies. Looking back, I see I was following my passion, even if I was doing it in a conventional way, by going to college. I took courses that I loved so that I could stay awake, and I made the schedule each semester to accommodate my sleep and maximize my energy.
But once college was over and it was time to get a job in the real world, I was feeling pretty lost. The change started back around May 2012. I went to see a therapist. I expected to just sit and chat for an hour and leave feeling as bad as when I went in since that had been my past experience with therapy. I was blown away. This man gave me a choice between the traditional therapy and something he said was a bit different but effective. I said, why not, nothing else is working.
Alternative Therapy for Depression
So he did his own version of a practice from The Emotion Code by Dr. Bradley Nelson, along with some EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) or Tapping. At the end of that session, I was totally weirded out. But I couldn’t deny it felt like my shoulders were more square on my body, and my steps were lighter. Something had changed inside of me and I was feeling really different. This therapist hadn’t asked me anything about depression and narcolepsy.
I went back for another session probably a week later. This time I asked the therapist about the methods he was using because I couldn’t deny I was feeling like a different person.
I got on Amazon and bought the two books he told me had the most impact on his practice. Then I thought about getting a Master’s degree in social work so I could do for others what this therapist had done for me. But my mind wasn’t able to go beyond the traditional options. I saw that as the one and only path to helping others.
An End to Depression
When I walked out of his office that day, he said goodbye. He didn’t expect to see me ever again. After just 2 sessions, he assured me my suicidal thoughts and the heavy weight of depression would not be returning. For weeks I felt myself looking over my shoulder, expecting them to be lurking in the shadows until eventually, I forgot about them. I was free.
It was amazing how much better the symptoms of narcolepsy seemed with the depression weighing them down. Sure I still had narcolepsy, and the therapy hadn’t done much for it, but without the cloud of darkness over my head, it felt like there was light at the end of the tunnel.
For years I didn’t do much with those books. I read them initially but I wasn’t ready to see the full scope of possibilities. I wasn’t ready for a Master’s degree. I wanted to pay off my undergraduate degree first. Since I was feeling better, they got put on a shelf. I kind of forgot about them.
Living without Depression
In 2014, I moved abroad and started teaching English in Spain. I began getting more and more into the healthy lifestyle to treat narcolepsy. In 2016, one of the teachers at a school I was working at used EFT with the kids! I was instantly reminded of my experience years earlier, and began exploring how EFT could help me to optimize my health.
I began using it to change my beliefs about health, to help me feel empowered to do more with my body. I signed up for an EFT course, which led to an NLP course, which led me to study coaching! It’s really incredible how it all lined up.
Thriving with Narcolepsy
By 2018, I was creating my own life, writing my own destiny. Depression and narcolepsy didn’t rule my life anymore. In fact, I feel I have mastered depression and believe that I will never be depressed again. Narcolepsy has become like a friend to me. It keeps me in line. I have to focus on what is most important to me or else it rebels, reminding me of how powerful it can be when I’m wasting my energy on things I’m not passionate about.
Since 2018, I have been in Myanmar. I transitioned from teaching English online to coaching full time. Here I am living a dream life, making my own schedule, running my own business, and feeling 100% in alignment with my values. Medication hasn’t fit into my lifestyle in years, and narcolepsy is not stopping me from doing anything.
Becoming Me
As I become more and more of myself, I feel confident to introduce others to energy therapy and the world of energy healing. At first, I was nervous about what others would think of me. But in 2020, I have experienced a huge amount of growth and spiritual awakening. I am finally using these powerful tools to help others empower themselves.
I love the way that my experience has come full circle. I’ve finally found a way to help people the way I was helped. And I have done it in my own way.
If you would like to experience a session of healing using The Emotion Code, please reach out to me. I believe if you are here reading this, you are here for a reason, and I would love to connect.