Matt Bromley was fit, active, and busy with family and work when he became seriously ill in the early months of the pandemic. In this conversation with Eve, he shares his experience of Long COVID, the uncertainty of those early days, and the mind-body approaches that helped him find his way back to health. Eve:Hi, Matt. Matt:Hi, Eve. Eve:Thank you so much for doing this. I always get really excited when I meet somebody else who's gone through a similar journey. I’m really looking forward to hearing all about yours. If you could start by telling us a little bit about you and who you are outside of your recovery. Matt:I’m Matt. I’ve got three children and we live in South Manchester. I teach for a job, which is what I was doing before I got ill. I’ve always been fit and active and I love the outdoors. I love being in nature and love the sea and the mountains equally. We’re a really active family. We’ve got a camper van and we spend as much time away in it as possible. We live a fairly simple life. <blockquote>Getting ill</blockquote> Eve:Can you tell us a little bit more about what happened? When did you get ill? Matt:I turned 40 in March 2020 and got very ill just before Easter. I was working in a school right at the start of the pandemic. There were coughs going around and lockdown was clearly coming. A week later we went into lockdown and I started teaching online. I noticed I was becoming very short of breath while walking. I’d never been ill for more than a week in my life, so I assumed it would pass. Instead, it got worse. By Easter Sunday 2020, I couldn’t get up the stairs. I had crushing chest pain, awful headaches, fatigue, and breathlessness. I went through NHS 111 and was told to stay at home. I remember my only aim was to make it to my son’s birthday the following week because I felt terrified. After a couple of trips to A&amp;E, tests came back mostly normal, although inflammation was detected, and I was sent home.That first month was acute. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t get out of bed or watch TV. When I tried to push myself, it made everything worse and led to big relapses. My wife was working on critical care COVID wards, and we had two young children at home. It was desperate.This went on for about three or four months. There were no answers. I was signed off work because I couldn’t even open a laptop. By August, it was clear I wasn’t recovering. I spent that month lying flat at my mum’s house, either in bed or in the garden. I felt like a 95 year old. <blockquote>Finding support</blockquote> Matt:Online communities started forming. Some were very negative, but I joined one call with Susie Bolt and started connecting with people going through the same thing. That really helped. People began sharing information about pacing and what helped.I tracked my days, which were often one out of ten. I’d get a bit of hope, try something, then relapse for weeks. <blockquote>Turning to mind body approaches</blockquote> Eve:What made you start looking into mind body approaches? Matt:By September, I knew I wasn’t going back to work. I remembered Alex Howard from school, who runs the Optimal Health Clinic. I messaged him at three in the morning out of desperation. He gave me access to one of his courses.That, combined with Susie’s Zoom calls, helped me come back into my body. I learned how to rest properly, how to meditate, and how to surrender to where I was. That acceptance became a stable place to start from. <blockquote>Learning to rest</blockquote> Eve:We often think we’re resting, but our bodies are still holding tension. Matt:Absolutely. Before all this, rest meant running, climbing, or competitive sailing. I’d never meditated before. It was a whole new world. Eve:Were you sceptical at first? Matt:No. I was in such a dark place that I didn’t really have any other options. I couldn’t watch TV or listen to podcasts. Meditation was all I could do, and it became a real blessing. <blockquote>What helped most</blockquote> Eve:What had the biggest impact on your recovery? Matt:Alex’s programme helped me understand things like polyvagal theory and personality patterns. That foundation really mattered.Community mattered too. I left the big Facebook groups and formed a small WhatsApp group of four of us. We met once a week for 20 minutes on Zoom. It was supportive and positive, and that helped enormously. <blockquote>Progress and turning points</blockquote> Eve:When did you notice things starting to shift? Matt:By Christmas 2020, I decided to focus fully on stabilising. By January, my days were around three or four out of ten, but they were more consistent.One evening, I decided to drive to Tesco for milk. It was the first time I’d driven in ten months. It was exhausting, but I did it. That felt like a real turning point.A friend then did the Lightning Process and recovered very quickly. I decided to do it too. I couldn’t afford not to. Being ill is expensive.

