My Healing Journey

At age 25 I developed back pain that included sciatica, neck and lower back pain. Two years later, after giving birth, the doctor’s thought I had MS because my symptoms were so severe. My MRI was negative for MS, thankfully. I have scoliosis and wore the Boston back brace for 2.5 years starting when I was 10 years old. I then had a spinal fusion at age 13 with a Harrington Rod insertion and wore an unremovable brace for 9 months. All of my back pain was attributed to my scoliosis.

My endocrine system was affected as well. My thyroid numbers were out of range and my adrenals were not making cortisol, it was thought that I had Addison’s Disease along with Thyroid Disease. My gallbladder needed to be removed due to severe abdominal pain, even though my gallstones were small. I had severe asthma problems as a young child and received monthly allergy shots up until going to college at age 18. My asthma was in great control as I entered adulthood until my late 20s. I started having asthma flares and was hospitalized once while pregnant with my 3rd child.

I experienced significant heart palpitations, which ended up being insignificant PVCs and was told not to worry about them. I had all the symptoms of POTS including low blood pressure, dizzy spells, fainting a few times, and unable to stand in one place for more than 30 minutes. GI issues surfaced but all tests came back normal.

I found healing in working with a holistic practitioner and after reading the book titled “Healing Back Pain” by John E. Sarno, M.D. I changed my diet to a very clean, healthy one and took supplements. I felt really good but then my chronic pain returned several years later. Why? Well, life stressors occurred and the missing piece was working on my mind. I focused so much on my physical health by eating nutritious, wholesome food and exercising regularly. I eliminated gluten, dairy, and most sugar from my diet. But what about my mind? The mind plays a HUGE part in balancing out the pillars of well-being and I neglected to see that. My nervous system was constantly in a go-go-go mode. I did not know how to slow down with a full-time job and raising 3 children. Despite all of my efforts in eating well and exercising, my back pain was at an all time high.

But then, everything changed.

I discovered Dr. John Sarno and Nicole Sachs, LCSW and learned how connected our mind and bodies truly are. When I realized that, I started meditating, using deep breathing practices, and journaling every day. There is a special way to journal that taps into our repressed emotions. Once we release these emotions, our symptoms slowly dissolve. These practices regulated my nervous system and, in turn, my pain slowly disappeared. Mindfulness practices changes how our nervous system responds to stress. It helps us become more grounded, less nervous, and more able to slow down. It rewires our neural pathways.

Understanding the powerful connection between the mind and body moves us towards healing. I am almost completely healed. Healing is a lifelong journey and we are human, which means that stress will always be in our lives. Learning how to manage our stress and regulate our nervous system will help us manage our pain and chronic symptoms forever.

I am now enrolled in The Sarno X Sachs Solution course, soon to be certified as a Mind-Body Coach. I attended Nicole’s workshop called ‘Freedom From Chronic Pain’ at The Omega Institute in upstate NY. It was truly amazing. I can’t wait to apply what I’ve learned by helping those who are suffering from chronic pain, just as I used to.