Neuroplasticity Ninja is Here! Yeehaw!

Hi there! Welcome to my temporary blog while my fancy pants website is under construction!

I'm Claire Downey, founder of SWING Healing, and self proclaimed neuroplasticity ninja! Find out more about my education, certifications, & healing experience below.

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What's my purpose here? Well, in short, to help you find the same healing that I did! My journey was long, messy, and involved a ton of research, trial and error. I'm here to provide you with inspiration, direction, materials and free guides that I've developed so that you can find relief from chronic illness, anxiety, depression, and blocks that may be holding you back from your own healing.

This site, SWING healing, and I am a work in progress, as I transition from severely ill for 16 years to out living life and coaching others. More services, programs, and resources will available soon (and a fancy pants website!), when the time is right. For now, please take a look around, and I hope you enjoy reading about my incredible transformation, as I want the same amazing healing that I've found for each of you! 

PS - I reserve the right to not have polished pictures and staged branding. Expect humor and sarcasm, as laughter truly has helped me survive and now thrive, living with joy and passion.   

My husband and I on a recent trip (May 2018) where we hiked and walked a ton! Wooohooo!

What I'm Healing From & How:

I've found healing after 16 years from severe POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), Lyme Disease, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Vertigo, Migraines, Gastroparesis, IBS, Histamine Intolerance, Anxiety, Suicidal Thoughts & Depression, Raynauds, suspected CFIDS (afer a prolonged mold exposure), Autonomic Neuropathy, chronic blood clots/DVTs/PEs, daily infusions of IV fluids for 7 years, often bed bound and home bound, and needing a reclining wheelchair, unable to feed myself at times. I'm sure I forgot a few, but you get the point! 

And the point is that now I'm out LIVING, LOVING, and FREE!

What am I doing? Neuroplasticity! I've used a combination of techniques that I want to share with you! No medication. No side effects. Read more HERE.

BEFORE: In 2017, when I had sepsis twice, multiple ports/PICC lines, and a new giant DVT that left my blood flow blocked and me in bed for 2 months, in and out of the hospital a ton. Had to use a wheelchair at home, didn't go out much, and then in October toxic mold I was allergic to (notice the past tense) was found, and we moved 8 times in 2 months while our home was remediated. 

AFTER: Me hiking in March 2018, after just a few months of neuroplasticity and tapping! It's been amazing. My doctors, family and friends all freak out when they see me, which I enjoy, lol!

  

My background:

I have been dealing with the ups and down of chronic illness since 2002, so that makes 16 years. I had to leave graduate school when POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) first showed up, while I was pursuing my doctorate in marine biology and living my dream, researching in the Florida Keys.

Since then, I've been a scuba diving marine biologist & research scientist turned science teacher turned floral designer and creative business entrepreneur turned chronic illness advocate & nonprofit founder turned traveling mold refugee (in 2017). I've had both traditional and online businesses for over a decade, been published in national magazines for various creative projects, and have gained and lost a lot a over the years, as have many who have had to adjust to ever changing symptoms, new diagnosis, and flares in varying severity. 

In late 2010, I went from "functionally chronically ill" with the ability to push through and still run my business part time and raise my young son, to severe and in the hospital for 9 months. There is a ton of info on my old blog, feel free to read up if you like. It was bad, so I'm not going to recount it all here. 

In 2015 I had a mini-remission that only lasted about 8 months, and I was put back into a wheelchair after making huge gains with a botched mediport surgery, where I was given medicine I was severely allergic to. Again, it was bad, and traumatic, and from fall 2015 until Feb 2018 I was severely ill again, most of the time. 2017 was exceptionally bad. I'm still retraining my brain, so I'm not going to expand too much on here about all that, as I'm focused on the future, and the health that I've been blessed with! 

Education/Certifications

I fell in love with the neuroscience behind the various types of healing programs and modalities I've been plowing through this past year, so I'm getting certified in a few things to better help the chronically ill community heal. SWING Healing will officially launch soon (with the fancy pants website!) and I'm SO excited to share all this with you! Please stay tuned and hit that subscribe button, you can also follow me over on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube! 

The first time I went swinging again - what an amazing feeling! I'm enjoying things that used to make me pass out!

Thanks for reading! 

-Claire