Mark's Success Story: healing from PPPD, vestibular migraine, labrynthitis (neuritis) & more

**For more sensitive viewers, there is mention of sexual abuse in this interview, so it is not appropriate for children.**

It is such a privilege to bring Mark's incredible story to you. Mark suffered from debilitating vestibular symptoms for nearly 3 years after a bad bout of labyrthitis that not only destroyed vestibular function in one ear but also destroyed his hearing. Mark received a cochlear implant to help restore some hearing, but no such implant exists for vestibular weakness, and he suffered terribly for years before finally getting the diagnosis of PPPD earlier this year. His neurologist referred him to me, and Mark made a remarkably fast recovery once he understood how to get better. I am so grateful to Mark for candidly sharing not just his story of recovery, but also openly discussing some of the childhood trauma that contributed to his nervous system.

00:00:00 Intro and about Mark
00:05:26 Dr. Yo and Mark nerd out about Mark's cochlear implant
00:08:00 Mark explains how his deficit in hearing made the dizziness issues worse
00:10:36 Mark describes having months of 24/7 rotational vertigo after the labrynthitis
00:12:56 Debilitating light sensitivity, visual vertigo, general dizziness kicked in after a few months (unrelenting for a year and a half!)
00:17:54 Mark describes also having issues with sensing his feet- he couldn't feel them at all- and blaringly loud tinnitus
00:20:21 There were odd inconsistencies as he started to improve- some activities were ok, others weren't
00:22:30 His previous experience with mindfulness and healing from childhood trauma gave him powerful tools to start to address the symptoms
00:24:43 Having a major medical event like vestibular labyrinthitis can trigger earlier emotional wounds that have nothing to do with the vestibular system
00:27:00 The first turning point seemed to occur after he applied mindful awareness to symptoms and received medical support
00:30:20 Dr. Yo shares her view on dietary changes and why people have food triggers (they are an additional symptom of "danger mode," not a cause)
00:35:20 Mark discusses the dietary changes he made to help support his body in recovery
00:36:45 How medical support helped but then going off the SNRI made things worse again
00:38:22 Summary of the first 15 months of Mark's experiences
00:39:17 Mark finally gets the correct diagnosis from Dr. Patel & the how hard it is to get a correct diagnosis
00:42:06 Everything changed when Mark started getting the correct information from my resources
00:43:57 The impact of Mark’s early traumatic experiences on his nervous system & skills
00:44:49 shocking change in symptoms in 10-14 days after watching the videos and joining the community (NO VRT)
00:45:03 the mindset shift away from trying to fight the symptoms was a big part of healing
00:49:33 Dr. Yo explains that neuroplaticity isn’t about trying to get rid of the dizzy circuits
00:52:01 The lightbulb moment & WELCOMING sensations with joy!!!
00:59:10 Dr. Yo talks about how indifference toward symptoms may not be enough
01:03:01 Mark describes the challenges he still faces
01:04:16 “Bring it on” and meeting wounded parts of ourselves
01:05:51 What Mark’s working on nowadays (no more limitations)
01:12:42 Don’t give up on getting help
01:13:40 There ARE doctors who understand what you are going through and why
01:17:40 why early difficult experiences and trauma can make someone more vulnerable to chronic symptoms
01:21:11 Mark describes how he found his feet again