Today's Episode is about Pain Catastrophizing- what it is and how it affects your symptoms. People with high levels of pain catastrophizing are more likely to develop a new acute pain, more likely for their acute pain to turn chronic. And who catastrophize more before surgery are more likely to have complications and a slower recovery. Here are the 13 questions on the Pain Catastrophizing Scale. Rate from 0 (not at all) to 4 (all of the time) when you feel pain: I worry all the time about whethe...
Dec 06, 2022•8 min•Ep. 107
Episode #106- Extinction Bursts Today’s topic is about part of the normal mind-body healing process- extinction bursts. When you are starting to experience some success with healing, one thing that can commonly happen is a resurgence of pain in an old area or a completely new pain. Dr Sarno called this the “symptom imperative.” In “The Way Out” by Alan Gordon, they call it an extinction burst because of a study with a rat receiving food through a lever. When the lever broke, the rate started pre...
Nov 15, 2022•9 min•Ep. 106
I know some of you are not on my email list or following me on social media (Why not?!?) But if you aren't, you may not have heard yet about my amazing "Founder's Special" for Alignment Academy. Alignment Academy is my group coaching program with 2 calls per week, modules, and resources for healing. Normally it's $99 per mo, but for the first 49 it will be a fixed rate of $49 per mo for as long as you are in Alignment Academy. 9 spots are gone in just the first few days, so be sure and click on ...
Oct 19, 2022•3 min•Ep. 105
Predictive coding is like a brain's subconscious shortcut. Predictive coding is the #1 reason for chronic pain symptoms. Especially for people who tell me they feel calm, but their pain is related to a movement, food, time of the month, etc. I give you a few examples of how predictive coding works in our bodies to produce symptoms, and how it can be reversed! Be sure and listen to find out more Want help with applying this into your life? Check out Alignment Academy (my group coaching membership...
Oct 13, 2022•11 min•Ep. 104
In this episode I talk with Lifecoach and former client, Dr Katrina Ubell. Today we talk about Katrina's journey as a weightloss coach, and getting out of chronic pain. And we talk about Katrina's new book, out tomorrow- September 20, 2022! Get the sneak peek on "How to Lose Weight For the Last Time- Brain Based Solutions for Permanent Weight Loss", and how it relates to coaching on chronic pain. For more information on Katrina Ubell and her new book, check out her website here: https://katrinau...
Sep 19, 2022•53 min•Ep. 103
Today I interview Torie Henderson- Lifecoach for exhausted, overwhelmed moms. She talk about how teens can trigger survival brain, but the concepts here can apply to close family members or friends too if you aren't a parent of teens! Torie also struggled with chronic pain- vulvodynia starting at age 21, then lower back pain and TMJ. She talks about how she learned not to carry stress in her body. Join to listen to the insidious ways we cause ourselves nervous system dysregulation when we have t...
Sep 13, 2022•53 min•Ep. 102
This episode is all about how your brain functions in survival mode, and how survival brain actually changes your thinking. The idea from the podcast was from a clip on Youtube by Jacob Ham called "Learning Brain vs Survival Brain." So since it's back to school time, I thought about how these survival states even affect our ability to learn. In survival brain you do not like ambiguities and are prone to black and white thinking. You have a hard time seeing another perspective and you are afraid ...
Aug 17, 2022•15 min•Ep. 101
In today’s episode I want to tell you about how I coach on healing chronic pain. I merge PRT (Pain Reprocessing Therapy) with Life Coach tools and Nervous system regulation, for an amazing mix of learning and application into real life. PRT teaches us to reframe and rewire the brain’s signals of pain, because pain signals are either amplified or decreased depending on how we react to them. When the brain and nervous system do not interpret sensations in the body as dangerous, the brain produces ...
Jul 31, 2022•15 min•Ep. 100
Today I have a special guest on the podcast, Dr Aimie Apigian. Dr Aimie is a leading medical expert on how life experiences get stored in the body and how to restore the body to it's best health. We talk about the chronic effects of trauma on the nervous system, and ultimately the health of the body. Dr Aimie sees all chronic health conditions relating more to dysregulation of the nervous system, rather than genetics or other factors. "The nervous system is what drives our health" Listen in for ...
Jul 13, 2022•33 min•Ep. 99
Here is a question that I heard a lot this weekend at the coaching retreat I went to- "What if it's not?" The survival brain will want us to focus all of our energy on figuring out all of the bad things that could happen and to prevent them. So it quickly forms habits of what foods or activities, physical things, or situations to avoid. The Reticular Activiating System in our brain is designed to focus on only seeing things in the environment that fit our beliefs, and ignore what doesn't. So by ...
