I unknowingly suffered from ME/CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) for years before finally finding a GP who diagnosed me with this debilitating illness. After struggling to start and run my Business I decided to share my experience through Kiri10 and it is now becoming a platform to encourage others to speak openly and seek help when needed. Through doing this I connected with a customer who explained her daughter had CFS and used the Lightning Process to cure herself of the illness. Cure herself I thought? Surely not. 

So, what is the Lightning Process? It is a training programme that trains participants to rewire their thoughts through specific techniques. The Lightning Process was developed by UK osteopath Phil Parker, after he found that patients with long-standing ailments seemed stuck in a persistent stress response, which could be overcome by harnessing the power of the mind-body connection.

I immediately jumped onto Bianca’s (a Christchurch based Practitioner) website, Neurospark to read more about the Lightning Process or LP as I now call it. I had, for the most part of 2022 been making significant life changes to manage my symptoms, they helped to some degree but I was still living in fear of “crashing” (This is known as post-exertional malaise (PEM), where-in symptoms become much worse). I had already started to do research into mindset, meditation and how the mind-body connection can influence one another. This means that our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and attitudes can positively or negatively affect our biological functions. So, at this stage I was keen to try anything that would help me live a healthier, more fulfilled life. 

I messaged Bianca to connect and find out more, after the initial consultation over the phone, I knew this was exactly what I had been looking for. Bianca was lovely and professional, I felt instantly at ease. She explained she became a Practitioner after suffering from chronic pain, doing the Lightning Process herself and being in absolute awe of how well it worked. I booked in the personalised one on one training soon after our phone conversation (you can also do group training). 

The training is held over 3 days, LP combines teachings from neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), life coaching & simple principles of physiology (endocrine system and neurotransmitters) and principles of osteopathy. LP aims to help your brain build new neural pathways that – with practice – can eliminate symptoms from your life. You can read more about the core concepts of the Lightning Process here. 

Day 1 - Bianca begins firstly by acknowledging that although in some cases of people who have completed the training, results are instant, “it’s not a miracle” and to get the results I want, I will have to knuckle down, put in the work and be consistent - all of which I was more than willing to do.

We start by talking through all the “things” I wanted to overcome with LP, it’s funny as I came to Bianca for help with my CFS, but after much discussions she had deduced (she has a keen sense for what may be underneath) that I was struggling with perfectionism, self-belief, anxiety, overwhelm and generally being very unkind to myself. She tells me that for the training to be effective I have to believe I deserve to be healthy – an odd statement you might think, of course everyone deserves to be healthy, but in fact this was one belief I struggled with. 

“You’re not flawed, you’re not broken,” Bianca told me. “In fact, you’re a genius – a genius at unconsciously and automatically reproducing the same response on demand day after day. See!” she exclaims, “You have the ability to excel. And if you can do that, you can also NOT do that. I’m going to teach you how to fail at being a genius at your ‘things’.” She continues to explain “It’s the same as when you’re driving, ever got to your destination and thought wow, I don’t remember getting here, when you do something on a regular basis it becomes an automatic response, that’s all your brain is doing with these symptoms”. 

I was then encouraged never to speak of my things again, why? Because the brain hears everything. I’m taught to speak in a more positive language. So, I replaced terminology such as “tired” and “stressed'' with phrases like “not-awake `` and ''un-calm `` all my brain hears is ''awake `` and ''calm ``. By using these techniques, we get our brains into homeostasis – which is the brain's ability to repair. 

We delve heavily into neuroplasticity and science, even though it’s pretty complex, Bianca and the LP’s training is created in a way that it’s easily understood, she uses metaphors like above to help the connections. 

Finally, I was taught the Lightning Process, this was a mixture of physical movements and vocal affirmations. She explains how I can stop a thought or feeling in its tracks and choose new neural-pathways, positive, and good pathways. By implementing these I can strengthen and help my brain build positive pathways and remove the old negative ones. She tells me to take a mental note of what happens for the rest of my day after the training as she’ll be asking me to describe this to her the next day. 

