Meet Dr. Ixchel, a medical student studying in RCSI Dublin, originally from San Francisco. and in year 4 of her studies.

Ixchel began working with me in March 2022, initially aa a training client at The CMB Gym and then she quickly felt drawn to somatic healing work. From here she enrolled on my psychosomatic guided programme which complimented her fitness journey beautifully. She was held in cocoon by both me and Darragh (my brother, and owner of The CMB Gym). With regards to training, we worked to better her neuro and bio mechanics, mobility, agility, strength and muscle density. 

See, Ixchel was born with structural damage to both hips. She has congenital hip dysplasia which is when the head of the femur does not fit in the socket because the socket itself is too shallow or just incorrectly formed, resulting in the head of the femur being exposed. Every step was extremely painful for her, and painful bouts of sciatica was a daily experience for her. Daily activities, as simple as walking and functional movement, were a challenge for her. In training her hips would regularly “lock and pop”, and shouting nerve pain was a regular occurrence. 

Throughout 2022, she trained 3 times per week with me, while also following a guided nutritional and supplement protocol. 

Alongside this, in therapy we worked through various neurodevelopmental patterns and emotional woundings that were causing regular anxiety attacks and ongoing cycles of (diagnosed) depression We also were preparing her nervous system, mind and body for a life changing operation that was just around the corner 

On January 10th she had her right hip operated on, broken and fused. Her surgeon facilitated this in San Francisco, her home town.

She flew back to Ireland mid January 2023 and began rehab immediately with me. She used an alternative pathway of psychosomatic therapy to assist her healing process. She weaned off prescription pain medication shortly after surgery – she used these only initially immediately after surgery (oxy) for extreme pain levels. She began seeing me monthly from January 22nd 2023, implementing soma work pretty much immediately after surgery to assist her nervous system, manage pain levels, attend to muscular fascial rension and tightness, and to reduce inflammation.

She is implemented vagus nerve activation techniques at home, and followed a specific dietary, supplementary and fasting protocol. Within weeks she was able to weight bare on her leg and was pretty much crutch free and mobile within 3 months.

She had her left hip operated on, in August 2023. It has been a long road to recovery, but my sweet girl is happy, healthy, healed, and pain free. The next chapter in her life is only beginning. The world is her oyster!  

Ixchel wants to specialise in surgery. Having been through this lived process, she is going to be an impeachable well informed surgeon who patients will absolutely relate with.

If you have lived in chronic physical pain, you will know how debilitating it feels to be in your body. Every day feels heavy, your life force is drained. To be pain free is to have been given a second chance at living life with excitement, joy and optimism.