Jun 29, 2022•16 min•Ep. 98
There's a lot of information out there if you have chronic pain! So in this episode I wanted to simplify the three main concepts that I have found most important in getting out of chronic pain or disease. 1-Detective for the Opposite- This is the best place to start, by changing what you focus on 2-Understanding and Regulating the Nervous System- Notice when your body is in a survival state and develop a toolbox to use to regulate. The techniques can be top-down (thought based), or bottom-up (so...
Jun 12, 2022•20 min•Ep. 97
Get out of living in survival mode and start to regulate your nervous system by becoming more satisfied! Many of us have an underlying belief that we need to be hard on ourselves to improve. So we train ourselves to look for problems or flaws, rather than feeling satisfied. But what I want to propose is that feeling more satisfied is actually the best way for you to evolve and grow! Looking for problems to fix puts us into a survival state, whereas the parasympathetic/calm state (where you feel ...
Jun 03, 2022•15 min•Ep. 96
Expand- Contract This is a principle of growth I first learned about from Peter Levine and Trauma Healing. He talks about how expansion is followed by contraction, and that this is the normal process of growth. When I found out everyone who had been with me at the Peter Levine retreat had a week of contraction when we came back to real life, I started noticing this principle other places. With chronic pain this principle can be called “symptom imperative” (Sarno) or “extinction bursts” (Alan Gor...
May 19, 2022•12 min•Ep. 95
This episode is all about what I did (and thought) when I had a sudden incidence of severe back pain a few days ago. I talk about kinesiotape, how to handle a new pain, and all of the ways I could see it was neuroplastic despite feeling real. Right after my back pain ended, I got sick. So I talk to you about the judgement of myself I had with that more than the back pain. All in all, I am glad to be on the other side of it! But I learned a lot! If you ever wonder what to do with a new pain or sy...
May 04, 2022•29 min•Ep. 94
I wanted to share this episode about the techniques I have found helpful in getting rid of my urinary incontinence. As well, you can see the process of my journey- being curious, open to information, taking what worked for me, and being open to my own inspiration for new ideas. For me, there were a combination of physical and mental techniques I used to get this result. For fresh content on healing chronic pain or disease, follow Betsy on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bodyandmindlifecoach/...
Apr 30, 2022•16 min•Ep. 93
Here are the FIT Criteria- From Dr Howard Schubiner's book "Unlearn Your Pain". The FIT Criteria are general ways that neuroplastic pain behaves, that are different than if pain was structural. You do not have to answer yes to all of these, with just one there is a good chance your pain can be rewired with this method. When you start proving to yourself that your pain is neuroplastic, you can retrain your brain and nervous system to produce less pain. Here are Dr Howard Schubiner's FIT Criteria:...
Mar 24, 2022•14 min•Ep. 92
Today I have a great interview with Elle Mace, who coaches people on making peace with food and their bodies. I was drawn to her work because of my own journey with dieting, hating my body, developing and eating disorder, and then finding my way to intuitive eating. The diet culture is based on unworthiness, scarcity and restriction. All of which tend to perpetuate overeating and nervous system dysregulation. As you start to accept your body and heal your relationship with food, you can reach a ...
Mar 15, 2022•29 min•Ep. 91
Today I talk about the Parasympathetic/calm state- the nervous system state where our body can rest and repair. When we are in survival states (Fight/Flight, Freeze/Fawn), we use more energy and compromise the organ systems of the body. But in the calm/ rest and repair state, we have increased circulation, digestion, and immunity. We have more activation of the prefrontal cortex- so we are more collected, present and creative. It is a learning state, and we are more receptive AND intuitive. This...
Feb 17, 2022•11 min•Ep. 90
In this episode, I interview Dan Buglio from “Pain Free You”. He has been doing daily YouTube videos about becoming pain free for almost 3 years, and has over a million views! He explains chronic pain as “Perceived Danger" pain. The danger isn't real, but the brain PERCEIVES it is, and amplifies or produces pain. Chronic pain is not a sign or true danger, but an issue of misinformation/ bad data. "If danger is what is feeding this, safety is the solution." We talk all about what this means and h...
Feb 10, 2022•53 min•Ep. 89
I am so excited to bring you more information about something that has changed my understanding of somatic work completely- and that is understanding the nervous system. The nervous system is our body's threat detector, and will put us into survival states which physically effect all systems of the body. These survival states are helpful if we are being chased by a tiger. But living in fight/flight/freeze or fawn will take it's toll on our body. We can learn to identify these states by noticing ...