: Brain Re-Training, Breathwork and Getting Into the Body

Brain retraining and setbacksEve:Did you still have setbacks after brain retraining?Matt:Yes. The Lightning Process was incredibly powerful. Within days I went from three or four out of ten to seven or eight. But it wasn’t instant recovery. I did it in February and returned to work in June.There were bumps along the way. Going back to work was tricky, and I didn’t want to talk about being ill. I needed ongoing support. My coach, Lauren Stoney, was incredible. I worked with her monthly for six months.Physical reconditioning took time, about a year. I also did the Nuffield Health Programme, which really helped rebuild my strength.Ongoing practicesEve:Anything else that was key?Matt:Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s Feel Better, Live More podcasts had a huge influence on me. Cold water dipping and breathwork became really important. I joined a group at Pickmere Lake and was hooked straight away.I now dip regularly and practise breathwork consistently. Yoga philosophy has also become part of my life, especially ideas around self compassion and being present.Understanding mind body connectionEve:How has your understanding of the mind body connection changed?Matt:Before, I didn’t understand that thoughts change the chemistry in your body. Now I believe we need both top down approaches, like thought patterns, and bottom up approaches, like being present.Meditation, cold water, and breathwork bring me into the present. I listen to my body now and I don’t push through in the same way I used to.Life nowEve:How is life now compared to before?Matt:My life now feels much more wholesome. Before, it was all about doing and achieving. Now I value rest, quiet, and health far more.I realised I cared a lot about other people’s health, but not my own. Now I know my health has to come first if I want to be there for others.What once felt impossibleEve:Is there something you can do now that once felt impossible?Matt:Facilitating breathwork. At my worst, I couldn’t even stand up, and now I hold space for other people. I also pass these ideas on to my children and my students. I start every class with three breaths instead of shouting.Advice for othersEve:What would you say to people just starting out?Matt:Be open minded. Everyone I know who has recovered has been open minded. Recovery is a complex jigsaw. Stability comes first. You can’t think your way out of trouble. You have to come into your body. Be mindful about who you connect with and who really supports you.Eve:Is there anything you hope people take away from your story?Matt:Hope and optimism. I wouldn’t wish illness on anyone, but it took me onto a new trajectory. The body knows how to heal if it’s in the right place. If you can get a few pieces of the jigsaw in place, recovery can happen. Sometimes faster than you expect.Eve:Thank you so much for sharing your story.Matt:You’re welcome.Matt’s story is a reminder that recovery is rarely straightforward, and that listening to the body can open the door to change. We hope his experience offers reassurance, hope and some inspiration. If you want to find out more about Matt’s breathwork or attend classes, you can connect here 

