How I Healed from Fibromyalgia, Interstitial Cystitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome & Burnout

This month’s guest blogger is Tanja Degitz who recovered from a range of debilitating chronic symptoms using a neuroplastic approach. Please note that Tanja’s blog refers to suicidal ideation in response to her severe and life-changing symptoms.

The Beginning of My Healing Journey

Doctors gave me lots of different diagnoses - fibromyalgia, lumbago, hip dysplasia, interstitial cystitis (IC), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), depression - but none of the labels helped. I refused to stay trapped in a body that felt like a prison.

In early 2022, my only goal was to learn how to cope with the pain. I never imagined that full healing was even possible.

No painkiller or chiropractor helped. I felt dismissed and gaslit. Every diagnosis contradicted the last. Nothing made sense.

And everything I loved doing was taken from me: swimming, hiking, journaling, yoga, baking, cooking - gone. Even writing with a pen was painful.

The pain consumed my mornings. It was all I could think about when I woke up.

Looking back, my body had been whispering for years before it finally started screaming.

How It All Started

As a teenager, I had migraines during the stressful high school years. I was pushing myself too hard to keep up with school. And then I lost my first love - he broke up with me via text. I brushed the pain off with rest.

In my early 20s, I was juggling university, work, and a relationship that didn’t feel emotionally safe. IBS became a permanent guest - for 15 years. It flared up intensely when I held my grandfather’s hand as he died.

I kept preparing for my exams anyway. I had to finish my Master’s of Education, right?

The Breaking Point

By 2020, I hit a wall. I was teaching online during the pandemic, isolated, anxious, burnt out, and scared from what I saw in the media. The pain began in my lower back and hips. I blamed the chair I worked in.

After meeting my (now ex) boyfriend, wrist pain showed up. A year later, heartbreak came - and with it, bladder urgency so extreme I couldn't go ten minutes without needing the bathroom.

I received every diagnosis under the sun and was told to build muscle, cut out gluten, go to physical therapy, and take meds. Nothing worked. I felt hopeless. And honestly, I had suicidal thoughts. It’s hard to write that publicly. But it’s true.

The Mind-Body Shift

Via a coaching contact, I was introduced to somatic healing (a nervous-system based approach to health and recovery). After nearly a year of slowing down and doing nervous system work (as detailed below), I was around 70% better.

Then one day, a friend casually asked me, “Could all this be TMS?”

TMS refers to Tension Myositis Syndrome, a term developed Dr. John Sarno, renowned and pioneering mind-body physician. It describes chronic pain that isn’t caused by physical injury, but by repressed emotions and unresolved stress or trauma. It doesn’t mean the pain is ‘in your head’ - it means your nervous system is protecting you by turning emotional pain into physical symptoms. Considering I struggled with insomnia and anxiety as well, it all made sense. Once I understood this science, everything began to shift.

My friend’s question had changed everything. I read ‘Healing Back Pain’ (Dr Sarno’s

book on the mind-body approach to treating chronic pain) and discovered JournalSpeak, which is a powerful emotional writing practice created by Nicole Sachs. I started journaling - just 5 to 10 minutes a few times a week. I’d write completely unfiltered (handwritten or on my laptop) — describing what happened, and more importantly, how it really made me feel, without holding anything back. It’s like giving yourself full permission to throw a tantrum on the page. Afterwards, I’d always follow with a gentle pause of connection with myself like meditation or deep rest.

At first, it was hard: flare-ups, overwhelm, facing painful truths. Even my grandpa’s death resurfaced.

But I kept going.

I also discovered Nicole’s podcast, which gave me so much hope. It felt like someone turned on the lights in a room I didn’t even know I was trapped in.

The Deeper Emotional Roots

I began looking inward - at my life, my past, my nervous system.

Crying was easy. But anger? That felt terrifying. I associated anger with violence. I avoided it at all costs.

Turns out, I had been running (literally) from the emotions my body needed me to feel.

My childhood made it hard to feel safe:

• a mom with OCD and narcissistic traits - perfection, high standards, constant cleaning

• a toxic parental relationship - yelling, chaos

• a father who was very much into “go big or go home” and overworking

I realised that in 2020, I was teaching 4-hour Zoom lessons back to back. No breaks. No rest. Just push, push, push. Burnout hit. Then my body finally shut down.

Healing wasn’t about fixing my body. It was about making it safe for me to exist in it.

How I Finally Healed and Got My Life Back

I stopped people-pleasing.

I rested - like, really rested.

No phone. No “have tos”

Just presence. Gentleness. Deep compassion.

I processed old trauma and painful memories in my JournalSpeak practice. Some days I

wanted to quit. Some days were blissfully pain-free.

And after 1.5 years of consistent inner work…

I. Was. Free.

I danced again. I hiked again. I journaled with no pain. I traveled and hiked Machu Picchu. My dream came true.

Tanja at Machu Picchu, Peru following recovery

Somatic healing

Somatic work was a huge part of my healing. I began this work initially with the intention of just managing my pain (I was bed-ridden and could barely function at this time), but through it, I achieved significant healing. My practices included body scanning; grounding (barefoot walking on grass or sand or floating in water); orienting (letting my eyes glide lazily around my space); self-hugs; bilateral butterfly taps (on my shoulders); big ‘voo’ exercises (inhaling deeply, exhaling and tensing all muscles and saying "vooooo"); mindful tea drinking and somatic tracking (learning to feel sensations in the body and observe them with curiosity and a sense of safety, instead of pushing pain or physical sensations away or responding with fear).

Over time, these practices helped me rebuild trust with my body, and gently release the tension that had been stuck for years. I also invented a concept I call ‘radical rest’ for myself, which means putting my phone away and giving my body what it most needs in that moment e.g. soaking up sunshine at the beach, watching a movie, reading a book that has nothing to do with healing to give my brain another focus…

Most important was to recognise which nervous system state I was in (fight, flight, freeze or fawn) and see if I needed to down-regulate (using soothing, calming practices) or up-regulate (bringing in movement). It took a while to get to know my unique nervous system and what worked best for me, so initially there was a lot of experimentation.

What My Life Looks Like Now

I live a normal life again.

No meds. No flare-ups.

I trust my body.

Is it perfect every day? No.

But my body is free from chronic pain.

And I know with my whole heart: if I was able to heal, you can too.

Top Tips for Your Recovery Journey

• Stop pushing and start listening to your body.

• Feel your emotions. They’re not dangerous - they’re trying to help you.

• Get support. You don’t have to do this alone.

• JournalSpeak and nervous system stabilisation (somatic healing) were game changers for me.

• Be patient. Healing isn’t linear. But it is possible.

Tanja post recovery in Spain