Day 2 – Bianca begins by asking me to describe to her in detail what I did after leaving her home. I described my afternoon and evening; I expressed I was slightly disappointed in myself because I went home and had a nap. I told her about some other things I did but this was the main topic I talked about. She made me realise that my brain had instantly gone to the negative again, rather than looking at all my positives and wins that day. She made me realise that I had left out the fact that I napped outside in the sunshine with the cats – which in fact most people would nod off when relaxed in the sun – I didn’t nap in the bedroom with the curtains closed, underneath the covers like I normally would - I cooked dinner with my partner (normally when doing fatigue I wouldn’t help) – I went to watch him play football (we left at 7pm, my normal bedtime) – When we got home I played with the cats and dogs for a good 45 mins and got into bed at around 10.30pm (unheard of during the week).

“So, you see” she says “You had lots of wins and you can do this every day, choose to see the wins and positives, rather than choosing to see the negatives”. 

The remainder of the training was putting the LP techniques into practice and learning more of the science, it was truly fascinating. 

In the 4 weeks since I completed the training, I can say it has been absolutely life changing for me, I have done more in the last 4 weeks than I have in the last few months. I'm more confident than I ever have been, it feels like I've finally woken up from a really long, bad dream. Everything looks brighter, I'm noticing colours of things I never did before, which I know sounds weird, it feels like I've been walking through fog my whole life and suddenly I'm finally through it.

I would strongly suggest you do your own research and look into this fully if it sounds of interest to you, as with everything in life it may not be or work for everyone, but I’m so glad I found Bianca and the Lightning Process, I’m now looking forward to the future and what this looks like. 

You can read more about Bianca and the Lightning Process here.

*Disclaimer: this is not a paid partnership or endorsement; I am simply sharing my experience in the hopes it encourages others to open up if they’re struggling and to find something that may work and help them. 

I did another brain retraining programme 3 years ago to try and resolve vaginismus, and some bladder pain symptoms. The vaginismus was something that I had dealt with for years, and the bladder pain was new. But I had a feeling they must be connected. The course was great! And the vaginismus resolved very quickly. I had some progress with the bladder pain but unfortunately it did not resolve as quickly.

And after a brief period of it being ok, it came back with a vengeance. I admit I had hit a mental limit for being able to approach the symptoms in the same way as I had with the vaginismus. And had begun to do a lot of hopelessness. Cue a few years of doing everything but brain training to try cure it. Including acupuncture, thousands of dollars worth of supplements, seeing doctors and specialists, getting a minor surgery, pelvic floor Physio,and adhering to an intensely strict diet.

I didn’t eat sugar, dairy, wheat, oats, artificial sweeteners, citrus, alcohol. It was intense! I would wager anything you could think of, I would have tried it at least once to see if I could find that magic bullet approach to finally live comfortably again. This year I had started to feel a shift emotionally, and felt ready to try going the brain route again. I knew I could live comfortably, I had for most of my life until these past few years, I just needed support to do the final push.

Cue finding Bianca! It was pure luck I came across her website, but her story resonated with me and I really felt sure that she would be able to help. I felt determined, told all my friends I would be cured in a month, and booked in for some coaching with Bianca. I feel so grateful to Bianca for her gentle but confident encouragement, and completely indebted to her for helping me get my life back. It really was so valuable to have the weekly coaching to just know that support was there.

The first few weeks were scary! I went all out, introduced pretty much all foods back into my diet, and did the process. And Bianca helped me learn how to treat myself with much more grace while I healed. While also giving me more resources to try as I found avenues into calming my nervous system down.

True to my word, I was pretty much all better within the month. And life changed in so many more ways than I thought it would.

