2.
You’re ... Mind-Body Curious
Welcome, friend! Your curiosity about mind-body healing has brought you to this page, and guess what: That curiosity is a goldmine of potential for healing.But with all the different advice and information out there, it's easy to get confused about what your next step should be – and confusion can become a roadblock to healing. That’s where I can help...“I know you’re tired but come, this is the way.” — RumiMind-body healing is a journey. Here are some of the places you might be getting stuck along the way:1) Waiting for proof that mind-body healing can work for you before you commit. This is totally understandable, especially if you feel burned out from trying everything under the sun to relieve your pain – and it’s still not working.But here’s the thing about mind-body recovery from chronic pain: You have to commit, dive in and do the work so that you can get the proof that it’s working for you. And the tough part is: You may need to give it time and try out different things before you see results.👉 A tip to ease your mind: You don’t have to give up on other approaches (like meds or doctors) in order to do the work of mind-body healing. This may be a controversial opinion, but I stand by it. Thinking about pain relief methods in terms of “all or nothing” can actually amplify the stress that underlies chronic pain.Mind-body healing isn’t about following rigid rules – it’s about tuning into your own inner voice and letting it guide you. That may look different for you than it does for the next person. It might mean that you incorporate medicine into your pain relief plan, or it might not – and it might evolve along the way.2) Option paralysis about which mind-body method to choose. A question I often hear from clients is: “Which mind-body approach is right?” The simple but annoying answer is, “only you can know what’s right for you!” But I’m not here to annoy you, I’m here to help 😉 So here’s my take:There are many different, wonderful tools available for mind-body healing from chronic pain. Most of them fall roughly into these two categories:• Tools for calming your fears• Tools for releasing repressed emotions Confusion arises when these two categories are seen as opposite approaches. You might ask yourself: “Should I be focusing on the meditation and fear-reduction stuff? Or should I be looking under the hood of my fears and exploring the repressed emotions lurking there?”Yes. And yes.These are not conflicting approaches, they’re complementary. They actually need each other to work effectively together. More on that in the next item...3) Fear of “feeling your feelings.” If you’re afraid to go there when it comes to emotions, you’re not alone. And it’s no wonder – I mean, we live in a world where people use “emotional” as a derogatory word.But if keeping your emotions locked up in a safety deposit box were a winning strategy for pain relief – well, you wouldn’t have taken this quiz, now would you? 😉In truth, it’s avoidance of emotions that amplifies stress, which triggers chronic pain.But here’s where things get confusing: Sometimes, when you’re “feeling your feelings,” it makes the pain worse, right? What’s up with that? Here’s what:Feeling your feelings is essential - but if it's done without self-compassion and safety, it can actually amplify stress and pain instead of relieving it.Releasing emotional stress with safety and compassion is exactly what I teach in my online course Writing to Release Chronic Pain!😊Want To Hear How I Healed From Chronic Pain?Hi there! 👋 My name’s Anna Holtzman, and I help people repair the relationship between their mind and body so they can release chronic pain for good.I'm a therapist and coach, and I came into this work through my own journey of healing.For 10+ years I experienced headaches that became more and more frequent over time. Eventually I was getting stop-everything migraines twice a week or more. It was interrupting my professional life, my personal life and frankly, my sanity.Mind-body healing has brought me pain relief — and so much more. Instead of getting my old life back, this work has introduced me (and my clients) to a more self-connected way of being. Ready to start exploring together? I'm right here with you. 💗Extra Support for Chronic Pain Recovery? Look No Further...1) Check out my most popular blog post on how to get out of a panic spiral. I speak from personal experience about the connection between anxiety and chronic pain — and I share a step-by-step process for getting out of panic and into peace of mind ☮️. 2) Join me on Instagram. I'm there every day posting inspiration, tips and support for chronic pain recovery — and photos of my three orange cats 😽.3) Hear me tell my story on my podcast, From Chronic Pain to Passion. I talk about my healing journey, the relationship between emotions and symptoms, and my former life working in reality TV 😉. I’ve got your back, friend. Expect to see me in your inbox sharing love, tips and inspiration for your healing journey!
