When my clients diagnosed with MS come to my office, they always come with one pressing question “Why Did I Get Multiple Sclerosis?”  So I wanted to write this article on multiple sclerosis to lay out what my clients discover.

Before I begin, I wanted to explain briefly what I do.  I am a medical hypnotherapist. It is not a known field, even within hypnosis professionals.  In medical hypnotherapy, we not only help relieve symptoms, stress and change bad habits, we also communicate with the subconscious, kind of like in a waking dream, to discover what has caused the body to react and create disease.  So this article on multiple sclerosis is going to review what my clients with MS have discovered in these  “Why Did I Get MS?” sessions.

To lay out the groundwork of this article on MS and understand where MS came from, we need to take into account that “why did I get MS?” won’t be just prior to the first exacerbation or experience of symptoms. As Gabor Mate, M.D. says in “When the Body Says No“:

“Multiple sclerosis is not an abrupt new development in adult life, but a culmination of life long processes.”

That incident, or group of incidents, such as a divorce, your partner’s addiction getting out of control, getting fired or stressed you’d be laid off, a loss of a family member or other extreme stress was only the last straw.  The roots of it began, most probably, in childhood and the decisions made about life, ourselves, and how we need to be in the world.

What My Client’s Learned from Their MS

To explain in this article on multiple sclerosis what they learned, I will take a few clients cases, change A FEW genders and other details so that their privacy remains intact, and share their bodies messages:

Client 1

At first, this particular client’s MS began the “Why Did I Get MS?” session expressing the problem: it was an object moving around, alert, trying to see anything that is happening.  It constantly needed to be on watch. It hoped that then it would be able to find peace, calm and quiet and know that it is safe.

This coping strategy, of constant alertness, came in in childhood after the loss of a loved one.  My client had felt alone and lost and needed to regain a sense of safety and protection and not be alone.

Her subconscious explained to her that the symptoms of MS showed up 25 years later as a way to not allow my client to always give 150%. If multiple sclerosis had not come in, my client would never have stopped but kept running and running (this is common of the MS personality).

“Know that you are ok just the way you are rather than trying to be better all the time.” 

The MS also wanted my client to not always try to please everyone.  Multiple sclerosis wants her to be all of herself.  All sides, not just the nice, friendly, and intelligent but also the sad, weak, afraid, playful and insecure. She needed to learn to accept them for these aspects are creative and balancing, beautiful and melancholic. Playful even.  They are part of what makes music and art. They give inspiration, deepness, and calm. She does not need to be strong all the time.  These parts hadn’t been welcome.

You don’t always have to be strong and tough.

It asks her to focus on herself.  Ask herself what she is feeling in regards to what she is doing, how she is emotionally and her body.  Is she doing ok?  It is feedback and will give her a greater sense of self.  It will allow her to confirm if she is doing well, if she should continue or if she should do something else rather than not stopping.  Her subconscious does not want her to ignore the body or be deaf to its needs. If she experiences a symptom, do something. The body is communicating it is not comfortable.  Take action.

MS told her that she can be in control by making her own decisions based on her values.  Try to figure out what really matters rather than listen to other people’s opinions, values, and expectations.

It didn’t want her to always meet expectations, her own and those of others.  She didn’t have to be perfect.

Client 2

MS kept this second client from being responsible for her life and to not be criticized.  It was an outlet to not have to meet other’s high expectations.

My client had a deep desire to not be dependent on others.  The subconscious explained that is not the solution. The solution is healthy interdependence and balance.  Then he can discover he can trust other people.

Love yourself. And love everybody else. Let go of being angry.  Put your needs first.

His multiple sclerosis explained that it is not selfish to put his needs first and that he will not be abandoned or alone if he does.  It will give him the freedom to be able to do what he wants to do when he wants to do it with balance (which is what he had been striving for by being so independent).

MS let him know that life doesn’t have to be hard.  Don’t try to figure it all out.  Focus on being happy and content.

Client 3

This client’s MS took us to a time when my client was 25.  She was sad yet wanted to just be light. She didn’t feel safe in her thoughts.  She had gone through a tragic loss of a parent.

MS told her that she didn’t have to be strong all the time.  At 25 she had she run from herself to be strong. It was ok to be so sad. Allow any and all emotions. ”You be you”.

The purpose of the MS symptoms was for her to stop running.  To make her soft and slow her down. MS wants her to be less mean to herself and more forgiving of herself and more focused on her dreams and wants and remember what is important.

“Do what you love to do. Just do it.” It asked her to stop putting so many deadlines on herself.   “Time keeps going.  We always have it. It will keep coming, it doesn’t stop. There’s never going to be the right time.”

Client 4

In this case, this client “Why Did I Get MS?” session presented her client, in the dream-like state of hypnosis, with a box full of photos. It says it represents everything that is her. What she knows and doesn’t know. The pretty and not so pretty. She had wanted to get rid of the ugly and fight to ignore it but it’s needed.  It’s all a part of her.

MS is there to help her see herself and accept everything. Then she will find peace.  It explained that she doesn’t want to even think about the ugly. Over emphasizing expectations so that everything looks good.   By doing that she separates from what is really going on around her. Negatives are actually positive.

MS is there for her to understand she is not all powerful.  That she needs more than just herself and that it is ok. Slows her down. She is not to be it all.

Her body wants her to know she is a good person.  She needs to accept herself and treat herself better. It doesn’t want her to not even be on her to do list or the last thing she considers.

Client 5

MS first appeared as a person that was constantly controlling and monitoring the fear of failure.  Always all the time. It explained that it was my client’s strategy to find safety and peace.

Stop fearing failure and being concerned with what others think.

The purpose of MS was for my client to have to change.  To correct the path from avoiding failure and always bettering oneself to one of finding joy, loving self, and others, of enjoying the present, and of calm.

The Body Reflects Our Minds

These are what is called, in medicine and science, psychosocial factors behind chronic disease.  These factors, beliefs, and behaviors put additional stress on ourselves and that gets reflected in our bodies. As you read the cases above, you can see there are common beliefs and behaviors?  With other chronic diseases, other beliefs and behaviors appear.

I wanted to write this article on multiple sclerosis – “why did I get MS?” to share these messages in hopes you might find some insights into what your body is reacting to. Do these messages resonate with you? Do you share some of these behaviors and beliefs?

Article on Multiple Sclerosis – A Brief Summary

This is only a brief summary of just a few of my clients and what they discover.  The changes they made weren’t immediate. It took hard work and much deprogramming of old beliefs and fears. They spent a year transforming and developing a healthier mindset and connection to their bodies. And through it, they experienced profound changes in their symptoms, increased energy and balance, eliminated incontinence, lowered pain and gained greater trust in their ability to manage not only their bodies and its needs but also their lives.

Would you like to explore if medical hypnosis can help you understand why you have MS?