I became happier, more open, more inspired, my creativity revved up (important when you’re an artist!), my sex life improved, I became more social and spontaneous, and just overall I felt so much more centred and resilient. Now sometimes if I get minor little flare ups, it’s a piece of cake. I know I have the tools to calm it down quickly. And I feel confident because I know I will always have those tools.

There were so many moments I felt so lost because of my condition, but I’m so glad I didn’t give up! Thank you so much for helping me, I wouldn’t be here without you ☺️

For five years I struggled on and off from bed ridden (twice) to milder versions of chronic fatigue/post viral fatigue. A nasty flu was the straw that broke the camels back for me whilst I was, in hindsight, teetering on the edge of burn out with a complex and stressful life scenario. I knew my nervous system was stuck but I didn’t know how to get out of it.

There were no real medical answers or solutions for my condition and all of the symptoms that I had and supplements and other things were barely scratching the surface. The lightning process and Bianca’s coaching has given me the tools to access energy and capacity again, to make plans for the future and to let go of life limiting beliefs that were keeping me in survival mode and, basically, keeping me sick.

I am almost two months into using LP techniques and am 100% confident that it won’t be long till I can say I am free of all symptoms. I want everyone to have these tools!! Highly recommend! Go get your healing and don’t let anything get in the way of it!

I did the lightning process training with Bianca after spending a year with long Covid. It was the major turning point in my recovery, and after 3 months my symptoms had dissipated completely. 

The program taught me how much power we exert over our experiences, and how it's possible to modulate our responses physical or psychological stress. The existence of a connection between the brain and the body seems logical at some levels, but this course teaches practical, simple tools to use this connection to reduce what can be debilitating symptoms. 

This has been a really powerful tool for me, not only to reduce my fatigue from LC, but also to address other anxieties and negative thought patterns in my day to day life. The training has really shifted my perspective on my own well-being, which is having long-lasting positive impacts on my mood and outlook. I feel so much healthier, not only physically but also mentally, than I have in a long time.

Bianca was a genuine, caring and supportive mentor through this process, and I can highly recommend getting in touch with her for anyone going through long Covid. 

I completed the Lightning Process workshop with Bianca four months ago after suffering from three years of chronic pain called Burning Mouth Syndrome.

Bianca was so easy to connect with and she really understood my experience. It is hard to find people who do understand the experience of chronic pain, it can be quite lonely, and so it felt amazing to be understood. She is a great teacher, who genuinely cares, following the three day course she has checked in with me many times, her after care is amazing, offering extra resources and help.

I started to experience changes on day three of training, my changes have been gradual and now four months on, I have made a massive shift and am 99% pain free. My view on life, my values and my boundaries are so much clearer. I highly recommend Bianca for anyone struggling with chronic pain.

She is a great teacher, who genuinely cares, following the three day course she has checked in with me many times, her after care is amazing, offering extra resources and help. I started to experience changes on day three of training, my changes have been gradual and now four months on, I have made a massive shift and am 99% pain free. My view on life, my values and my boundaries are so much clearer. I highly recommend Bianca for anyone struggling with chronic pain.

I originally signed up to do the lightning process to help manage endo/chronic pelvic pain but it has been an absolute game changer for literally everything

It has helped me manage food intolerances, eczema flare ups, pain episodes and helped me to change my internal dialogue to much more positive and encouraging language, improving my relationship with myself

Bianca is open, empathetic and approachable and made what felt like such a daunting journey so easy. She is fantastic at explaining complex concepts in an easy way.

She has given me tools to manage and improve all of my symptoms and I feel prepared to take on any flare ups and other curve balls life throws my way!

I was very skeptical, but Bianca and the Lightning Process changed my life.

I struggled with depression, anxiety and binge eating for years. I was buried in feelings of failure, worthlessness and guilt. As a 40 year old, married father of 3 with a high pressure job, I was in real trouble.

Having tried counselling several times and multiple rounds of antidepressants I found myself on an endless waitlist for clinical sessions with a hospital psychologist when I finally decided to give the Lightning Process a try.

