The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly. -Buddha
An Integrative Health Coach helps clients achieve their health goals using an integrative, whole person approach. When you work with a health coach, you will learn how the different parts of your life are connected to your physical health. This can include your personal or work life, diet, exercise, relationships, or spiritual practice. The goal is to address the root cause of your condition–not just the symptoms.
Integrative Health Coaches can engage with clients in a way other health practitioners cannot, given their time constraints, patient caseloads, and the current health care business model. Health coaches are bridging the gap between the medical system and the lifestyle and behavioral factors that are the key to total wellness.
Who should see a health coach?
Anyone can benefit from health coaching, regardless of their health condition. Health coaching can help clients find their way through difficult times as well as prevent major problems from arising.
A coach guides you in the process of developing insight and turning it into action, while acknowledging that you know best about what works for you. There is no one particular area of your life that an Integrative Health Coach will not help you address; the whole person is what matters when it comes to true and lasting wellness.
Health and wellness coaching is poised to become the most valuable service in the field of health care. You can read more about how you might benefit from working with a health coach here and here.
Can a health coach help me with my chronic pain?
If you are suffering from back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, foot or knee pain, migraines, or any other pain that just won’t go away no matter what you do–don’t be afraid or despair, there is hope!
Chronic pain exists not just as a matter of physical pain. Your pain is real, but it involves the mind-body. No chronic pain treatment can truly heal the body if it does not also work on the mind and the circumstances of a person’s life. According to Dr. Andrew Weil, “Medication cannot address the complex psychosocial, occupational, and lifestyle dimensions of chronic pain, nor can it reverse the brain changes that underlie it.”
Your overall health–including your ability to live pain-free–is a function of multiple factors in your life. As your Integrative Health Coach, I will partner with you to help you assess how your lifestyle influences your well being, identify what might be keeping you from living a pain-free life, and help you decide how to address those factors.
“Chris is a compassionate and understanding coach with a wealth of knowledge in her field, as well as the real-life experience to contribute a very personal touch. As a sufferer of chronic pain for years, I did not realize the mind-body connection and that there were non-medical approaches to controlling and eliminating the pain. Chris was able to help me identify my pain and then provide me with both her personal knowledge and experience as well as a wealth of related literature to address my situation.” -B.B.
How does health coaching for chronic pain work?
You might not believe that a health coach who will not diagnose, prescribe, or administer treatments can actually help you heal your pain. You will heal because you will learn what it takes to heal yourself.
Chronic pain might be temporarily alleviated through symptom management but it simply cannot be fully cured by medication or other interventions that do not address the root cause of the pain. Unless you take care of the root cause, you might feel better temporarily, but the pain often comes back in one form or another.
There is a lot of information (and misinformation!) out there on chronic pain. You need the right information and the right tools, in a format tailored to what works for you. My coaching method involves applying knowledge of the mind-body connection (based on Dr. John Sarno’s groundbreaking work) within the foundation of health and wellness coaching principles. This is a winning combination. Some people only need a few sessions while others may prefer more support. In every case, we will do what it takes to tackle your pain at the source.
“As a person with a more scientific, fact-based way of thinking (and a rather short attention span for reading long articles), the information Chris provided me was incredibly mind-opening. More amazing were the results once I made the connections and put her suggestions into practice. Chronic pain from former foot surgery was corrected in under a month and has rarely returned. Other pain also has been significantly reduced and I continue to practice what I learned from Chris even though our sessions are complete.” -B.B.
Once you have the information you need, healing can take place rather quickly. My own recovery started after I read Dr. John Sarno’s revolutionary book, “Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection,” and Eckhart Tolle’s spiritually healing work, “A New Earth.” They taught me the truth about the mind-body connection and the importance of emotional and spiritual healing. If you are in pain right now, I encourage you to read one of Dr. Sarno’s books, either “Healing Back Pain” or “The Mind-Body Prescription.” Or start by watching “All the Rage,” an entertaining documentary about Dr. Sarno’s work.
People have healed themselves simply by reading one of these books! Many, however, often remark that Dr. Sarno’s writings do not include practical suggestions on what to do, and for some the healing process requires making real lifestyle changes, as it did for me. You can read more about my personal story of healing here.
When people find it challenging to overcome their pain even after doing the readings, and are not sure what to do or how to make the changes that are necessary for healing–that’s when a health coach like me comes in.
I’ve been in pain for so long, can I really be healed?
Never let anyone tell you that your pain cannot be cured, or that it can only be managed and you will never be pain-free.
Everyone’s path is unique, but there is one thing people who have healed from chronic pain have in common: they accept the truth about the mind-body connection. The reason otherwise healthy people continue to suffer in pain, and why our country is undergoing a chronic pain epidemic today, is that most of us ignore the fundamental role of the mind as well as the impact of our lifestyles–and our lifestyles are essentially an extension of our minds.
The vast majority of chronic pain conditions are mind-body conditions and can be cured without drugs or surgery or special exercises. That means YOUR pain can also be cured–if you are open to learning this fundamental human truth.
You have the power to heal your pain. Your healing journey begins with compassion for yourself. Have the courage to look within and the faith that you can and will live a life free from pain…naturally. You will be astounded at what your mind and body can do.
“In addition to addressing chronic pain, Chris was a great help in identifying areas of stress in my life and provided many tools which I continue to use and have found incredibly helpful in bringing my mind back to the present and reducing my daily anxiety. I am so grateful to you Chris!”
-B.B.
