Why I have chosen to invest my energy, time and money in the Wim Hof Method and become a Wim Hof Instructor…..

I remember before my brain tumour diagnosis hearing about Wim Hof. A friend of mine had turned a barrel into his ice plunge pool and I watched a video of him going for his first dunk! But, I didn’t know that Wim Hof was a person, I just assumed Wim Hof was a name given to cold water and ice bath techniques…..perhaps it came from Scandinavia somewhere as I’d heard of “mad people” taking a sauna and then rolling around in the snow which I thought happened in Sweden, Finland or Norway? These crazy people, eh? But that was it, I watched the video, got told my friend was “Wim Hoffing” and then didn’t think about it or hear the name for another year…..

Fast forward to July 2020. It had been about 5 months since surgery, I’d recovered fully, was cycling a lot, and we were also at the beginning of the pandemic journey…..and so it’s fair to say that 2020 had gone a little differently to how I’d thought it might go! Anyway, back to Wim Hof.

Mum had been listening to Chris Evans on the radio and he was raving about this book – Breath, The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor. The book had inspired Chris with how powerful a simple thing like breathing and all the different techniques can be, particularly when it comes to health and healing.

These techniques were free, but also natural and empowering, which really resonated with me, particularly as I was well, but still coming to terms with post surgery life and in the process of accepting the fact that although surgery had gone very well and the bulk of the brain tumour had been removed, there was still a little residual mass left that would need to be monitored for the rest of my life. I believed in the concept of the power of the mind, and practiced positive thinking where possible, but I really hadn’t even begun to scratch the surface….

So the book was ordered. I was excited to read about all these different techniques, and desperately hoping there would be some miracle cure that would save my life for good! And, the book was great! It was interesting, mind blowing, and inspiring.

In particular, at that time I made a real conscious effort to make sure that I was nasal breathing (as opposed to mouth breathing) as that really seemed like the first step. We have these amazing machines (our noses) that filter the air and deliver the right amount of oxygen to our blood cells and organs to function at optimal level and maintain health. Mouth breathing was making us sick, and that proof was there. I was even getting the impression that nasal breathing went a step beyond maintaining health, to healing.

I read about how if we were to breathe slowly, in for 3 seconds and out for 6, and keep increasing the exhale up to 30 seconds, that we could rid our bodies from disease for good. I also read about a man who could change the temperature of his hand by just using the power of his mind. He could also use a breathing technique and power of the mind to overpower a physical reaction (i.e. have no reaction and no symptoms) from being injected with endotoxin during a science experiment……Now this really got the mind racing and thinking. James Nestor was of course talking about Wim Hof.

I skipped to the back of the book and tried the Wim Hof breathing technique of 30 deep breaths in, exhale and then hold your breath……and for some reason I didn’t get any further than that. Maybe because I wasn’t sure if I was doing the technique correctly. And I didn’t bother looking at the Wim Hof Method website that has all the free resources and guides to help with the technique. I tried the WHM (for one round of breathing) and then went back to focusing on breathing in and out through the nose slowly, aiming for 5.5 in hales and exhales a minute, which is deemed as optimum for good health. I guess I wasn’t quite ready for Wim Hof then, although looking back, I wish I was! Trust the process, Damon, trust the process…

So, I’d got inspired, I’d tried, and then hadn’t gone any further. I think I was a bit unsure and so I just stuck to what I knew and felt I could do comfortably and easily.

Fast forward to June 2021, the residual mass of my tumour had grown and it had scared the hell out of me and my family. Treatment was being talked about, and I didn’t know what to do….because I was scared. Too scared to do anything. After a few weeks, the fear started to subside and I started looking for resources and ways to take positive action. I had in my head this phrase….”we can do anything if we put our minds to it”…..I’d had that for a long time, for many years, and I think it came from something my parents had said to me, and it was along the lines of “if you want something enough, you’ll make it happen”…..

