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The Lightning Process (LP) is 3 day training program designed by osteopath Phil Parker, Principal of the European College of Holistic Medicine.

Developed in the late 1990s by Phil Parker, The Lightning Process has claimed to be effective in the treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and there have been positive reports in the press of people recovering from CFS/ME due to the Lightning Process.^[1] According to the governing body, the Register of Lightning Process Practitioners, over 2,500 people are seen each year, and their current survey figures put the success rates at 85% having recovered from CFS/ME using the Lightning Process.^{[citation needed]}

The system combines osteopathy, hypnotherapy, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and life coaching.^[2] This has led to criticism that the process treats M.E. as a "psychological manifestation" rather than a physical illness.^[3] In response, practitioners and their clients strongly deny that the technique treats illness by merely focusing on behaviour–modifying methods, and Phil Parker underlines in his literature that M.E is a physical illness not a psychological one. The Lightning Process has been been linked to the idea of breaking an "adrenaline loop",^[4] with the argument that M.E is an illness that affects the body's capacity to deal with adrenaline",^[5] and that the cure is to modify the brain's thought patterns to generate endorphins instead of stress-related hormones.^[4] Proponents insist these publicised simplifications ignore more complex theories put forward by Parker. Vicki Rimmer, writing in Positive Health Magazine, summarises the Lightning Process's hypothesis in regard to the lack of a common neurological pathology in M.E. by stating that a dysregulation of the Central Nervous System and Sympathetic nervous system occurs in suffers of M.E., and that this dysregulation is a result of the physical effects of the illness.^[6]

While not specifically looking at the Lightning Process, Bruun Wyller's research has, he claims, revealed a degree of sympathy with part of the process's underlying theory. He argues that: "recent research on CFS pathophysiology has revealed alterations of cardiovascular regulation and thermoregulation, characterized by enhanced sympathetic nervous activity and increased secretion of epinephrine. These findings indicate a state of permanent distress response – sustained arousal – in CFS patients. Based upon our findings, we have formulated a theory of sustained arousal in CFS, which seems to correspond quite neatly to the theoretical considerations underlying the Lightning Process."^[6]

While the treatment has had a number of high profile successes, (including the daughter of Esther Rantzen^[5] and the wife of the rugby union player, Austin Healey), there has been criticism of The Lightning Process. Some have commented on the high cost of the three-day course,^[7] while others have pointed to the inconsistency of the results, with some patients reporting "less than positive" outcomes,^[4] or suffering from relapses after the conclusion of the treatment.^[3] Both the treatment and the theory that ME is connected to adrenaline are unproven,^[4] although independent studies into the effectiveness of The Lightning Process are underway in the UK and Scandinavia.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] See also

• Biofeedback
• Neuro-linguistic programming
• Phil Parker

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Phil Parker Lightning Process