Meditation ‘cures’ Coventry woman’s 20-year battle with depression and OCD

A COVENTRY woman who battled with obsessive compulsive disorder for 20 years - washing her hands up to 20 times a day until they bled - says she has been “completely cured” by mindfulness and meditation.

Jackie Giles, a volunteer from the city, would wear plastic gloves all the time her fear of contamination was so bad.

After suffering from constant panic attacks, she was finally diagnosed with depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder [OCD].

But she says her life was completely turned around after she made a last-minute decision to attend a meditation event at The Flame Mindfulness Holistic & Wellness Centre in City Arcade.

The 40-year-old said: “My health was in a bad way. I felt sick, tired and I was unable to eat or sleep.

“My weight dropped significantly, and I was always at the doctors.

“They tested me for all sorts of conditions and eventually they diagnosed me with depression.

“I hit rock bottom. I was having panic attacks all the time and my OCD got out of control.

“I had a fear of hygiene and contamination, so I’d wear plastic gloves all the time and wash my hands up to 20 times a day until they bled.”

Things only started to change after Jackie spotted an advert for an eightweek Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programme at The Flame.

She said: “I had tried everything else so thought I might as well go along and find out a bit more. When I got to The Flame, it all made total sense to me.

“The first meditation session made me realise how tense I was. It made me sad, but I was determined to stick to it.”

Jackie attended all eight sessions and felt so inspired she attended The Flame’s Metta Retreat in Shropshire where she continued improving her mental health and overall wellbeing.

She added: “I’ve never been healthy before. The doctors even told me they couldn’t help me, but I’m completely cured.

“I always thought I would be ill for the rest of my life, so now I feel overwhelmed with life. I actually feel alive.

“The Flame’s helped me completely turn my life around.”

The Flame - a not-forprofit organisation run by volunteers - launched six years ago to help address the increasing levels of mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and stress in Coventry and the surrounding areas.

Since then, it has supported well over 14,500 people across the city through regular classes, courses, workshops and retreats, including a free support group which runs every week at Coventry Central Library.

Jackie will be one of those who have have been positively affected by mindfulness to share her story at The Flame’s next mindfulness event on Saturday, October 6 from 6pm to 9pm.

‘Mindfulness and Extraordinary Experiences’ will be held at Coventry Cathedral and will bring together leading experts who will share and discuss the benefits of greater balance and deeper body