It was in this moment that the inspiration from Wim Hof I’d had the year before returned. I picked up the book by James Nestor again, and read the chapter on Wim, and got inspired again. It felt like Wim Hof was saying “anything is possible if we put our minds to it” and that “we are the master of our destiny, our minds and our bodies”….and we really can tap into the deeper part of the brain that we haven’t been using for centuries, the part that allows us to create whatever world we choose, whatever world we think about. And so, I downloaded the Wim Hof method app, ordered the book, and started the breath work, cold showers, mindset exercises whilst also reading the book.

It felt exciting. It felt like it was just what I needed. It felt like it would give me the power to heal myself and take control of my health, and that I could do this alongside my treatment, which would help the treatment be more effective, help with less side effects from radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and help me live a long and happy life.

At it’s core, the WHM helps reduce inflammation, and inflammation was the cause of disease. If you go to the Wim Hof Method website you can see a full list of benefits and the real science behind the method.

It was giving me more energy and, it helped me believe in the true power we have as humans. The WHM is actually really beneficial for so many diseases, mentally and physically, with a by product being that it helps reduce depression and anxiety, which of course would be usefully in building a positive mindset to tackle my challenge. I was really hoping that the WHM would help me shrink my brain tumour…

Wim speaks the language of love and loving energy, which just feels right. He is empowering people with his method, and this was science……and the stats were starting to prove the efficacy of the method. At the very least it made me believe….and at the very most it made me believe…….

If we then fast forward to October 2022, treatment is 4 or 5 months behind me, it’s been a long and challenging year of treatment, but I feel that although it’s been tough and that I’m glad it’s behind me now, that I have faired well through it, and I’ve also learnt a lot. It’s worth noting that I had been practicing the WHM all through treatment, and I’m confident it had helped me physically and mentally.

I’m back to full fitness and I’m looking at the next phase of my life and wondering how I can continue on this path of healing, learning and empowering myself and others to believe in the true power of these amazing bodies and minds we have. I was looking for something natural and free that supports the notion that we really can do absolutely anything if we put our minds to it…..So what can I do?!

One afternoon I was talking to my Mum whilst on a dog walk, and she’s telling me that’s she’s been trying some cold exposure, turning the tap cold at the end of the shower. She’s been reading Wim’s book, and had also given a round of the breathwork a go. But she felt she needed a little guidance.

And then she says something that I can’t believe it’s taken so long for her, Amanda, Dad or myself to say…… ”why don’t you just become a Wim Hof Instructor? It compliments your coaching business, it’s a fundamental part of your life now anyway, and you can carry on along this healing road that your on. Plus, You could also give me free instruction and training 😉”

And that was it! As soon as she said it, I knew it was what I wanted to do. I just couldn’t believe that I hadn’t thought of it up until now…..

In terms of my results from MRI scans during treatment, I am pleased to say that the scans revealed that each time the tumour was getting smaller. I was also getting the impression from my consultant that he was pleased with my results and sometimes I’d hear him say “at this stage we aren’t really expecting to see much other than stunting the growth, but there has been a little shrinkage….”

I went for a check up scan last week (Jan 24th 2023). Treatment finished 7 months ago. The scan 7 months ago at the end of treatment was really positive and showed significant reduction in mass. 7 months on I was just expecting and hoping for no change. What the scan actually showed, was continued reduction in the size of the tumour….it’s still shrinking! I’m also very pleased to say that my consultant, Dr Liam Welsh, Head of Neuro-oncology at the Royal Marsden has been very supportive of my approach and of my commitment to the WHM. In fact, he was even aware of the efficacy of the method having done a little reading up of his own!

The Wim Hof Method for me is a lifestyle. It provides the tools for happiness, health and strength. It encourages self love, love to others and for us to look after this planet we are on. I’d love it if this blog inspires someone to give the WHM a go! Go on! It’s a free resource!

I am a third of the way through the Wim Hof Instructor training and hope to be a fully fledged Wim Hof Instructor before Christmas….!

Thanks for reading

Much love

Damon