Feb 01, 2022•18 min•Ep. 88
In this Episode, I interview a pain coach and fellow Physical Therapist, Dr Andrea Moore. We talk about her story with chronic pain and perfectionism, and why it doesn’t work to try and fight the pain. We often can’t wait to get out of pain. But the frustration and urgency to change are actually what can keep us stuck. We retrain the brain through acceptance, and allowing what is. As we develop our ability to sit with discomfort, our brain becomes less reactive to the sensations in our body. For...
Jan 04, 2022•52 min•Ep. 87
Today I interview Katrina Ubell- a well known Life Coach, and host of the podcast “Weight Loss For Busy Physicians”. We recap her healing journey and how understanding the connection with her body and mind helped her cure her chronic pain and get off her medications. Katrina had a lifelong history of aches and pains, starting with patellafemoral pain in 6th grade. She had sciatica and was wearing an SI joint brace. She had many different pains throughout her body, and was even diagnosed with Fib...
Dec 14, 2021•47 min•Ep. 86
Training wheels is a concept I came up with, to explain how you may need a little extra support during times of high stress or pain. And that's ok! When you are in extreme conditions, there are things you may do to calm your nervous system, that are different than what you might do when you are in a neutral state. AND if you do some of these comforting things, it ends up way worse if you then beat yourself up, or feel bad you aren't doing all of the "right" things for healing. Maybe you worked e...
Nov 22, 2021•15 min•Ep. 85
This episode was inspired by a question on my Instagram live, and is a very common question with persistent symptoms or when new conditions arise. When do you seek medical attention? This podcast is not intended to replace medical advice, and I do believe that there is an important place for the medical system alongside this work. I get regular check ups and blood work just as I would get an oil change in my car or an update for my phone. The clients who I work with have also been through the me...
Nov 10, 2021•17 min•Ep. 84
Today I have a special episode that you will want to listen to if you struggle with sleep! If you have chronic pain, you may also struggle with insomnia, anxiety, or insomnia anxiety- and this is what Raina helps with. Sleep hygiene is only part of the solution, and may not really help if you are having anxious thoughts all day. Her approach combines thought work with intuitive work- helping you find the techniques that work best for you. This episode is for you if you are struggling to get to o...
Nov 03, 2021•39 min•Ep. 83
How are parenting and rewiring your brain for less pain similar? You may be surprised. Crystal Haitsma teaches Radical Connection Parenting, in which connection and relationship are valued over behavior modification. Instead of using rewards and punishment to get kids to do what you want, you work on the relationship instead, so they naturally do what you want them to. She talks a lot about emotional regulation in parenting- for both parent and child. As we learn to process our own thoughts and ...
Oct 19, 2021•46 min•Ep. 82
When someone has chronic pain (more than 3-6 mo, resistant to medical treatment), then the brain processes pain differently. Neural pathways of pain become like habits, and pain can remain even after normal healing time has passed. But the brain is neuroplastic, and we can train it to produce less pain. Graded exposure is one technique used in reprocessing pain and rewiring the brain. Graded exposure is a way to slowly introduce movements back, that are usually associated with pain. You can have...
Sep 28, 2021•11 min•Ep. 81
Jane is a former client that has been dealing with a flare going on about 3 months. As well as heart palpitations. Here I coach her about her thoughts and emotions. Then we do some somatic techniques, which got rid of her 5/10 pain. If you have chronic pain, be sure and listen and see how what I tell her can apply to you. Sometimes watching someone else's coaching and drawing parallels, can be even more effective than being coached directly! For fresh content on healing chronic pain or disease, ...
Sep 14, 2021•30 min•Ep. 80
Today's episode is an interview with my client, Kathleen. She is a Physician, Mom, and back pain sufferer for 8 years. Listen to her incredible 12 week journey coaching with me. Kathleen signed up for coaching and within the first couple of weeks had INCREASED pain and a new symptom. Instinctually she was led to the mind-body approach, but her Doctor brain kept worrying that she was missing something that was physically wrong. Listen as Kathleen describes her journey from pain, fear, and self do...
Sep 06, 2021•34 min•Ep. 79
Stress and anxiety are emotions that cause physiological changes in our bodies. The stress response is very helpful short term, in survival moments. But many of us live in a stressed out state, and constantly feel like we are in survival mode. Today I talk all about the physiological effects of chronic stress and anxiety on our bodies, including: Rapid heart rate Palpitations Chest pain Increased risk of high blood pressure and heart disease Heartburn or acid reflux Stomach ulcers Diarrhea or Co...
Aug 31, 2021•17 min•Ep. 78
