The “boot camp” promised a miracle. That’s not what they experienced.
"That these programs are excruciating is the entire point. A tongue-in-cheek rule repeated by at least one pain program modeled after the one at CHOP instructs patients that they should never skip any activity unless they’re unconscious, have bones protruding, or have a fever of at least 102.8 degrees. (On their website, CHOP notes that participants should refrain from activities if they have a fever above 101 degrees.) A 2019 episode of NPR’s Invisibilia reported and hosted by Alix Spiegel follows one teen patient at a rehabilitation program at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Missouri as she has an asthma attack, then develops a nosebleed, then has an asthma attack, and finally vomits in a trash can while completing the program’s exercises. In reporting this story for Slate, I spoke to former patients who described an environment where they were surrounded by other teens crying and screaming in pain. It’s perhaps for this reason—the emotional intensity of the program—that phones go in a locked cabinet and parents are forbidden from seeing their kids throughout the day."
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[D]espite the promising numbers in the reports, the reality many of these patients experienced was much different. “I believed the fairy tale they told me,” said Isabel, a former patient of the AMPS program at CHOP. “Looking back, I know I just went through hell for nothing.”
As someone who went through one of these pain programs multiple times, it's wonderful to finally be seeing some fairly mainstream coverage on the damage they do. All I want is to see these programs condemned and shut down within my lifetime.
I'm not affiliated with them, but the Instagram page Exposing Pain Programs is doing fantastic work. They accept submissions detailing people's experiences in these programs, and they also post a number of helpful resources/infographics. After the isolation of undergoing such a relatively unique experience, it was extremely healing for me to discover that other survivors exist. My inbox is also always open for people who want to chat about this.
