In this critical episode with special guest co-host Ali Moresco, we sit down with Dr. Liz Horn, Principal Investigator of the Lyme Disease Biobank, to break down her latest research:
👉 Evaluation of standard and modified two-tiered testing algorithms using well-characterized early Lyme disease samples
This study takes a hard look at the current FDA-cleared Lyme testing system — and the findings are clear:
👉 Most early Lyme disease cases are being missed
Dr. Horn explains why this is happening, what it means for patients, and why clinical judgment — not just testing — must guide early diagnosis and treatment.
📄 View Dr. Liz Horn’s Research Publications
đź“Š Study Focus:
📌 Easy-to-share summary for doctors and patients: New Bay Area Lyme Foundation Study Shows Common FDA-Cleared Lyme Tests Miss 64–78% of Early Cases
👉 Core issue: Testing measures the body’s response, not the infection
👉 Key insight: Testing remains inconsistent even after the early window
👉 Key takeaway: You can have Lyme and still test negative
👉 Result: Testing cannot reliably confirm or rule out Lyme disease
👉 Translation: Testing tends to detect later-stage immune response, not early infection
👉 Why this happens:
👉 Critical takeaway:
Patients may still have an active infection or ongoing disease process and test negative
👉 Bottom line:
👉 This is why antibody testing is used, despite its limitations
👉 These advances aim to replace outdated antibody-based testing
📚 Resource for clinicians and patients: VectorWise CME – Lyme Disease Education
👉 Most important: Trust your symptoms and advocate for care
This study confirms what many patients already experience:
But progress is happening.
👉 Better diagnostics are on the horizon
You are not alone. Your experience is real.Healing is possible.
In this powerful episode of the Tick Boot Camp Podcast, we sit down with Erin Oprea—elite fitness trainer, U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and Lyme disease warrior. Known for training celebrities like Carrie Underwood, Erin shares her journey from peak physical performance to battling chronic illness—and how she fought her way back using cutting-edge therapies, peptides, and integrative medicine.
Erin also reflects on her groundbreaking military career, including making history as the leader of the first all-female platoon attached to the infantry in a war zone, and how that same resilience now fuels her healing journey.
Guided by experts like Dr. Joe Phiakhamta and informed by The Complete Guide to Peptides: Unlocking the Secrets to Health, Healing, and Longevity, Erin incorporated advanced peptide therapy:
Erin Oprea’s journey is a powerful example of resilience, innovation, and determination. From combat leadership to chronic illness recovery, she continues to push boundaries—showing what’s possible when elite discipline meets cutting-edge medicine.
What happens when chronic Lyme disease takes away your health, your confidence, and even your sense of self?
In this deeply emotional and inspiring episode of the Tick Boot Camp Podcast, Jasmin Perdomo shares her powerful 12-year journey through chronic Lyme disease, Bartonella, Babesia, debilitating neurological symptoms, medical gaslighting, emotional trauma, and ultimately — rediscovering herself through poetry, faith, and healing.
Raised in New Jersey and once a hyper-athletic young woman, Jasmin never imagined she would one day become bedridden, unable to walk without holding onto walls, crawling from her bed to the bathroom, and searching desperately for answers no doctor seemed able to provide.
But through unimaginable suffering came transformation.
Jasmin opens up about:
This conversation is raw, validating, and hopeful for anyone navigating Lyme disease, chronic illness, trauma, or identity loss.
Jasmin describes how unexplained fatigue, tachycardia, heart palpitations, vertigo, ringing in the ears, slurred speech, and neurological symptoms slowly overtook her life while living in Puerto Rico.
Like many Lyme patients, Jasmin spent years searching for answers while being misdiagnosed, dismissed, and prescribed medications that failed to address the root cause of her illness.
The episode explores the connection between stress, trauma, emotional suppression, nervous system dysregulation, and chronic illness progression.
