October 16, 2016

How I overcame food intolerances: from just 8 foods to being able to eat anything

October 16, 2016/ Johanna Galea

It had never even crossed my mind that I might one day be able to eat anything I want. From being able to eat just 8 foods at my most sensitive, I was happy to see my food choices increase gradually. But there were some foods – like corn – which I knew I would have to avoid for the rest of my life. So being able to eat things like corn again is far beyond a dream come true – because I never even dreamt it might be possible. And here's how I overcame my food sensitivities and how you can too.

October 09, 2016

15 things someone suffering from a mysterious, chronic illness wishes you to know

October 09, 2016/ Johanna Galea

I was inspired to write this post after reading an excellent article by Dr. Audrey Komrij Jones about autism. I wrote it because I remember how little I knew about mysterious, chronic illnesses before I became ill myself. So here are the 15 things I would have liked you to know when I was chronically ill.

October 02, 2016

Knowing when to let go: Why I’m no longer a triathlete

October 02, 2016/ Johanna Galea

Thinking about today’s Malta National Triathlon Championships reminded me of something I had written in 2014, months after choosing to stop being a triathlete. Although much of this post is about my decision to no longer be a triathlete, it’s also about any big changes we choose to make in our lives. And about how we should embrace such changes and always remember the reasons we decided to make the change. About feeling nostalgic, but knowing when to let go. Enjoying it while it lasts, but then being able to look back on it as a beautiful time while being able to redefine yourself without it.

September 25, 2016

The number one reason it’s so difficult to decide to give neural retraining a try

September 25, 2016/ Johanna Galea

Find out the number one reason it's so difficult for someone suffering from a mysterious, chronic illness to decide to give neural retraining a try. It’s the main reason I almost didn’t give it a try myself. But I’m so grateful that I did and wish that anyone suffering from similar illnesses would too. Neural retraining could give you or someone you know their life back the way it did for me.

Photo by Matthew Mirabelli Photography

September 18, 2016

Are you making the most of your happy memories?

September 18, 2016/ Johanna Galea

Ghar Lapsi is a magical place for me. Just thinking about being there can make me feel happier and calmer. But when I started neural retraining I realised that I hadn't been making the most of my happy memories. And that's really changed things for me. So in this blog post, I've written about what you can do to get more out of your happy memories.

September 11, 2016

Open letter to the woman who saved my life

September 11, 2016/ Johanna Galea

How would you thank someone for saving your life? After being diagnosed with a mysterious and chronic illness, I now have my life back in more ways than I could ever even dream of before. This is an open letter to thank Annie Hopper, founder of the Dynamic Neural Retraining System, for saving my life.

Photo by Ian Redd

August 28, 2016

Dermot's views on my journey and recovery

August 28, 2016/ Johanna Galea

After I published my open letter to Dermot, some of you asked me to also write about the experience from his point of view. This month we celebrated our second anniversary and I decided it was the perfect time to do so. So here it is: my journey and recovery from extreme food sensitivities, multiple chemical sensitivity and chronic fatigue syndrome through Dermot's eyes.

August 21, 2016

5 things I intend to do differently now that I’ve been given a second chance at life

August 21, 2016/ Johanna Galea

After a year of being chronically ill, I feel so lucky to have been given a second chance at life. And I’m definitely going to make the most of this second chance. Just by doing these 5 things differently, I now go to sleep happier every day, even on the more challenging days.

August 14, 2016

Another aquathlon 10 years on (and why we took our running shoes with us on honeymoon)

August 14, 2016/ Johanna Galea

Another aquathlon 10 years after my first one! So happy I got to take part in #mnac2016 with Dermot by my side again. It also reminded me why we took our running shoes with us on honeymoon...even if some people might think that was a bit strange :)

July 24, 2016

Chronic fatigue to 5km race finish in 6 months

July 24, 2016/ Johanna Galea

I did it! When walking from the sofa to the kitchen used to feel like a marathon, I never thought taking part in a race would be possible again. So crossing the finish line of the #BkaraSJ 5km running race last Tuesday was a dream come true. And I wish to show anyone suffering from mysterious chronic illnesses similar to what I had that they can get their life back through neural retraining as I did.

Photo by Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club/Multisport

July 03, 2016

The 5 dreaded words: "It's. All. In. Your. Mind."

July 03, 2016/ Johanna Galea

Being told that your illness is All. In. Your. Mind. can make living with a mysterious, chronic illness even more devastating. I know because it happened to me too. And now that I've recovered, I wanted to write about the implications of those 5 dreaded words to help anyone suffering from a similar illness to realise that it's not all in their mind and that they can recover the way I did.

June 19, 2016

Housebound to Italy-bound in 5 months

June 19, 2016/ Johanna Galea

When I was housebound I thought going abroad would never be a possibility again. But our recent holiday in Italy proved that I now have my life back in more ways than I ever thought possible. And I wish to show anyone suffering from mysterious chronic illnesses similar to what I had that they can get their life back through neural retraining as I did.

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