Fellow Physical Therapist, Jim Prussack, joins me today for an interesting interview about his experience moving from PT to pain reprocessing Coach. We discuss the principles of PRT (pain reprocessing therapy), and how we treat differently using a mind vs body based approach. Check out Jim at https://www.thepainpt.com/ >>> If you have not yet given…

This Meditation will help you find and process your emotions. Many of us have learned to subconsciously repress our emotions, to talk ourselves out of them or judge ourselves for having them. But we also know that what you resist persists. So sometimes the best way to “get rid of the emotion” is actually to lean into and embrace it. Emotions are ju…

Join me today to hear Hypnotist, Melissa Tiers, as we discuss integrative hypnosis and how it helps with chronic pain. Melissa has been training clinicians in the use of hypnosis for pain relief for over 25 years and her own chronic pain history was pivotal in the creation of her pain protocols. Melissa struggled with years of migraines and is now …

Today I interviewed Renee Kammer, who has an amazing healing story. From 30 years of chronic pain and 5 years being bed bound, to now hiking, biking, and gardening. Renee had several diagnoses, including: Stiff person’s syndrome, Ulcerative colitis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Ankylosing spondylitis, Fibromyalgia, Headaches, Migraines, Back pain, Hip pai…

This episode includes a 6 minute technique you can do to deactivate your triggers. My coach who studies hypnotherapy taught me this somatic hack to decrease the intense feelings of a trigger. It is not to ignore the trigger or brush it under a rug, but to make it more emotionally manageable so it can be processed and let go. Think of something that…

This episode is a clip from an Alignment Academy group coaching call. Listen in to see how I apply somatic tools in a real life situation to help Carrie feel calmer and even excited about a situation that caused anxiety. If you are interested in a supportive coaching community to help accelerate your progress, check out Alignment Academy here: http…

In this episode, I interview Tai Kuncio. She is a fellow moderator in the "Tell Me About Your Pain" Facebook Group. (https://www.facebook.com/groups/695823314550483) Tai had various pains starting in childhood, which they attributed to being athletic. But she struggled the most with chronic knee pain. At one point after knee surgery, she was doing …

This week I share an interview with my client, Lucas. He struggled with several years of anxiety that was getting worse and more debilitating with time. At times it was even difficult for him to go to the store or to lunch with a friend without worrying, "what if I get an anxiety attack?" After 3 months of somatic coaching with me, Lucas felt like …

In this episode, I interview 3 women with amazing healing stories. We all met as Moderators for the "Tell Me About Your Pain" Facebook group created by Alan Gordon. Kristina has a list of symptoms that were healed with the mind-body approach. Including anxiety, eating disorders, depression, hypothyoroidism, adrenal fatigue, POTS, leaky gut, histami…

This Episode is what Dr Schubiner calls "The Six F's" in his book "Unlearn Your Pain" These are natural reactions to pain, but they also cause the brain to amplify the pain or symptoms. Here are the 6 F's, listen for more info: "Fear of the pain or other symptom: We fear the sensation of it as it can be so severe and unpleasant; we worry about whet…

In this episode I put together the 10 biggest myths I've seen around pain (especially chronic pain). Lots of new pain research is coming out, so if you think you know about pain (like I did as a Physical Therapist), there may be some new findings that surprise you. Here are the 10 biggest myths about pain, and be sure to listen for more explanation…

Anxiety is a symptom that goes hand in hand with chronic pain and disease. In this episode I talk about what anxiety is, how it affects the body, why it's so common, and how to unlearn it! I give an example from my own life, and some techniques you can use to teach your brain to produce anxiety less and less. If you are looking to support your grow…

Pain when things are good is a phenomenon I see when people are unlearning pain and learning to regulate their nervous systems. When you're used to being in high alert, then letting your guard down and feeling safe can actually seem dangerous. We can expand our ability to stay in the "rest and repair state" longer, but some people have learned rest…

Anxiety may be a familiar state for you - whether you have chronic pain or not. Anxiety is the nervous system state of "Flight". We are often not running from a tiger, but we are running to do more, scan for danger, and fix problems. Anxiety is uncomfortable in the body, and prompts action- doing or thinking constantly to feel better. The solution …

Did you know play and fun may be the missing piece to your healing? Our society tells us we must work hard to get what we want, and we may discredit things that seem too easy. But there are many scientific benefits of play. We can learn faster (It takes only 10-40 repetitions in play, vs 400 repetitions). Play, happiness or joy release endorphins (…

One habit that leads to the perpetuation of chronic pain is being in high alert. Do you often go to the worst case scenario? Do you habitually worry? When you don't have pain are you thinking about when the pain may return? These are signs you are living in high alert, and making your pain worse. When the brain is in a high alert, fear based state,…