While bedridden, Jasmin returned to writing poetry — something she loved as a child — and discovered that creative expression became a powerful emotional detox and survival mechanism. Buy Bittersweet Body: a Poetic Memoir, Jasmin's debut poetry book, inspired her life’s mission: to illuminate the invisible in a visible world.
Jasmin discusses the therapies that helped her most, including:
One of the most moving parts of the interview centers around Jasmin’s struggle with independence, vulnerability, and learning how to accept support from loved ones during her healing journey.
“Poetry saved my life. It gave me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation when I couldn’t breathe.”
“When my body became a stranger, writing helped me remember who I was.”
“You are not weak for asking for help.”
“Healing isn’t just physical. It’s emotional, spiritual, and deeply personal.”
Tick Boot Camp is a Lyme disease advocacy platform dedicated to helping people liberate themselves and others from Lyme disease through education, validation, community, and hope.
Through powerful conversations with patients, doctors, researchers, and healers, Tick Boot Camp reminds listeners that they are not alone — and that healing is possible.
In this powerful episode of the Tick Boot Camp Podcast, we sit down with Nicole O’Donnell—author of Resilient Hope: A Memoir of Life With Chronic Illness—to discuss her deeply personal Lyme disease journey, the emotional realities of chronic illness, and the transformative power of community, mindset, and hope.
Nicole shares how her life changed after developing debilitating Lyme disease symptoms, the years of medical confusion that followed, and how COVID intensified her chronic illness experience. Through vulnerability and honesty, she opens up about navigating fear, identity loss, parenting while chronically ill, and ultimately discovering purpose through advocacy and storytelling.
This conversation also explores the importance of patient-doctor relationships, nervous system regulation, healing mindset, and how Lyme disease impacts entire families—not just the patient.
Most importantly, Nicole reminds listeners that healing is possible, and no one has to face Lyme disease alone.
Nicole O’Donnell is a Staten Island-based entrepreneur, mother, advocate, and author of Resilient Hope: A Memoir of Life With Chronic Illness. Through her writing and advocacy, Nicole seeks to help people living with Lyme disease and chronic illness feel seen, heard, and supported.
Her book weaves together stories from members of the Lyme disease community to create a message of resilience, healing, and connection.
Tick Boot Camp recently attended Nicole O’Donnell’s inspiring Manhattan book launch event, where nearly 1,000 people gathered in support of the Lyme disease community and the message behind Resilient Hope.
👩‍⚕️ Lyme Doctor Interviews
Nicole O’Donnell’s story is a reminder that chronic Lyme disease affects every part of a person’s life—but it can also become a catalyst for transformation, deeper connection, and purpose.
Through Resilient Hope, Nicole is helping build a stronger Lyme disease community rooted in validation, compassion, and healing.
If you or someone you love is navigating Lyme disease, this episode offers encouragement, perspective, and a powerful reminder that resilient hope is possible.
In this powerful episode of the Tick Boot Camp Podcast, Matt Sabatello and Rich Johannesen sit down with Marina Morgan, a professional singer, songwriter, real estate agent, and Lyme disease survivor from New York and New Jersey.
Marina shares the deeply personal story of how a vibrant, high-energy young woman who loved running, fitness, and music suddenly found her life turned upside down by Lyme disease in her early twenties. What began as stomach issues quickly progressed into neurological symptoms, extreme fatigue, balance problems, and ultimately sudden vision loss in one eye — a terrifying turning point that led to her eventual diagnosis.
After seeing multiple doctors and facing potential misdiagnoses such as multiple sclerosis and scleroderma, Marina was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease through a Western Blot test by Dr. Pollack. Her treatment included 18 months of IV antibiotics through a PICC line, followed by another year of treatment after a later flare-up.
Today, Marina continues to navigate chronic Lyme symptoms while building a career in music, real estate, and fitness, demonstrating resilience, perseverance, and determination even on difficult days.
Her story is a powerful reminder that Lyme disease can affect anyone — even young, healthy, active people — and that persistence, positivity, and support are essential in the healing journey.
