“After an 11 year losing battle with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I came to The Option Institute out of desperation, in hopes of just finding some peace in my life. I had given up on recovering from this illness. I just wanted to accept the illness and be O.K. with the limitations I felt it imposed upon me. I was ready to apply for disability, and give up my dream and my passion of working with children with special needs. Before I came to The Option Institute, every day was a struggle. I woke up more tired than I went to sleep the night before. I dragged myself through a very much shortened work day, and still would end up with only enough energy to drag myself in the door after work and go to bed by about 6 pm. Many times in the middle of my day I would end up crying, wondering how I could make my body keep moving. A short trip to the grocery store was enough to wipe me out. A quarter mile walk would oftentimes mean the rest of the day was spent on the couch resting. I would forget even the simplest things, and my mind seemed like it was in a fog much of the time. I felt like I was in a living hell. I tried taking a few weeks off of work, only to go back and within a day or two, be as tired as before I left. I tried everything I could think of, including seeing a top specialist in the country who deals with this illness, and none of it seemed to make much difference in my life. With each try, I lost more hope.

After attending The Fast-Track Personal Change week, I climbed the mountain on the property, attended classes, went out to eat, went swimming and woke up rested and relaxed for the first time in years. Within the year, I came back and attended the CouplesCourse program with my husband, and then completed Grand Summer Sequence (formerly Living the Dream) program. The emotional and physical changes I have experienced and continue to experience each day of my life are nothing short of miraculous. I am fully recovered from an illness many experts consider incurable. During Grand Summer Sequence program, I shoveled rocks and moved logs for 6 hours in a day. I worked every community work project day, and worked as hard as all my classmates. At the end of these days, I was still able to enjoy a night of talking with classmates, walking, and enjoying the Institute and its surroundings. I went shopping on the weekends for hours. I went dancing with friends. I took trips to visit relatives. I attended every class, and even avoided a cold that was going around!

As I return home and begin a new job working with a child with special needs, I continue to experience a 40-plus hour work week, and have plenty of energy left with which to enjoy my life. I am pursuing physical activities, such as hiking, biking, and kayaking, and enjoying every wonderful thing my body and mind can do. My latest goal is to train to run a 5 mile road race! I have tried just about every other treatment out there for Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome, and I believe that this is truly the most cost-effective treatment method out there. The Option Institute has been the best investment of my time and energy and the results speak for themselves. I have my health and my life back, thanks to the tools I have learned. I know I possess the ability to overcome any challenge that may come along, live any dream I can dream up, and I will do it with strength, energy, and excitement.”

- Ellen Stanley, 37, Developmental Therapist, Maine