<blockquote>Brain retraining and setbacks</blockquote> Eve:Did you still have setbacks after brain retraining? Matt:Yes. The Lightning Process was incredibly powerful. Within days I went from three or four out of ten to seven or eight. But it wasn’t instant recovery. I did it in February and returned to work in June. There were bumps along the way. Going back to work was tricky, and I didn’t want to talk about being ill. I needed ongoing support. My coach, Lauren Stoney, was incredible. I worked with her monthly for six months. Physical reconditioning took time, about a year. I also did the Nuffield Health Programme, which really helped rebuild my strength. <blockquote>Ongoing practices</blockquote> Eve:Anything else that was key? Matt:<a href="https://drchatterjee.com/podcast-episodes/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s Feel Better, Live More podcasts</a> had a huge influence on me. Cold water dipping and breathwork became really important. I joined a group at Pickmere Lake and was hooked straight away. I now dip regularly and practise breathwork consistently. Yoga philosophy has also become part of my life, especially ideas around self compassion and being present. <blockquote>Understanding mind body connection</blockquote> Eve:How has your understanding of the mind body connection changed? Matt:Before, I didn’t understand that thoughts change the chemistry in your body. Now I believe we need both top down approaches, like thought patterns, and bottom up approaches, like being present. Meditation, cold water, and breathwork bring me into the present. I listen to my body now and I don’t push through in the same way I used to. <blockquote>Life now</blockquote> Eve:How is life now compared to before? Matt:My life now feels much more wholesome. Before, it was all about doing and achieving. Now I value rest, quiet, and health far more.I realised I cared a lot about other people’s health, but not my own. Now I know my health has to come first if I want to be there for others. <blockquote>What once felt impossible</blockquote> Eve:Is there something you can do now that once felt impossible? Matt:Facilitating breathwork. At my worst, I couldn’t even stand up, and now I hold space for other people. I also pass these ideas on to my children and my students. I start every class with three breaths instead of shouting. <blockquote>Advice for others</blockquote> Eve:What would you say to people just starting out? Matt:Be open minded. Everyone I know who has recovered has been open minded. Recovery is a complex jigsaw. Stability comes first. You can’t think your way out of trouble. You have to come into your body. Be mindful about who you connect with and who really supports you. Eve:Is there anything you hope people take away from your story? Matt:Hope and optimism. I wouldn’t wish illness on anyone, but it took me onto a new trajectory. The body knows how to heal if it’s in the right place. If you can get a few pieces of the jigsaw in place, recovery can happen. Sometimes faster than you expect. Eve:Thank you so much for sharing your story. Matt:You’re welcome. Matt’s story is a reminder that recovery is rarely straightforward, and that listening to the body can open the door to change. We hope his experience offers reassurance, hope and some inspiration. If you want to find out more about Matt’s breathwork or attend classes, you can connect <a href="https://www.instagram.com/exhalebreath/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here </a>

Matt’s Long Covid Recovery Story

<h2>From Health to Chronic Illness: When My Life Looked “Normal”</h2> <h3>Before chronic illness reshaped my life, I was a high-functioning, successful healthcare professional.</h3> At 31, I worked as a Speech and Language Therapist in the NHS, specialising in complex neurological and critical care rehabilitation. I was deeply committed to my patients, often working long hours in an overstretched healthcare system where “accidental overtime” is normalised. My identity was rooted in being capable, dependable, and helpful. Outside of work, life was full. A long-term relationship, a big close-knit family, a busy social calendar booked months in advance. Weddings, festivals, birthdays, travel and every available moment filled. I was the organiser, the supporter, the one people turned to in a crisis. Like many people living with chronic stress, I didn’t see this pace as a problem. Stress felt normal. Exhaustion felt earned. Rest felt uncomfortable. As I worked in medicine, my understanding of health was largely biomedical. I trusted conventional medicine deeply and believed holistic or mind-body approaches weren’t real, maybe useful for others, but not relevant to me. The mind-body connection felt vague, unscientific, even “pseudoscientific”. I didn’t yet understand how chronic stress, nervous system overload, and repeated illness were quietly accumulating beneath the surface. <h2>The Onset of Chronic Symptoms, Long COVID and ME/CFS</h2> In March 2020, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK, I contracted COVID-19 at work. At that time, personal protective equipment was limited, and testing was unavailable to most frontline staff. I recovered enough to return to work, or so it seemed. Over the next three years, I experienced repeated infections and a gradual but noticeable decline in my health. Fatigue became a normal part of life and I began falling asleep on the floor after work. Brain fog appeared and my memory problems became a running joke. Digestive symptoms that had been around for 15 years intensified. Hormonal disruption and migraines became frequent and more severe. Individually, each symptom could be explained away. Together, they told a different story. Like many people with early-stage or mild chronic illness, I kept going. Culturally, we are taught to “push through”, to normalise stress, and to accept low-level chronic symptoms as part of adult life. So that’s exactly what I did, until my body could no longer compensate. <h2>When My Body Could No Longer Compensate</h2> In July 2023, I woke up with what I thought was a migraine. Within days, I was profoundly unwell. Severe dizziness, nausea, sensory hypersensitivity, neurological symptoms, autonomic dysfunction, and crushing fatigue made even basic tasks impossible. I took sick leave, assuming I would return within days. Instead, I became bedbound. Over the following months, I developed a wide range of symptoms, including extreme fatigue, muscle and joint pain, autonomic instability, digestive shutdown, allergic-type reactions, hormonal dysregulation, heart rate irregularities, post-exertional malaise, and cognitive impairment. Eventually, I was diagnosed with conditions including Long COVID, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), POTS, orthostatic hypotension, IBS, and mast-cell-type symptoms. Guidance was difficult to come by and focused on long-term symptom management rather than recovery. I was advised that full recovery was near impossible and that I would need to adapt to a permanently reduced level of functioning. For someone trained in medicine, this was devastating. I believed it. <h2>Searching for Answers Beyond Symptom Management</h2> As many people with chronic illness do, I searched relentlessly for answers. I tried supplements, medications, functional medicine, acupuncture, restrictive diets, pacing strategies, meditation, and physiotherapy. Some approaches helped and others didn’t. I moved from completely bedbound to being able to manage short periods of activity at home, but I always plateaued. I continued my exhausting search for hope and began to notice a pattern.People who experienced partial improvement often focused solely on symptom management.People who experienced full recovery consistently addressed the brain and nervous system.Again and again, full recovery stories referenced brain retraining, nervous system regulation, somatic therapy, and trauma-informed approaches grounded in neuroplasticity. At first, I resisted this idea. It felt like saying my symptoms weren’t real, that it was “all in my head”, but my purple toes, rashy face and severe bloating were very visible. My assumption completely misunderstood what mind-body medicine actually is.

