Using Meditation To Maximize Recovery With The Paddison Program

We discuss in this interview:

How emotions can trigger inflammation
Meditation as a way to calm the mind
Valentin’s first attempts with medications and his discovery of Dr. McDougall’s work
His switch to the Paddison Program, part of Rheumatoid Solutions, with promising results
Possible side effects of medications on mood and feelings
Water fasting
Journaling
Mind-body connection and neuroplasticity
Meditation techniques
Extending the results of meditation in everyday life

Introducing Valentin

During this week’s podcast edition, we were lucky enough to have Valentin as our guest. He joined us to have an insightful discussion about using meditation to maximize recovery with the Paddison Program, part of Rheumatoid Solutions, to achieve recovery from chronic conditions. Valentin is originally from Romania and currently lives in Texas, where he has been for the last 20 years.

Valentin has been part of the Rheumatoid Solutions coaching and support platform for some time. He is an extraordinary communicator, well-versed in elucidating complex ideas easily, a testament to his training and professional background in psychology. While he may not be actively practising in that field currently, his knowledge and experience lend credibility to his explanations, leaving no doubt about the value of his insights.

Here, Valentin will discuss how combining meditation with the Rheumatoid Solutions program significantly affected his health and mental well-being, enabling him to achieve his ultimate goal of recovery from his health conditions. Valentin’s experience also highlights the limitations of the standard approach to healthcare.

Valentin’s Journey to Diagnosis

Valentin’s pain started in November 2018 when he struggled with back pain despite regularly attending the gym and engaging in physical activity. Experiencing significant joint pain, he initially thought he had pulled a muscle, but it soon became unbearable, so he went to the emergency room determined to find the underlying cause of his distress. After an X-ray and pain medication, a doctor noticed something odd on his spine and recommended he see a rheumatology specialist. Although blood tests and X-rays returned normal, he had a family history of ankylosing spondylitis, and his doctor suspected he might have it too. However, as his X-rays appeared normal, he was prescribed pain relief and told to “wait and see”. Two weeks later, the pain returned, and he noticed a swelling in his neck. His doctor diagnosed him with a form of autoimmune disease, referring to it as axial spondyloarthritis for the time being.

After receiving a cortisone shot, Valentin felt great for ten days, after which his pain returned, and he needed a further shot. Then he became concerned about the side effects of the medication and wondered if his diet was playing a role. Valentin’s proactive approach to his health care led him to research the potential impacts of his diet on his condition, ultimately leading him to discover the Starch Solution by Dr McDougall and to try an elimination diet.

Seeking Alternative Medicine Strategies

At one point during his journey, he was 90% recovered and experienced several pain-free days, although the pain would occasionally return. However, he was stuck in a cycle and realised his emotions triggered his pain. He consumed meat three times a day, leading to him becoming overweight and experiencing high cholesterol levels. Although he had a happy family life with his wife and child, he lacked contentment with himself and did not feel self-love.

He sensed that something was missing, and that missing piece was his psychological well-being. So, searching for a solution to achieve total health, he discovered meditation, which helped quiet his mind and taught him to love himself more. As a result, Valentin could attain full health by focusing on himself instead of external factors. Currently, he is pain-free, happy, and not depressed, and he is simply in love with life and his pursuits. So, let’s explore how he got to this point.

Starting the Paddison Program

Valentin recalled a moment during Christmas when he had guests over and had bought a lot of food. While in the middle of reading on the internet, he made a spur-of-the-moment decision to stop eating dairy and meat. The following day, he ate sweet potatoes and green beans and continued this for about ten days. During this time, he noticed that his pain had subsided slightly. He then began searching for information on YouTube and came across a video by a woman from England who had ankylosing spondylitis. In the video, she shared that she had experienced similar symptoms and couldn’t move her head.

He was inspired to learn more about the Paddison Program, part of Rheumatoid Solutions. Upon discovering that it had plans, steps, and meals, he felt that it suited him and decided to start it on January 1st as his New Year’s resolution. He gave it 100%, and after ten days, he felt very optimistic about the program and began introducing new foods. Although some pain returned, it was not severe. However, when his CT scan and X-ray results returned, they were not good. This caused him to panic and imagine the worst-case scenario of living with chronic pain despite being on medication, just like his father.

Valentin believes that his overreaction to this exacerbated his pain. He decided to take pills but soon realised this wasn’t the best option. His doctor referred him to a renowned rheumatologist in Houston after seeing something concerning on his CT scan, which may have been ankylosing spondylitis. The specialist recommended Enbrel, one of the standard treatments for the condition, but he researched and found that this drug was typically used for extreme pain, not mild discomfort. He decided to forego most medication and instead focus on other tools to alleviate his pain, but he still took sulfasalazine. However, by May, he began to feel deeply depressed and noticed changes in his thought patterns. He struggled with the pain in his collarbone and ribs, which made it difficult to hold his newborn son. Additionally, he experienced significant back pain.