Marina Morgan is a professional singer and songwriter who has appeared on the Today Show, was named Elvis Duran’s Artist of the Month, and has been featured on iHeartRadio and in multiple publications as an emerging artist.
In addition to her music career, Marina works as a real estate agent serving New York and New Jersey and as a gym manager, continuing to stay connected to the world of fitness despite the physical challenges created by Lyme disease.
Marina has also used her music to express the realities of chronic illness. Her song “Paralyzed” captures the emotional and physical struggle many Lyme patients face when their bodies no longer cooperate with the life they once lived.
Watch Marina’s Lyme-inspired music video “Paralyzed"
Before getting sick, Marina lived an extremely active lifestyle. She ran miles every day simply for enjoyment, maintained multiple jobs, and had a vibrant social life. Fitness and movement were central to her identity, and she describes having seemingly endless energy.
Lyme disease dramatically altered that reality.
Marina’s illness began subtly with stomach issues and fatigue, but symptoms soon escalated. She began experiencing:
The sudden vision loss was the turning point that signaled something much more serious was happening.
Before receiving a Lyme diagnosis, doctors suspected conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and scleroderma. Marina visited several doctors and specialists before finally receiving the correct diagnosis.
Her father, who had previously experienced Lyme disease himself, recognized the possibility and helped advocate for Lyme testing.
She was ultimately diagnosed at age 23 through a Western Blot blood test by Dr. Pollack.
Following her diagnosis, Marina underwent 18 months of intravenous antibiotic treatment through a PICC line, one of the more aggressive approaches used for severe Lyme disease.
Years later, after experiencing a flare-up, she required another year of treatment.
Today she is not undergoing active Lyme treatment but continues supportive wellness practices including:
Marina estimates she has recovered to about 60% of her pre-Lyme health.
The most persistent symptom she continues to battle is extreme fatigue, which can make even simple daily activities exhausting. She describes the unpredictability of chronic Lyme — how a good day can be followed by days or weeks of exhaustion.
Despite these challenges, Marina continues to work, maintain relationships, and pursue her passions.
Marina has channeled her experience with chronic illness into her music. Her song “Paralyzed” captures the emotional reality of Lyme disease — the feeling of being trapped in a body that no longer functions the way it once did.
The song resonates deeply with Lyme patients and others living with invisible illness.
Marina encourages patients not to give up during the darkest moments of illness. Lyme disease can be physically and emotionally overwhelming, but maintaining hope and continuing to pursue healing strategies can make a meaningful difference.
She stresses the importance of:
This special Tick Boot Camp Podcast crossover features the full International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) webinar recording, “At the Frontlines of Chronic Illness: Conversations with ILADS Experts.” In this dynamic panel discussion, leading clinicians and specialists unpack why Lyme disease and other infection-associated chronic illnesses are so misunderstood, why testing fails so many patients, and what it really takes to heal—brain, immune system, mitochondria, and terrain included.
Moderated by Rich Johannesen (Tick Boot Camp), the panel delivers practical insights and hopeful, patient-centered guidance for anyone navigating complex chronic illness—whether you’re a patient, caregiver, clinician, or advocate.
The webinar opens with ILADS’ mission: improving diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease and associated illnesses through research, education, and policy. ILADS emphasizes physician training and patient-centered care, while also supporting the educational mission of ILADEF.
Rich frames the night as a rare opportunity to hear from experts working at the front lines of complex chronic illness—especially for patients who’ve been dismissed, misdiagnosed, or told their symptoms “don’t make sense.”
Dr. Winfrey introduces a core theme: Lyme is not only an infection—it often behaves like a neuroimmune illness.
Key takeaways:
A major reframing:
Rich frames humans as spiritual, emotional, and physical beings, and asks how chronic infection impacts both body and emotional resilience.
Key points:
The healing paradox:
Nicole shares her personal motivation and professional mission: testing determines treatment, reimbursement, and belief—and too many patients are failed by existing tools.
