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
If you are suffering from back, neck, shoulder, foot or knee pain, migraines, or any other pain that just won’t go away–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 body AND the mind. No chronic pain treatment can truly heal the body if it does not work on the mind.
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.”
“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 can health coaching help relieve my pain?
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 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 misinformation out there on chronic pain. You need the right information and the right tools, in a format tailored to what works for you. If you are interested in my coaching method, it involves applying knowledge of the mindbody connection (based on Dr. John Sarno’s groundbreaking work) within the foundation of health and wellness coaching principles. This has proven to be a winning combination.
“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 people have accurate information, healing can take place rather quickly. My own recovery started right after I read Dr. John Sarno’s revolutionary book, “Healing Back Pain.” In addition, Eckhart Tolle’s spiritually healing work, “A New Earth,” helped me with a further understanding of myself. These books taught me the truth about the mindbody connection and the importance of emotional and spiritual healing.
If you are in pain right now, I encourage you to start by reading “Healing Back Pain” or you can watch “All the Rage,” an entertaining documentary about Dr. Sarno’s work.
Many people have healed themselves simply by reading! Some people, however, remark that Dr. Sarno’s writings do not include more practical suggestions on what to do, and for some the healing process requires making real lifestyle changes, as it did for me. You can learn about my personal story of healing here.
How does the coaching program work?
The type of coaching that I have found is most effective are individual, one-on-one sessions. Occasionally, I hold workshops for small groups. When I work with clients individually, a typical program lasts for 3 months. Sessions are conducted online. During the first month we will focus on pain education and will meet frequently, up to 2 times per week. The remaining months generally consist of bi-weekly follow-up sessions where we discuss different tools and review the educational material. An important component of coaching also involves continued communication between sessions via email and/or text.
For one-on-one coaching, I work on a donation basis and do not have set fees. Donations are not required but will be gratefully received and appreciated.
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 mindbody 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 mindbody 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.