New pain science teaches something different than what I learned in Physical Therapy school 20 years ago. Pain is not directly related to the amount of injury present in the body. Pain does not indicate tissue damage, but rather pain is a danger signal. Research into chronic pain shows the brain actually processes it differently once it’s lasted pa…

This episode was part of a video I created to "Meet the Moderator" in the Tell Me About Your Pain Facebook Group. They had me answer some questions about myself and my healing journey, and I wanted to share that with you here. If you are want to spend some time learning with me, while you get to know yourself and how to rewire your symptoms, be sur…

I'm excited to share this episode with a special guest- Life Coach and Host of "The Masterful Coach Podcast", Molly Claire When she agreed to be on my podcast, I had no idea how much our work has in common. Molly helps women in coaching, motherhood and family life become more self connected and empowered. Like this work, she helps her clients reach…

I love this interview with one of my favorite people, Shelby Hansen. She shares her healing journey including overcoming decades of hip pain to run a pain-free triathalon. Shelby is a coach for moms with Chronic Fatigue, and she shares with us some energy hacks that anyone can use to feel better in life. You can find Shelby on her website https://s…

Did you know your personality traits are a predictor for whether you will have chronic pain or mindbody symptoms? Traits like perfectionism, people pleasing, and wanting to be liked keep the nervous system in dysregulated states and wreak havoc on the body. For me, my personality traits were the biggest thing keeping me dysregulated and in a state …

In this episode I tell you a real life story of my back pain and a flare I had this weekend. Since chronic pain has more to do with fear and nervous system dysregulation, I decided skiing sounded like a nice thing to do when my back pain was uncomfortable. Listen for how this counterintuitive approach helped me through the pain with less resistance…

In this episode I talk all about the nervous system state of freeze. This is the nervous system state of shutdown when the system detects a mortal threat. The nervous system chooses this state as the best option for your survival, so it is not a conscious choice. Here is an example of what you may feel in freeze: Feeling space, foggy, unable to thi…

In this episode, I talk about one of my favorite things to teach- having more rest, pleasure and fun in your life. Most people with chronic pain are devoted, high achieving, hard working, people pleasing givers who have a hard time taking time for themselves. But this concept is research based, and actually shows that when your pain or emotions are…

In this episode I define trauma in nervous system terms, so you can have a more compassionate view about the survival states and why you go into them. Your nervous system is always trying to keep you safe and can get stuck in survival states from all different types of trauma. All of us have had things that are more than our nervous system can hand…

Today I talk all about somatic coaching- what it is, what it looks like, and who it can help. Somatic means body, so somatic coaching uses perceptions and sensations and attention to the body in order to enhance the coaching experience. Most therapy and coaching just involves talking, and using our conscious mind. But about 95% of our thoughts are …

In this episode I take you through a 5 minute somatic tracking meditation to calm your nervous system, and rewire your brain to create less pain! Somatic tracking is the process of going into the sensations in the body and describing them neutrally. This gives some space between the stimulus (sensation) and the typical response (some form of fear t…

Today's Episode is about Pain Catastrophizing- what it is and how it affects your symptoms. People with high levels of pain catastrophizing are more likely to develop a new acute pain, more likely for their acute pain to turn chronic. And who catastrophize more before surgery are more likely to have complications and a slower recovery. Here are the…

Episode #106- Extinction Bursts Today’s topic is about part of the normal mind-body healing process- extinction bursts. When you are starting to experience some success with healing, one thing that can commonly happen is a resurgence of pain in an old area or a completely new pain. Dr Sarno called this the “symptom imperative.” In “The Way Out” by …

I know some of you are not on my email list or following me on social media (Why not?!?) But if you aren't, you may not have heard yet about my amazing "Founder's Special" for Alignment Academy. Alignment Academy is my group coaching program with 2 calls per week, modules, and resources for healing. Normally it's $99 per mo, but for the first 49 it…

Predictive coding is like a brain's subconscious shortcut. Predictive coding is the #1 reason for chronic pain symptoms. Especially for people who tell me they feel calm, but their pain is related to a movement, food, time of the month, etc. I give you a few examples of how predictive coding works in our bodies to produce symptoms, and how it can b…

In this episode I talk with Lifecoach and former client, Dr Katrina Ubell. Today we talk about Katrina's journey as a weightloss coach, and getting out of chronic pain. And we talk about Katrina's new book, out tomorrow- September 20, 2022! Get the sneak peek on "How to Lose Weight For the Last Time- Brain Based Solutions for Permanent Weight Loss"…

Today I interview Torie Henderson- Lifecoach for exhausted, overwhelmed moms. She talk about how teens can trigger survival brain, but the concepts here can apply to close family members or friends too if you aren't a parent of teens! Torie also struggled with chronic pain- vulvodynia starting at age 21, then lower back pain and TMJ. She talks abou…

