Live Landmark

Live Landmark (1) is a previous journalist and a ME-patient from Norway. She recovered with Lightning Process in 2007 and became a practitioner. Her story is published in the book «Wake me when its over – diagnosis ME» (2) in 2009.

She has been a vocal advocate for a biopsychosocial approach to ME since 2010 and called for research (4) on the controversial alternative therapy known as Lightning Process in 2016. In 2020 her research group received funding for «A 3-day intervention for CFS/ME in adults: a randomised controlled trial» (5) and she became a phd student in psychology on NTNU (6)

The study will have 120 patients with CFS/ME attending Lightning Process and evaluate physical function, fatigue, pain, PEM, wellbeing and quality of life, through the use of a questionnaire, after the 3 day seminar.

The study is controversial for a multitude of reasons. One of them being that it is a waiting list trial, instead of using a conventional control group that don't get the same treatment. In other words, it will not be possible to seperate the effect of the intervention from the placebo effect. Another reason for the controversies is that Live Landmark, as a practitioner, have strong financial incentives to get positive results. Yet another reason is that no objective outcomes have been included at all. There have also been raised concerns regarding the safety of the participants, as many have reported severe deterioration after LP. Any participants that feel worse during the trial will be sent to a psychiatrist or psychologist, but will receive no medical help.

The research project have received supprt from the Norwegian Directorate of Health, the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration and the National Competence service for CFS/ME. The research group consist of

Professor Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair (7), NTNU.

Professor Mons Bendixen (8), NTNU.

Professor Egil Andreas Fors (9), NTNU

Professor Silje Endresen Reme (10), UiO.

Professor Vegard Bruun Bratholm Wyller

The research group cooperate with Haukeland University Hospital with neurologist Jone Owe (phd) (11) and the National Institute of Public Health with Professor Per Minor Magnus (12). The research group also have a cooperation with University of Bristol with professor Esther Crawley.

Live Landmark was also one of the first members of Recovery Norway, an organisation initiated by medical doctor Henrik Vogt, phd and a group of Lightning Process practitioners(13). Recovery Norway (14) is an organisation consisting of people that have had improvement from ME/CFS, tinnitus, long term stress, burnout, depression etc., and who feel that mental techniques have been instrumental in their improvement. People who have recovered with medication, supplements, diet etc. are not allowed to enter.

People have been reporting both improving and worsening after Lightning Process but there have been few studies, and the studies that have been done have been poor quality. The first study was a qualitative study (15) with 9 young people with CFS/ME where 6 felt that they improved, and 2 had no effect and one felt worse. The lead author, was professor Silje Endresen Reme. There have been one randomised controllet trial (16) on 100 young people with CFS/ME attending Lightning Process, where they reported positive effects on some measurements. The study has been highly controversial for a multitude of reasons.

In 2011, a 13-year-old boy attempted suicide after attending an LP course with her company Aktiv Prosess (17)

1. https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_Landmark

2. https://www.cappelendamm.no/_vekk-meg-nar-det-er-over-live-landmark-hilde-wohni-joakimsen-9788282201391

3. https://www.msf.org

4. https://tidsskriftet.no/en/2016/03/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-and-experience-lightning-process

5. https://prosjektbanken.forskningsradet.no/#/project/NFR/312152/Sprak=en

6. https://www.ntnu.no/studier/phsv

7. https://www.ntnu.no/ansatte/leif.edward.kennair

8. https://www.ntnu.no/ansatte/mons.bendixen

9. https://www.ntnu.no/ansatte/egil.a.fors

10. https://www.sv.uio.no/psi/personer/vit/siljerem/

11. https://helse-bergen.academia.edu/JoneOwe?subdomain=helse-bergen