From chronic illness to recovery, where science meets lived experience.

The Science Behind Mind-Body HealingMind-body healing does not deny physical symptoms.It explains them.Research in neuroscience, psychoneuroimmunology, autonomic medicine, and epigenetics increasingly shows that chronic stress, trauma, and infection can dysregulate the nervous system. When the brain perceives ongoing threat, the body can remain locked in a persistent fight-or-flight state.In this state, the systems designed to protect us (immune, hormonal, autonomic) can become overactive or exhausted, perpetuating very real, measurable physical symptoms.This is not weakness.It is physiology.Crucially, the nervous system is adaptable. Through neuroplasticity, it can learn safety again.That understanding marked a turning point in my recovery.How Brain Retraining and Nervous System Regulation Supported My RecoveryWhen I finally committed to a brain retraining programme that explained the science clearly and felt safe for my level of illness, meaningful change began.Not overnight. Not instantly. But steadily.Within weeks, I could walk short distances independently. Over the following months, I added somatic practices, trauma-informed psychotherapy, and deeper nervous system regulation work.I still had relapses initially, but they became less intense, less frequent, and less frightening. Over time, they stopped altogether.Gradually, full health returned.Eventually, I celebrated my recovery with a three-week solo trip to the Philippines, something that once felt completely impossible.Why Recovery Road ExistsDuring my illness, the most exhausting part wasn’t only being unwell.It was not knowing where to start.Searching for credible information while cognitively impaired. Trying to compare programmes. Wondering which approaches were evidence-informed, safe, and appropriate for my level of illness.I also realised how many people around me were quietly living with chronic stress, burnout, autoimmune conditions, fatigue, pain, and unexplained symptoms, believing this was simply normal life.It isn’t.And it doesn’t have to be this way.Recovery Road was created to bridge the gap between science and story, between people seeking recovery and mind-body approaches that genuinely help.More Than Lifestyle Change: A New Way of BeingThis work is not about “thinking positive” or managing symptoms indefinitely.And it is not about replacing conventional medicine.Mind-body healing focuses on creating safety within the nervous system, allowing the body to shift out of survival mode and restore balance. For many people, this becomes the missing piece in recovery from chronic illness.It is not a single technique but a systematic, compassionate process of relearning safety.If You’re Living With Chronic SymptomsYou don’t need to believe in the mind-body connection yet.I didn’t either.Scepticism is healthy.All you need is a small glimmer of hope.	Your symptoms are real. This is not “all in your head”. And your nervous system is capable of 	change.Take a deep breath.You are in the right place.This moment, right now, is part of your recovery.Explore Your Own Recovery RoadLearn the science behind nervous system regulation and neuroplasticityRead more real recovery stories from chronic illness and Long COVIDJoin a free supportive community that understandsDiscover programmes and practitioners aligned with your needsHealing is possible.I know, because I’m living proof.Love & Gratitude,Eve 💚Co-Founder of Recovery Road