This episode is all about how your brain functions in survival mode, and how survival brain actually changes your thinking. The idea from the podcast was from a clip on Youtube by Jacob Ham called "Learning Brain vs Survival Brain." So since it's back to school time, I thought about how these survival states even affect our ability to learn. In sur…

In today’s episode I want to tell you about how I coach on healing chronic pain. I merge PRT (Pain Reprocessing Therapy) with Life Coach tools and Nervous system regulation, for an amazing mix of learning and application into real life. PRT teaches us to reframe and rewire the brain’s signals of pain, because pain signals are either amplified or de…

Today I have a special guest on the podcast, Dr Aimie Apigian. Dr Aimie is a leading medical expert on how life experiences get stored in the body and how to restore the body to it's best health. We talk about the chronic effects of trauma on the nervous system, and ultimately the health of the body. Dr Aimie sees all chronic health conditions rela…

Here is a question that I heard a lot this weekend at the coaching retreat I went to- "What if it's not?" The survival brain will want us to focus all of our energy on figuring out all of the bad things that could happen and to prevent them. So it quickly forms habits of what foods or activities, physical things, or situations to avoid. The Reticul…

There's a lot of information out there if you have chronic pain! So in this episode I wanted to simplify the three main concepts that I have found most important in getting out of chronic pain or disease. 1-Detective for the Opposite- This is the best place to start, by changing what you focus on 2-Understanding and Regulating the Nervous System- N…

Get out of living in survival mode and start to regulate your nervous system by becoming more satisfied! Many of us have an underlying belief that we need to be hard on ourselves to improve. So we train ourselves to look for problems or flaws, rather than feeling satisfied. But what I want to propose is that feeling more satisfied is actually the b…

Expand- Contract This is a principle of growth I first learned about from Peter Levine and Trauma Healing. He talks about how expansion is followed by contraction, and that this is the normal process of growth. When I found out everyone who had been with me at the Peter Levine retreat had a week of contraction when we came back to real life, I star…

This episode is all about what I did (and thought) when I had a sudden incidence of severe back pain a few days ago. I talk about kinesiotape, how to handle a new pain, and all of the ways I could see it was neuroplastic despite feeling real. Right after my back pain ended, I got sick. So I talk to you about the judgement of myself I had with that …

I wanted to share this episode about the techniques I have found helpful in getting rid of my urinary incontinence. As well, you can see the process of my journey- being curious, open to information, taking what worked for me, and being open to my own inspiration for new ideas. For me, there were a combination of physical and mental techniques I us…

Here are the FIT Criteria- From Dr Howard Schubiner's book "Unlearn Your Pain". The FIT Criteria are general ways that neuroplastic pain behaves, that are different than if pain was structural. You do not have to answer yes to all of these, with just one there is a good chance your pain can be rewired with this method. When you start proving to you…

Today I have a great interview with Elle Mace, who coaches people on making peace with food and their bodies. I was drawn to her work because of my own journey with dieting, hating my body, developing and eating disorder, and then finding my way to intuitive eating. The diet culture is based on unworthiness, scarcity and restriction. All of which t…

Today I talk about the Parasympathetic/calm state- the nervous system state where our body can rest and repair. When we are in survival states (Fight/Flight, Freeze/Fawn), we use more energy and compromise the organ systems of the body. But in the calm/ rest and repair state, we have increased circulation, digestion, and immunity. We have more acti…

In this episode, I interview Dan Buglio from “Pain Free You”. He has been doing daily YouTube videos about becoming pain free for almost 3 years, and has over a million views! He explains chronic pain as “Perceived Danger" pain. The danger isn't real, but the brain PERCEIVES it is, and amplifies or produces pain. Chronic pain is not a sign or true …

I am so excited to bring you more information about something that has changed my understanding of somatic work completely- and that is understanding the nervous system. The nervous system is our body's threat detector, and will put us into survival states which physically effect all systems of the body. These survival states are helpful if we are …

In this Episode, I interview a pain coach and fellow Physical Therapist, Dr Andrea Moore. We talk about her story with chronic pain and perfectionism, and why it doesn’t work to try and fight the pain. We often can’t wait to get out of pain. But the frustration and urgency to change are actually what can keep us stuck. We retrain the brain through …

Today I interview Katrina Ubell- a well known Life Coach, and host of the podcast “Weight Loss For Busy Physicians”. We recap her healing journey and how understanding the connection with her body and mind helped her cure her chronic pain and get off her medications. Katrina had a lifelong history of aches and pains, starting with patellafemoral pa…

Training wheels is a concept I came up with, to explain how you may need a little extra support during times of high stress or pain. And that's ok! When you are in extreme conditions, there are things you may do to calm your nervous system, that are different than what you might do when you are in a neutral state. AND if you do some of these comfor…