Indirect testing (antibody testing):
Direct testing (pathogen detection):Nicole contrasts Lyme testing with illnesses like COVID—where you use tests that look for the pathogen itself (PCR/antigen), not just antibodies.
Why direct detection is hard in Lyme:
Why urine can matter for Lyme:
New diagnostics focus:
Dr. Dempsey explains the immune system through two major branches:
Mast cells as first responders:
Why antibody tests fail (two patterns):
Her central philosophy:It’s not only about killing the bug. It’s about fixing immune regulation so the body can actually clear or control infection.
She also names the broader context: modern toxic load (mold, plastics, pesticides, “forever chemicals”) primes the immune system into dysregulation before infections even arrive.
Dr. Dempsey discusses therapies she’s excited about, especially for complex, stuck cases:
Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE / plasmapheresis):
SOT (Supportive Oligonucleotide Technique):
She emphasizes: not for everyone, not a universal cure—but promising enough to merit formal publication.
Dr. Dempsey explains why drugs commonly known for diabetes/weight loss may have immune benefits:
Her clinical approach has moved these agents earlier in care plans for immune stabilization in select cases.
Dr. Stein brings it home: healing often stalls when we focus only on killing pathogens, but don’t repair the cellular damage.
Core concepts:
Cell membrane therapy and terrain support:
Cell Danger Response:A key theme: even after infections reduce, the body may remain stuck in a persistent defense state, requiring cellular and nervous system support to exit “danger mode.”
As the panel closes, several themes converge:
Dr. Dempsey adds that limbic retraining / nervous system reset is often the first step she starts with in her practice.
The panel notes emerging signals connecting tick-borne illness and certain cancers, but emphasizes that more research is needed to determine causality.
The discussion highlights potential links through:
The group explains how antibody testing can produce confusing results due to immune dysregulation and cross-reactivity—another reason why interpretation and test methodology matter.
While not a mainstream Lyme diagnostic route, the panel references nasal/sinus colonization (especially with mold-related or chronic inflammatory patterns) as a terrain factor that can influence recovery.
This episode is a reminder that Lyme disease and infection-associated chronic illness are not one-dimensional problems. The path forward often requires:
In this powerful in-person interview at the Tick Boot Camp studio, Matt Sabatello sits down with Dr. Somer DelSignore, DNP, a board-certified pediatric practitioner specializing in Lyme disease, tick-borne co-infections, PANS/PANDAS, autoimmune and neuroimmune disorders, autism-like regression, and congenital tick-borne illness.
This episode is essential listening for parents who have been told to “wait and see,” families who have seen multiple specialists without answers, and anyone trying to understand how infection, inflammation, immune dysfunction, and nervous system imbalance can impact a child’s brain and development.
Dr. DelSignore began her career in traditional pediatric medicine before recognizing that many children with complex chronic illness could not be properly treated in 10–15 minute appointments.
Her clinical evolution accelerated after:
Today, she runs a private practice in upstate New York where she treats children (and a small cohort of adults) using a comprehensive, root-cause framework.
Dr. DelSignore explains that autism is often a cluster of symptoms, not a single-gene condition. In her clinical experience, many children experience immune-triggered neuroinflammation that presents as:
Lyme and co-infections such as Bartonella and Babesia can activate autoimmune responses that interfere with neurotransmitter signaling. When inflammation blocks receptors for dopamine and serotonin, psychiatric symptoms emerge.
Her message is clear:These symptoms are often biomedical — not simply behavioral.
Healing rarely comes down to one pathogen.
Children may present with overlapping contributors such as:
Dr. DelSignore emphasizes layered pattern recognition and systematic evaluation rather than single-diagnosis thinking.
There is no cookie-cutter protocol.
Her framework may include:
Sequencing matters. Some children require detox and nervous system stabilization before antimicrobial treatment begins.
