Katrina Mandelfield

Fybromyalgia, Anxiety - December 2024

“I first contacted Shaheen in July this year after suffering various symptoms for the previous 2 years The worst ones being joint pains and muscular pains which particularly affected my legs. These pains would wake me in the night. I was undergoing various medical tests at the time and the conclusion to this was a diagnosis of fibromyalgia and general ‘wear and tear’ I know this is basically an umbrella term for undiagnosed pain. I was also suffering from anxiety which I think was a consequence of the worry about my pain and being exhausted due to poor sleep.

I had tried various therapies in the past to cope with anxiety which had troubled me since teenage years so I think I was a bit sceptical about how Shaheen could help me. I have now worked with Shaheen for 3 months and she has made such a difference to both my physical and mental health. I did find it hard at first to get my head round the idea of neuropslatic pain as I sort of thought it meant pain that was “all in the head” and not real. I now understand this is not the case. This pain, although not caused by a structural problem is very real and a learned pathway from our brain.

"To help with my issues I practised breathwork, somatic tracking, regular exercise such as yoga and Pilates, mindfulness  and my own personal favourite, tapping. There were ups and downs and weeks where I felt Ivwasnt progressing and maybe even going backwards. This was when Shaheen’s weekly sessions were so vital. I could talk my worries through and she would put me on the right path.

Today I can honestly say I feel like a very different person. I no longer think of myself as anxious or someone suffering from a chronic pain disease. I know I will have challenges in the future as everyone does but I have such a great toolbox to dip into now and so many helpful practices that I now use daily.

For this reason I would thoroughly recommend Shaheen.. She is incrediblly knowledgeable, insightful and caring. I can honestly say I owe my renewed health to her.”

Umm Hidaayah

Debilitating Low Back Pain, Sciatica, Anxiety - October 2024

A few months ago, my whole world changed when I experienced crippling back/hips/buttocks pain and sciatica. Severe spasms beginning from the bottom of my spine, through my buttock, back of my thigh, shooting all the way down my calf and into my foot, which would leave me unable to sit or stand, and the pins and needles would cause my leg and foot to become complete numb such that I could not bear weight. It impacted my bladder too. My pain got so debilitating, that I could no longer sit, stand, or lay on my back or right-hand side without screaming. I lost all sensation to my right leg and couldn’t hold myself up. I was hospitalised and diagnosed by a surgeon (following an MRI) with a severe bulging disc at location L5-S1 which appeared to be compressing on my sciatic nerves……I was on Morphine, Diazepam, Gabapentin, Amitriptyline, Dihydrocodeine, Naproxen, Omeprazole and Paracetamol. When I was discharged after a few days, I still could not walk. It took me a whole day to be able to stand with a Zimmer frame and take a few steps.

Within a matter of weeks, my entire life had changed. I could not work, sit, stand, lay on my back, sit on a toilet, shower myself, dress myself. I could not bend, reach, or roll or turn in bed. I could not cook, clean, do any household chores nor look after my children. Being an avid runner, jogging over 5 miles every day, I could not even take a few steps. I could not sneeze, laugh, or cough without feeling immense pain. I could not read or write or type………

I went to see a Chiropractor as well as a Physiotherapist on more than a few occasions. I tried to do back strengthening exercises and Pilates for sciatica with no luck. I tried mindfulness. I tried journalling. But these techniques on their own, and without guidance from an expert, did not feel effective enough. 

My mental health spiralled out of control……I was not seeing anybody nor speaking to anybody. I slept day and night due to side effects of medication, and this went on for months! I felt defeated and considered myself completely disabled. My journey to recovery began when through conversations with myself, my sister, and friends, I realised that having been medicated for months, why I had not healed? If the bulging disc was the cause of my symptoms, why had I not recovered despite being in bed for months and taking medication, surely my body is designed to repair? My sister had recovered from severe mind body pain in the past and was urging me to look at my pain differently. This got me thinking. I started to question whether it was the fear of the pain that was preventing my recovery, therefore if I could address this, I would have a chance at healing.  

I contacted Shaheen to discuss mind body healing and to learn more of neuroplastic pain……She shared the evidence with me regarding bulging discs and the lack of correlation with back pain. She explained to me Dr John Sarno’s work, and how she was confident I could recover. She herself had recovered from years of crippling back pain and was able to see the signs that my pain was neuroplastic. This gave me hope. She worked with me over many sessions, empowering me with knowledge and techniques to aid my recovery….

I committed myself to doing many techniques daily and did not compromise on these. I could see improvements which gave me hope for a full recovery! Everything that I learnt over these coming weeks, I practised daily, sometimes I would use these techniques nearly 10 times a day as my pain was so debilitating. And all the hard work paid off. I began experiencing huge improvements very quickly. Shaheen kept in touch with me in between sessions…..she was pivotal in providing the knowledge to prevent relapses and for me to continue in my journey of healing……

Now I am back to living my life completely normal, in fact I feel better than ever!....... I am now much calmer, happier, stronger, more resilient, positive, and capable of doing absolutely anything I want, without restriction or fear. I am excited to be living and excited about life once again. I am the old me, but a more empowered version who feels she can do absolutely anything.