I knew people who had amazing results, but I was so stuck thinking that this was my lot in life now that I had already decided I couldn’t get better. Reading the book first, then listening to it again I decided I had to accept I wasn’t that different from everyone else, and maybe I could get better if I really tried.   

With Bianca’s guidance and care I shed all of my baggage and learned self-compassion for the first time in my life. The results were truly amazing. From convinced of my inevitable failure to confident in myself, my ability and my self-worth in one weekend. I’m not depressed or anxious anymore. Not at all.  

I do the Lightning Process every day, just working on little things, getting a little bit better at being me and doing life my way.  

I 100% recommend doing the Lightning Process with Bianca for anyone who feels stuck, sick or like life is less than you expected. I reached a point of desperation but please don’t wait that long. It works, it will work for you and you’re worth it.

I first heard about Bianca after hearing about my cousins experience. I had been struggling with long Covid for 3 years and was going down a slippery slide and thought getting better wasn’t a possibility. After the first consultation meeting with Bianca, she put me to ease straight away. She was warm, approachable and most of all listened and understood.

Although overseas at the time I contacted her, she make every meeting work and we got underway with the lightning process soon after. Within the second day I felt a huge shift in energy levels and within a week all my symptoms had lifted (this was also me going 100miles an hour).

I learnt so much and understood that just because it was, didn’t mean that we couldn’t change. I have everything to owe to Bianca. If you are thinking about it, do it! Go in with an open mind and you won’t be disappointed!

LIFE CHANGING! I wanted to begin my review with this statement, as since finishing the lightning process it has been just that for me.

I truly believe in fate and I found Bianca at the right time, she was amazing to work with, she's such an amazing person and made me feel at ease from the first moment we spoke on the phone for the initial consultation, right through to completing the training and follow up calls / messages. She has a real passion for what she does and a true understanding of the struggles, as she went through her own pain struggles before becoming a practitioner and this really does come through with her empathy and compassion.

The lightning process itself has been a game changer for me, I think I've done more in the weeks following the training than I have in the last few months, even years and all with the belief and understanding I am now healthy and able to live my life to the fullest.

Before the training process I found even the smallest day to day tasks hard, it took all my energy to get out of bed, wash dishes, do the laundry, go for a walk and anything that everyone else does without thinking about. I now find myself doing all of these without a thought or slight hesitation.

I own my own business and it's been devastating over the last year / two years trying to build something amazing but always struggling, sleeping 3 to 5 hours each day, not being able to book meetings in advance in case I wasn't able to attend. I'm now booking and planning things weeks even months in advance, finding I'm excited to wake up every day. I'm now a 6am riser, in fact I wake up at 5.50am before the alarm and I'm straight up.

I'm more confident than I ever have been, it feels like I've finally woken up from a really long, bad dream. Everything looks brighter, I'm noticing colours of things I never did before, which I know sounds weird, it feels like I've been walking through fog my whole life and suddenly I'm finally through it.

You need to fully invest, fully believe in yourself and you'll finally have that life you've been dreaming of, because I now have and the best part is, so can you. I did have doubts that I would be able to do it, that I had what it took, but Bianca and Phil helped and supported me to realise that it is just a belief and you can change and adapt your belief system to work for you, not against you.

I could go on forever about how wonderful this process is and how awesome Bianca is, but all I'll say is if you're thinking about doing this, DO IT! You won't regret it.

After 1 year of struggling with pain and sleep issues and trying many different holistic treatments I finally took the leap and did the LP with Bianca. On the first day for the first time I got a glimpse of what it was like to be comfortable.

While it's taken alot of work and consistency over the past month I have begun to see some massive changes not only in sleep and comfort but in overall calmness and confidence in my self. The most empowering bit is you are given the tools to help yourself and knowledge you can influence your own health is something I will keep with me for life.

Bianca has been so supportive and I can't thank her enough. One of the best things I could have done for all.aspects of my life. I highly recommend to anyone thinking about it