Dr. DelSignore confirms:
Her philosophy:Eliminate pathogens while simultaneously rebuilding the body.
Pathogen elimination is only part of recovery.
Healing also requires:
Many children are stuck in chronic sympathetic (“fight-or-flight”) mode. True recovery requires shifting into parasympathetic “rest and repair.”
Dr. DelSignore shares the case of a child born with congenital tick-borne infections who:
After comprehensive treatment and immune regulation, the child:
It’s a reminder that recovery is possible—even in severe presentations.
Families often see 10–15 specialists before reaching her office.
Dr. DelSignore stresses the importance of:
She also discusses the urgent need for legislative and insurance reform to support time-intensive chronic illness care.
Dr. DelSignore hopes for:
Her belief: When properly supported, the body can heal.
Frédéric Roscop, French-born osteopath and founder of AEQUIL, joins the Tick Boot Camp Podcast as our first-ever in-studio international guest, flying in from London to Long Island to share his personal battle with chronic Lyme disease—and the breakthrough that reshaped his life and career.
After decades of unexplained symptoms, misdiagnoses, heart inflammation, neurological dysfunction, and failed treatment attempts across multiple countries, Frédéric discovered that killing microbes alone wasn’t enough. His recovery began when he shifted focus from chasing pathogens to restoring the body’s foundational terrain—supporting immune regulation, detoxification, cellular function, stress physiology, and energetic balance.
In this deeply reflective and technical conversation, Frédéric shares how childhood tick exposure in rural France, years of undiagnosed Borrelia and Bartonella infection, and repeated medical dead-ends ultimately led him to develop a patented biotech system designed to help others reset their foundational wellbeing.
Frédéric describes growing up in rural France, frequently covered in ticks as a child—long before Lyme disease was widely recognized in Europe. Early symptoms included:
At 16, following general anesthesia for a broken nose, he experienced what he now recognizes as a major Lyme “crash,” leading to cognitive decline, emotional dysregulation, and worsening physical inflammation.
By age 17–18, Frédéric’s promising volleyball career ended due to inflammatory joint disease and recurring pericarditis (heart inflammation)—which would return six times over the next 15 years.
Antibiotics temporarily improved symptoms, but the root cause remained unidentified.
As a young osteopath in practice, Frédéric recalls a patient asking whether her symptoms could be Lyme disease. At the time, he had never been trained on it.
Years later, another patient was hospitalized with Lyme-related encephalitis—triggering Frédéric’s realization that Lyme might explain both his patients’ suffering and his own.
This episode includes an honest discussion about:
Specialty testing eventually revealed:
Frédéric began aggressive antibiotic and detox protocols—but experienced severe gut collapse and worsening terrain.
Despite trying treatments across Europe, the U.S., China, India, and Switzerland—including antimicrobial, herbal, and integrative approaches—he improved only marginally.
Frédéric revisited the foundational debate in medicine:
His breakthrough came when he shifted focus to rebuilding:
Rather than focusing exclusively on killing microbes, he asked:
Does the body have the capacity to self-regulate and self-repair?
From that question, AEQUIL was born.
AEQUIL is a biotech wellness system built around a patented technology Frédéric calls Liquid Intelligence — a formulation combining:
The system supports:
A daily liquid formula designed to nourish the body’s core systems and support cellular regulation.
Suggested use:
A structured approach to support:
The protocol is phased to reduce Herx reactions and build resilience gradually, with many users reporting a noticeable physiological shift around weeks 8–10.
Wearable patches and digital wellness tools (affirmations, breathwork) designed to support mood, sleep, energy, and immune balance during recovery.
Chronic Lyme recovery is rarely about one silver bullet.
It requires:
Frédéric’s story is one of humility, evolution, and transformation—from a practitioner unaware of Lyme disease to a global wellness innovator working to support both patients and healthcare providers.
