What we can learn from chronic pain
When I was 20, I spent a year with debilitating chronic pain. I visited a dozen doctors, had loads of scans and tests, and had my sanity questioned more than once.
I know how awful it is to feel crappy every day and to wonder if it’ll ever get better.
I wish I’d known the root cause sooner, but I also wish I’d know that pain can hold incredible wisdom.
It’s my mission to help you connect with and trust your intuition, and, for better or worse, pain can be a powerful teacher.
That’s why I’m holding the Learning from Chronic Pain workshop on October 27 at noon ET.
I’ll teach you how to tune into your pain, have a conversation with it (yes, really), and learn from the wisdom it holds for you.
This workshop will not treat or heal your pain, but it will provide a gateway for a powerful experience. And odds are very good that you’ll feel some very real relief.
Chronic pain is hard to understand if you haven’t lived with it personally, so trust me when I say I get it.
I remember listening to this Radiolab episode years ago, in which the writer Eula Biss talks about living with chronic pain.
When talking about the pain scale:
Producer: And her dad tells her, "you should say eight, even if you're not feeling it, that's what you gotta say." And Eula thinks this is ridiculous. Why do we even have a pain scale if I'm not supposed to take the numbers seriously?
Eula Biss: And he said, "In part, it's a tool that's meant to protect practitioners because it's emotionally difficult to have someone say to you, 'It feels like someone's jamming a red hot poker through my eyeball.' Rather than, 'I've got a nine.'"
Producer: But then, he made a suggestion, which I think is really clever.
Eula Biss: He suggested one scale where it would measure what you're willing to do to get rid of your pain. What would you trade for pain relief. Would you give up your sense of sight for five years. Would you relinquish your ability to walk.
That’s dark, but it also resonated.
The technique I teach in this workshop is one that I have used personally and with one-on-one clients. It’s so powerful, I really wanted to share it with a broader audience.
Here’s what one client said when we took this approach to explore the sciatica that had been disrupting her sleep and work for more than six months:
“This helped me listen to myself and hear a different way to learn to work with chronic pain and through that, how to make some big changes in my life.”
If this is something you are currently facing, or if you’re just curious, join us. And if you know someone who would benefit, please send this their way. It’s a game changer. As always, a lifetime replay will be made available.
FAQ
Does this only work on severe pain?
This technique works for any physical sensation. This workshop is geared specifically toward supporting people with chronic pain, but anyone can benefit.
Does this work on acute pain?
Yes! A gnarly headache, a back spasm, a funky shoulder – this workshop will offer you an avenue to insight.
Will this cure my pain?
No. This isn't medical advice or pain treatment. That said, people often feel an easing of the physical sensations and experience a greater sense of peace.
Wait, I have other questions about this!
Great! Send me an email. I’ll get back to you personally.
