“From that retreat, I started to meditate every day at 6 a.m. – no matter how I was feeling. My first thing in the morning, opening the eyes, was to sit with me for two hours – and go into myself.”

When Marta was stricken with a rare form of chronic migraine disease seven years ago, she thought it happened overnight. Suddenly, she couldn’t function. Her environment became overwhelming; triggering symptoms that were almost paralyzing. For five years, she lived with constant, debilitating pain. Nothing – not even surgery – brought relief.

After discovering Dr Joe’s work, Marta began to realize the origins of this “overnight” disease went back to childhood trauma. As she practiced at home with meditations, then bolstered her meditation practice after her first Week Long Advanced Retreat, she learned to sit with herself for hours each day. Even more important: she learned the importance of practicing with her eyes open – catching her thoughts and feelings before they slipped by her awareness throughout the day.

As Marta healed, she tuned in to a new environment in a new life. And suddenly, one day, she realized the migraines were gone. She had one day without a migraine ... then one month ... and, as of this moment, two years free from pain.

Recorded at the Barcelona Progressive Retreat in May 2024