Valentin and his family planned to visit their family members in Europe the same summer. Then, one night before the flight, he began to feel stressed about travelling with a newborn, finding suitable food, and imagining worst-case scenarios. Although he had no other inflammation, one of his fingers became immobilised, and he experienced new inflammation in his chest. This experience made him realise that his way of thinking and viewing life was wrong, and he needed to find a way to retrain his brain and improve his depressive symptoms. In addition, he knew he needed a plan to get rid of the sulfasalazine because he realised that he was in a better state of health before taking it.

Valentin focused on improving his health by eliminating processed foods and switching to a plant-based diet. He started consuming vegetable juices and a spinach smoothie in the morning. Additionally, he incorporated activities like going to the sauna and practising yoga into his routine. He also travelled to California to participate in a water fast. His plan moving forward was to address his use of sulfasalazine.

After fasting for six days, he found the experience positive and enjoyable, even though he knew it was not a sustainable solution to his health issues. While at the True North health centre, he attended presentations twice daily and met a woman with lupus who recommended the book The Divided Mind by John Sarno. Intrigued, he decided to read it and learned about the connection between the mind and body. The book explains how past traumas and events can lead to pain and chronic diseases and how addressing underlying emotional issues can relieve or eliminate symptoms.

Valentin shared some other captivating books that piqued his interest and inspired him. Among them is Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient by Norman Cousins, which tells the story of a man with ankylosing spondylitis who improved his health through humour and increasing his vitamin C intake. Another book that has resonated with him is Mind Over Medicine by Lissa Rankin. He admires how the author introduces meditation, journaling, and gratitude in her book. As a result, Valentin has begun incorporating these practices into his daily routine, starting each morning with a journal to write down things he is grateful for, even the small things like food or a beautiful sunset. He has found that this practice has helped him cultivate a positive outlook from the ground up.

After visiting True North, Valentin experienced a significant improvement in his well-being for approximately one month. However, he began to notice some symptoms returning, but the threshold was still reasonable, between 90-95%. Considering where he started, this was alright, but he was eager to overcome these obstacles. In July, he stumbled upon books by the author Dr Joe Dispenza, including You Are The Placebo and Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One. Although these books offer many ideas and concepts, they do not necessarily provide a step-by-step guide to implementing them. Nevertheless, Dr Joe suggests starting with daily meditation as a foundational practice. He started meditating immediately and stopped taking the sulfasalazine after his True North visit.

How Valentin Used Meditation To Maximize His Recovery

After reading various books and watching podcasts, Valentin better understood the human mind. He learned that people have about 60,000 to 70,000 thoughts daily, with most being negative. Additionally, by age 35, a person’s identity often consists of repeating patterns and subconscious problems, essentially running on autopilot. As a result, people tend to live in cycles, repeating behaviours and experiences that feel familiar. When dealing with illness or pain, the mind can become fixated on worst-case scenarios and trauma, causing stress and suffering. This can become addictive, making it difficult to break free from the cycle of negativity. However, the brain can rewire itself through neuroplasticity. Valentin realised that to change his mindset and improve his health; he needed to develop tools to catch himself before reacting negatively. He turned to meditation, which he defined as becoming more familiar with oneself. He began meditating for 47 minutes daily, sitting on a chair to avoid falling asleep. He set himself 6 months to see improvements in his health status.

Valentin’s Meditation Routine

Valentin starts his meditation practice by closing his eyes, practising calm, deep breathing and focusing his attention on something. For instance, when stressed, one might focus on a particular person or situation, causing the mind to run around, overanalyse, and react. Dr Dispenza’s guided meditation technique involves shifting this narrow focus to nothingness or a white focus on your surrounding space. This may seem strange, but it calms the brain, shifting it from a high-stress state known as beta to a state of awareness known as alpha and eventually to a highly suggestible state known as theta. This is similar to being in a hypnotic state and makes one more receptive to information.

Valentin then has about 20 minutes where he tries to think of nothing. He tries to clear his mind and goes deep, settling his body which may be nerve-wracking in the beginning since we are doing something unfamiliar. It’s not easy at the beginning, and it takes time. After 20 minutes of staying in that state, he feels his awareness and pure consciousness. He does not feel his body any more, detaching himself from it. When he is aware of something, he completely forgets about himself, his problems, and his life. He becomes nothing and is aware of nothing, and at some point, his mind stops interfering, and he feels energised.

