My Healing Journey

With my 36+ years of nursing and 18+ years of living a holistic lifestyle, I can provide you with tools and support in many areas of the body, mind, and spirit.  I have knowledge in exercise and was a runner for 40 years and ran 2 half marathons. I can help you create an exercise program that meets your needs.

I have followed a very clean eating diet for over 18 years and have done several cleanses and detox programs. I can help you with any area of nutrition, including healthy recipes, mindful eating, balanced meals, etc. I do not promote counting calories or dieting. I believe healthy eating is a lifestyle and by choosing nutritious foods, your body will thrive and naturally lose weight.

The biggest stressor in our lives is our thoughts. We can take care of our bodies perfectly with healthy eating and regular exercise, but if we do not take care of our minds, we will not thrive and chronic conditions may develop. The mind trumps it all! Slowing down the mind and building mental muscle can alleviate many chronic symptoms, including chronic pain. Yes, it is true!

Today, I am healed from all of my chronic conditions, including chronic fatigue, thyroid issues, adrenal issues, asthma, allergies, dizziness, fainting, GI issues, heart palpitations, (PVCs) chronic pain in my neck, shoulders, middle and lower back, and legs.

I found healing in working with a holistic practitioner. I changed my diet to a very clean, healthy one and took supplements. Everything healed except for my chronic pain. Why? Well, the missing piece was working on my mind. I focused so much on my physical health by eating nutritious, wholesome food and exercising regularly. 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.

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. I attributed all of my back pain to my scoliosis. I used to be unable to stand for more than 30 minutes without pain. Interesting to note that my pain did not begin until I was 25 years old!

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 Sachs X Sarno 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.