CFS Recovery Programs Guide

We didn’t just look at what they say about themselves on their websites. We conducted forty 20-50 minute candid Zoom or phone interviews with real people who did these programs. About 75 percent of the participants we interviewed had ME/CFS, though 25 percent had other conditions (see ‘Who is this guide for?’).

Between the two of us, we also looked inside most of the programs (whether we previously did them ourselves, had access, or were shown a preview). We also factored public feedback (example: what people have shared on YouTube, blogs, Instagram, forums, comment sections, etc.) and private feedback that people have shared directly with us (examples: email or Instagram messages) from over 100 people about the included programs. We then approached the creators themselves to confirm information was accurate and up to date. 

We compiled feedback over June 2022 to early December 2022 for Version 1 released in January 2023. We’ve incorporated additional feedback since then. On April 2, 2023, we released a major Version 2 update which includes two additional programs and more analysis on some of the existing programs.

This guide features lifestyle and nervous system regulation programs to support healing from ME/CFS (M.E. / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and related chronic illnesses. We conducted in-depth analysis of 25 programs and shorter write-ups of 3 additional programs. We organized the programs into four categories. Note: Multiple programs fit in more than one category.

Section 1: Lifestyle and pacing programs 
Section 2: Brain retraining programs
Section 3: Somatics programs
Section 4: Programs with a self-discovery element.

While all lifestyle and pacing programs in Section 1 are generally CFS recovery focused, many nervous system regulation programs covered in Sections 2-4 of our guide are targeted to people with a wider range of conditions (see ‘Who is this guide for?’). We noted who they are each for in the guide. The programs included are led by people who themselves healed from chronic illness, including over 20 from ME/CFS and/or Chronic Lyme. Many also healed from chronic pain and/or orthostatic intolerance. 

Programs include:

• Four Week Fatigue Rescue* & Fatigue Reset by Pamela Rose (this program was originally 3 weeks; it now includes an extra support & integration week)
• Lifestyle Pacing by Raelan Agle
• Alex Howard’s RESET Program for Fatigue 
• CFS Health by Toby Morrison
• CFS School by Jen Mann and Karden Rabin
• ANS Rewire by Dan Neuffer
• Recovery Jumpstart by Miguel Bautista
• DNRS 2.0 by Annie Hopper
• Primal Trust by Dr. Cathleen King (new Level 1, Level 2 & 3)
• The Gupta Program by Ashok Gupta
• Lightning Process by Dr. Phil Parker
• Be Your Own Medicine by Rebecca Tolin 
• Re-Origin by Ben Ahrens
• Vital-Side Rewire, Elevate 2.0, and Regulation Station by Lindsay Mitchell and Bianca Spears (Note: While these programs are targeted to people healing from chronic illnesses, Vital-Side’s new program Reboot is targeted to a general audience. We did not provide an analysis of their Reboot program for this guide.)
• Restore by Sarah Jackson
• Smart-Body Smart-Mind and 21 Day Nervous System Tune-Up by Irene Lyon
• and more!

We picked the programs based on ones we know about. We are not associated with any program. This guide is an independent analysis.

All programs are in English. At the end of the guide, we note which programs come in additional languages.

Important note: This guide does not include medical treatment options or naturopathic protocols, which may be helpful to recovery. This guide is not medical advice and is for information only. For additional resources (not medical advice), go here.

This e-book is 195 pages (1-9 pages of analysis per program, how to approach this guide, FAQ’s, and more). While there is a lot of information, we organized it in a way for you to easily look at the things that matter to you.

Short summaries included: For those with brain fog and/or who prefer bite-sized info, we included short summaries of each program in the guide (find ‘Quick Overview’ in the table of contents, for each of the 4 program categories). 

We also made a separate 15 page “Short Summaries” version, which is free add-on in the cart if you get the main guide.

Audio version: Lindsay Vine had us make an audio version of our guide, as she herself once struggled to look at a screen during her health recovery journey. The link to the audio files are included in the purchase receipt that gets emailed to you when you buy the guide. Note: The audio version includes the first version of our guide from January 2023. It is not fully up to date, yet.

The price, $19, may or may not cover costs to produce this guide. We wanted to keep the price low to be accessible to people, having lost all our money ourselves going through this illness. 

It is free to be in this guide. No program paid us to be included. However, three programs kindly offered to support our efforts (so we could cover costs and keep the price low), and in return we gave them the opportunity to have “A Message from the Creator” within the guide, providing them with 250 words to share a personal message. We also gave this opportunity for free to the creator who has a by-donation program. The analysis of their programs, like all others, is based on detailed, constructive analysis of their program and real participant feedback. 

Please share this page with a friend, but not the guide itself, which is copyrighted material. If your friend is struggling with finances, we ask your friend to email us if they would need a discount code. 

We hope our guide can help you make the best decision for you. If you’d like personalized guidance, Lindsay Vine is a CFS programs navigator and can help you choose the best program for you. You can contact her at lindsayvine.com. She offers a free 15 minute initial chat. 

Note: Lindsay Vine’s services are independent from Liz Carlson / Heal With Liz and any program featured in our guide and visa versa. 

We’re not able to provide refunds for this guide. We put a lot of effort into making this guide, interviewing many people, compiling the nuanced feedback, and organizing it all together, and are pretty confident you’ll value it.

Yes. We would LOVE your feedback on any program featured in this guide and the guide itself. We plan to update the guide in the future, to incorporate more real participant feedback and make it as user friendly as possible. To share your feedback, you can just respond to the email you were sent after purchasing the guide or email Lindsay through her website.