<h2>The Science Behind Mind-Body Healing</h2> <h3>Mind-body healing does not deny physical symptoms.</h3> <h3>It explains them.</h3> Research in neuroscience, psychoneuroimmunology, autonomic medicine, and epigenetics increasingly shows that chronic stress, trauma, and infection can dysregulate the nervous system. When the brain perceives ongoing threat, the body can remain locked in a persistent fight-or-flight state. In this state, the systems designed to protect us (immune, hormonal, autonomic) can become overactive or exhausted, perpetuating very real, measurable physical symptoms. This is not weakness.It is physiology. Crucially, the nervous system is adaptable. Through neuroplasticity, it can learn safety again.That understanding marked a turning point in my recovery. <h2>How Brain Retraining and Nervous System Regulation Supported My Recovery</h2> When I finally committed to a brain retraining programme that explained the science clearly and felt safe for my level of illness, meaningful change began. Not overnight. Not instantly. But steadily. Within weeks, I could walk short distances independently. Over the following months, I added somatic practices, trauma-informed psychotherapy, and deeper nervous system regulation work. I still had relapses initially, but they became less intense, less frequent, and less frightening. Over time, they stopped altogether. Gradually, full health returned. Eventually, I celebrated my recovery with a three-week solo trip to the Philippines, something that once felt completely impossible. <h2>Why Recovery Road Exists</h2> During my illness, the most exhausting part wasn’t only being unwell.It was not knowing where to start. Searching for credible information while cognitively impaired. Trying to compare programmes. Wondering which approaches were evidence-informed, safe, and appropriate for my level of illness. I also realised how many people around me were quietly living with chronic stress, burnout, autoimmune conditions, fatigue, pain, and unexplained symptoms, believing this was simply normal life. It isn’t.And it doesn’t have to be this way. Recovery Road was created to bridge the gap between science and story, between people seeking recovery and mind-body approaches that genuinely help. <h2>More Than Lifestyle Change: A New Way of Being</h2> This work is not about “thinking positive” or managing symptoms indefinitely.And it is not about replacing conventional medicine. Mind-body healing focuses on creating safety within the nervous system, allowing the body to shift out of survival mode and restore balance. For many people, this becomes the missing piece in recovery from chronic illness. It is not a single technique but a systematic, compassionate process of relearning safety. <h2>If You’re Living With Chronic Symptoms</h2> You don’t need to believe in the mind-body connection yet. I didn’t either.Scepticism is healthy. All you need is a small glimmer of hope.	Your symptoms are real. This is not “all in your head”. And your nervous system is capable of 	change. Take a deep breath.You are in the right place.This moment, right now, is part of your recovery. <h2>Explore Your Own Recovery Road</h2><ul><li>Learn the <a href="recoveryroad.me/blog/science" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">science behind nervous system regulation and neuroplasticity</a></li><li>Read more <a href="recoveryroad.me/blog/story" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">real recovery stories from chronic illness and Long COVID</a></li><li><a href="recoveryroad.me/signup" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Join a free supportive community</a> that understands</li><li><a href="recoveryroad.me/courses" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Discover programmes and practitioners aligned with your needs</a></li></ul> Healing is possible.I know, because I’m living proof. Love &amp; Gratitude, Eve 💚Co-Founder of Recovery Road

Science & Stories

Matt’s Long Covid Recovery Story

My ME/CFS and Long COVID Recovery Story: How Mind-Body Healing and Nervous System Regulation Restored My Health