HOW TO KNOW WHEN YOU’RE READY TO PROGRESS TO THE NEXT STAGE

When we’re healing from a complex chronic health issue where a number of our body’s foundational systems are compromised, progress can take time and is usually not linear. We can have two steps forward followed by one step back. We may temporarily have worsening symptoms as part of a successful treatment on our road to recovery.

So how do we know when to progress from one stage to the next? Many programs advise to do each of their stages for a month. In some ways, this is an improvement on the Scattergun approaches that chuck a mountain of supplements and treatments at you at the same time, hoping that something will help.

But at the same time, you can get stuck being forced into a Procrustean Bed, since it’s unlikely that a “month on each stage for everyone” is helpful for most people. What if you need less time in Stage 1 and longer in Stage 2?

More importantly, how would you know? Taking a strategic approach to getting well means not just working in stages but having clear graduation signs that let you know when to advance and what to look for to tell you if you’re ready once you’ve progressed.