AEQUIL is offering Tick Boot Camp listeners:
30% off with code: TB30
Listeners can email: [email protected]
Emails will connect you directly with Frédéric for guidance on:
In this powerful Tick Boot Camp Podcast interview, Matt Sabatello sits down with Dr. Tania Dempsey, MD, a board-certified internal medicine physician and internationally recognized expert in Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), Lyme disease, autoimmune conditions, and complex chronic illness.
In this comprehensive conversation, Dr. Dempsey delivers one of the most forward-thinking and in-depth discussions ever featured on the podcast — connecting the dots between persistent symptoms after Lyme, immune dysregulation, biofilms, nervous system dysfunction, and groundbreaking research on GLP-1 receptor agonists as mast-cell stabilizers.
This episode offers science, clinical insight, and — most importantly — hope for patients who have tried everything and are still struggling.
Dr. Dempsey explains why many patients continue to experience inflammation, pain, neurological symptoms, and relapses even after treating Lyme disease and co-infections. According to her clinical experience, this is most often due to primary Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, not persistent infection alone.
Key insight:
> Lyme disease frequently acts as the trigger, but MCAS is often the driver of ongoing symptoms.
Dr. Dempsey clarifies the critical difference between:
She notes that in decades of clinical practice, she has never seen true secondary MCAS fully resolve without ongoing mast-cell management.
Dr. Dempsey provides a nuanced and experience-based explanation of Supportive Oligonucleotide Technique (SOT) for Lyme and co-infections.
She addresses common criticism:
Her most successful cases involve:
She shares a remarkable case of a young woman with severe neuropsychiatric symptoms who — after years of persistent SOT treatment combined with MCAS management — is now thriving, off psychiatric medications, and successfully completing college.
Dr. Dempsey firmly states that biofilms are a critical barrier to recovery in chronically ill patients.
Key points:
Therapies discussed:
Her message is clear: if you cannot reach microbial reservoirs hidden in biofilms, infections cannot be fully controlled.
Dr. Dempsey presents groundbreaking findings from her published case series:
“The Utility of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Mast Cell Activation Syndrome”
Key details:
Unlike weight-loss protocols, Dr. Dempsey uses very low doses to target immune modulation — not appetite suppression.
Reported improvements included:
In some cases, patients experienced improvement within one or two doses.
Dr. Dempsey explains that mast cells express GLP-1 receptors, and activation sends a signal of safety, reducing inflammatory mediator release.
Contrary to common concerns, Dr. Dempsey observed:
She shares a striking case where a patient with long-standing positive Lyme antibodies saw antibody levels decline for the first time in over a decade after GLP-1 therapy — despite infection already being treated.
This supports her hypothesis:
> MCAS can drive persistent immune activation even when infection is no longer present.
Potential side effects (usually mild):
Important clinical notes:
For patients who cannot tolerate medications, Dr. Dempsey outlines alternatives.
These options may:
Dr. Dempsey explains why higher-protein and carnivore-leaning diets may benefit MCAS and Lyme patients:
Patients do not need to eat exclusively meat — but increasing high-quality protein intake is often beneficial.
The episode explores how:
Therapies discussed:
Breaking the mast-cell / nervous-system loop is often essential for healing.
Dr. Dempsey shares a critical insight:
> In her practice, every PCOS patient also has MCAS.
She explains how:
GLP-1 therapy may offer new hope for women suffering from inflammatory gynecologic symptoms linked to Lyme and MCAS.
Dr. Dempsey discusses her work with:
ISMCAS goals include:
She encourages patients to:
This episode redefines what root-cause medicine truly means.
Healing chronic Lyme disease often requires addressing:
Dr. Tania Dempsey offers a roadmap — grounded in science, compassion, and innovation — for patients
In this special Tick Boot Camp Podcast conversation recorded for Dr. Bill Rawls’ Vital Plan Network as part of the Cellular Healing Boot Camp Series, Tick Boot Camp co-hosts Matt Sabatello and Rich Johannesen join Liza Blas (Vital Plan Network Community Manager) to unpack one of the most overlooked—but most transformative—parts of chronic illness recovery: rebuilding identity.