In the third step, he experiences his favourite part of the meditation with Dr Joe Dispenza. In this stage, he is in a more focused and hypnotic state. The process involves changing his beliefs or perceptions about himself. Initially, he decided to change the idea that he was seeking help. To achieve this, he acknowledges and releases his negative emotions and replaces them with positive ones. He imagines feeling happy, free, whole, and full of life. Gradually, he feels these emotions in his heart and visualises himself acting and feeling healthy. He practices gratitude, even if healing hasn’t happened yet. As he continues to practice, he starts feeling better and notices changes in himself. Dr Dispenza emphasises the importance of feeling something has shifted after the meditation. Even though he still experiences pain, he realises his triggers and stress levels have decreased. He decides to maintain the feeling of joy and love for life beyond meditation, which leads to further positive changes in his mind and body. Reconditioning the mind and body to a new way of thinking and feeling allows him to create a unique and improved version of himself.

Using Meditation to Overcome Psychological Distress

Valentin became increasingly interested in Dr Dispenza’s work and eventually discovered a new type of meditation. He decided to attend a seven-day retreat in Cancún at a luxurious, all-inclusive hotel. During the retreat, they would alternate between lectures and meditation sessions. One meditation session stood out to him as he felt a surge of energy rising from his legs and into his heart, eventually reaching his brain. He experienced a mystical, transcendental, intensely personal moment filled with ecstasy, love, and joy. It was a realisation that everything he had been seeking was within himself all along.

The positive experience that Valentin had during the retreat was a transformative one. After returning home, he decided to meditate three times a day for the next year and has since meditated for 570 consecutive days. During his experience, his brain recorded the memory as emotional, unlike typical memories that are simply informational. The emotions he felt during the experience were higher than any negative emotions he had felt before, and his brain prioritised those positive emotions, leading to improved health. Valentin reminds us that expressing gratitude is essential as it triggers the release of chemicals in the body that regulate health. Likewise, the emotions felt during meditation can also lead to the release of hormones that regulate genes and repair the body. He believes everyone can heal themselves, and he felt a connection with something bigger than himself during his experience.

In meditation, Valentin tells us that he felt his heart going incoherent, which could be measured. He states, “according to a study by the California Heart Center, short meditation puts the heart incoherent and in a state of order and energy”. This feeling of order is transmitted to the brain, putting us into a gamma state, a different state of consciousness. Gamma is an orderly and high-frequency state of mind associated with creativity and pure bliss. When the heart becomes coherent, everything becomes coherent, and when the brain becomes coherent, it starts regulating different body systems, including the digestive and immune systems. He felt lucky to have discovered the benefits of the Paddison Program, part of Rheumatoid Solutions, as well as meditation and Dr Joe Dispenza’s teachings, which brought happiness to his life. Now, he does not react to anything and has more peace and holiness in his life. He is patient with his son and tries to understand his perspective. Every night, he goes through his day and reflects on moments when he was disconnected from his future life. He then imagines how he would react if he had a second chance and practices it in his mind. His positive results with meditation have left him feeling like a new person.

Final Reflections

Valentin’s journey also highlights the importance of allowing for recovery time. He acknowledges that the healing process is not linear and that setbacks are inevitable. At last, Valentin feels like a new, better version of himself thanks to his ongoing commitment to the Paddison Program, part of Rheumatoid Solutions, and meditation practice. He continually strives for further self-improvement, consistently practising meditation and searching for new ways to better himself. Looking back, he knows he would make the same choices all over again, and he finds it incredible that he has come so far. The rewards of his efforts are immense, bringing him a sense of peace and love for all things. He attributes much of his growth and healing to Dr Dispenza’s books and workshops, which have become integral to his being. In addition, he encourages others to incorporate regular meditation practice into their lives as an effective tool to calm the mind and aid in the healing process. Quieting the mind is an essential aspect of achieving true healing. Valentin’s experience is a testament to the fact that there are no quick fixes when it comes to healthcare.

Find Out More

Finally, don’t miss out on the incredible insights shared by Dr Goldhammer in the 2021 summit interview! As the owner of True North, he offers invaluable guidance on how to get off medications through a proven process. If you’re already a Rheumatoid Support or Rheumatoid Solutions member, watch this interview and learn how to benefit from his expertise. Dr Goldhammer is an exceptional speaker and a master of humour, weaving funny anecdotes into his presentation. Access the summit interview and all 17 expert recordings by joining our community today – it’s free for members! You’ll also receive free access to the 2022 summit as a member. This is information that you will want to take advantage of. And if you’re interested in incorporating meditation into your daily routine like many of our members, learn from the best by following the work of Dr Joe Dispenza.

For more helpful information, visit http://www.rheumatoidsolutions.com.

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