I am able to run over 5 miles again, I am travelling, enjoying cooking, going out with friends, project managing and much more. I am pulling, pushing, lifting, and reaching without any fear or restrictions. I can get up and sit with fluidity.

I would recommend Shaheen as she is very patient, knowledgeable, and flexible. Her understanding of the mind and body and the healing techniques means she is very quickly able to explain and help explore triggers for pain and relapses. As she suffered with similar chronic pain, but for much longer than I did, a lot of what I said, resonated with her. Often, I would find that she could read my mind, related to the level of fear I had about doing things and how to break this cycle of fear and pain. She has excellent listening skills and is very compassionate. I found it very helpful that I was able to do sessions over zoom when I first began due to my lack of mobility. So If you right now are reading this and stuck in chronic pain, I urge you to get in touch with Shaheen, as it has given me my life back and empowered me in so many ways, the knowledge gained which I will use throughout my lifetime. Umm Hidaayah

Hayley Louise

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Chest Pains, Anxiety

“Shaheen’s wealth of experience in the holistic approach to healing, her kind heart and caring nature are just some of the reasons why I am now a regular client in her clinic. Since the onset of Pleurisy in December 2018, I developed symptoms which were unexplained and I was often called a ‘medical mystery’ as my symptoms were not presenting towards medical diagnosis. In February 2019, I contacted Shaheen to discuss alternatives therapies which is when she introduced me to the world of TMS. Although it was a minefield at first, the concept of TMS and how the brain protects itself is absolutely fascinating.

During our sessions, her reassurance and guidance through different activities and techniques is so soothing and comforting to know that there is an answer to what is causing my symptoms. Over a period of six months, we worked through the programme and now, I can confidently say that I use the SIRPA techniques to support my daily life. Yes, life throws me curve balls which is where my reflexology sessions come in nicely but I am now taking control of my symptoms. Thank you, Shaheen. 😊100% recommend this lovely lady for any type of holistic treatment, from reflexology to SIRPA counselling.”

Stephanie Wearden

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Head pain, Anxiety

I have just finished my 5th Mind Body Pain Free session with Shaheen and can only say I'm so thankful for coming across her programme. After countless visits with various Doctors who didn't really understand the symptoms I was experiencing, after one visit with Shaheen I had improved. I was initially bed bound and after 2 sessions I was able to go downstairs for the first time in a long while. I highly highly recommend to anyone for stress management or any chronic pain and would happily speak to anyone considering this. I now have my life back and I'm able to be a mum again.

Sobia Rashid

Migraines

I had never suffered from migraines before. My pain came on one evening quite mildly which I ignored. The next day I woke up and the pain was alot worse to the extent I was feeling sick and retching. The pain got so bad that the back of my kneck started to hurt too and I couldn't lift my head up. I felt paralysed as the pain was so severe I couldn't do anything. I had to lean on my husband to walk around the house. I wasn't able to take my children to school, or do any of the everyday stuff that I would normally do.
My GP sent me to the hospital because the pain was so bad. The hospital did 2 CT scans, a lumber puncture, blood tests, eyes tests, but ALL WAS NORMAL. BUT... I was still in so much pain. It was quite bizarre because every painkiller/different type of medication that was prescribed made me feel worse and the pain was still there. My husband was reduced to tears because he couldn't understand what the pain was - where it was coming from and why? He felt helpless and hated seeing me suffer like this.

After 2 weeks of torture, no relief from the meds, and being practically bed bound, I was advised to do the Pain Free Programme with Shaheen. I was so desperate I was willing to do anything. This involved various minimum daily tasks that I could manage. I was asked to implement strategies from mind body medicine which I had never heard of before. It made me realize all the stress I had been going through but ignoring and how it had led to me reaching burn out and suffering so much ill health. I realized how I had suppressed so many emotions like anger/grief/worry for years and years and I guess it had finally caught up with me. I started doing the ‘work’ and after a few days I saw a difference to my head/neck pain and I had stopped all painkillers! I was astounded!! At first the pain would go and then return but Shaheen explained why this can happen so I continued. I tried the Programme for 4 weeks and it ACTUALLY WORKED!!! It was amazing, and yes it does take up between 15-30mins of your day but it actually works wonders!!! I couldn’t believe it when I woke up finally one morning with no migraine! I had been having them daily for weeks.

The hospital prescribed me so many different tablets, one after the other, but they never actually got rid of the pain. By taking the medication I would suffer more from the side effects. So eventually I stopped the medication and fully concentrated on the Pain Free Programme. By following the steps/tasks in the programme and being fully committed the pain actually COMPLETELY WENT!

Shaheen was so helpful. We did the sessions on zoom and she emailed me the ‘homework’ and was so supportive. She really was passionate about me getting better. She would send me various literature to read and always encouraged me and that really helped. She is very professional, and a unique person. I am now 5 weeks in and getting better everyday. I feel like I have my life back and can be a mother again to my children.:-)

Update: It’s been 6 weeks now and I have had no pain and feel completely well. I rate the programme 10 out of 10 and would strongly advise people (suffering from migraines or other chronic pain) to do this!