This episode serves as a follow-up to Lesson 16 in the Boot Camp (watch full lesson) and expands the framework Rich introduced in the lesson—showing how chronic Lyme disease and complex chronic illness can dysregulate not only the body, but also the mind, nervous system, and sense of meaning and connection. Together, they explore the “patterns” they’ve observed through 650+ Tick Boot Camp interviews with patients, doctors, and researchers—and how those patterns point toward a more complete roadmap for healing.https://community.vitalplan.com/
Rich shares the moment Tick Boot Camp was born: seeing Matt go from a healthy, high-performing young man to being severely disabled by chronic illness—then watching him fight his way back. That personal crisis, combined with Rich’s own tick bite and lack of competent medical guidance, revealed a hard truth:
The real experts are the people who’ve lived the journey.
Tick Boot Camp became a platform to capture what actually works in real life—through deep, long-form interviews that expose patterns you don’t see in short appointments or isolated protocols.
Matt explains one of the most important—and most triggering—lessons he had to accept:
Chronic Lyme is not only a physical illness. It impacts your nervous system, psychology, relationships, and identity.
He also highlights two massive recovery truths seen again and again:
This isn’t “it’s all in your head.” It’s acknowledging that infection changes brain chemistry, stress responses, and perception—and that those changes must be addressed as part of recovery.
Rich expands the “immune system must win the day” concept from Dr. Bill Rawls’ book Unlocking Lyme, and explains how it applies beyond the body.
He argues many people experience a breakdown across three interconnected systems:
The more systems involved, the more complex and longer the recovery journey can be.
Rich explains why his early messaging triggered Matt—and what finally clarified it:
People enter the chronic illness journey carrying belief—but often it has been converted into doubt through repeated invalidation, medical dismissal, and prolonged suffering.
Across hundreds of interviews, Rich says the same three narratives appear repeatedly:
These lies—coming from doctors, family, society, and even internal self-talk—can form what Rich calls a “lie-dentity”: a false identity built from invalidation and survival-mode thinking.
Matt describes how, in hindsight, he was dysregulated in all three systems:
He emphasizes therapy can be valuable—not because illness is imagined—but because anyone would struggle emotionally when their life collapses physically.
Matt shares that HPA Balance from Vital Plan became a turning point by calming his nervous system enough to safely pursue antimicrobial healing steps. He describes it as helping him feel “normal” again—creating the emotional bandwidth needed to keep going.
He also mentions:
Used as-needed when overstimulated, anxious, or overwhelmed.
Matt outlines a layered approach aligned with Dr. Rawls’ cellular recovery philosophy, including:
Matt notes using chlorella as a personal strategy to offset inflammation after dietary triggers—supporting his ability to recover more quickly after “human moments” like holiday dessert.
Rich’s recommendation for moving forward begins with something many people avoid:
Reflect honestly on:
Recognize how invalidation can become internalized, and how survival-mode thinking can shut down healing physiology.
Rich suggests small steps that re-establish purpose and belonging—especially for those who are still very sick. Even minimal action can restore identity and hope over time.
Matt shares a practical approach:
Rich adds: the brain can change negatively—but also positively—and building a recovery “toolbox” helps you stay stable through inevitable ups and downs.
Many chronic illness conversations focus narrowly on protocols, supplements, and symptom management. This conversation zooms out to address what chronic Lyme truly disrupts:
identity, confidence, relationships, and the ability to trust yourself again.
If you feel stuck, lost, or disconnected from who you were—or who you’re becoming—this episode offers a framework for understanding why that happens and how people rebuild from it.
Tick Boot Camp is a Lyme disease awareness and recovery platform built around long-form conversations with the people who know the journey best: patients who have lived it, plus the doctors and researchers working to improve outcomes. With 650+ interviews, the show documents the common patterns behind recovery and resilience.