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Hey Reader!

It is relatively easy to lose patience with ourselves and with the process along our winding path to wellbeing.

I have seen time and again, my clients get exasperated or despondent at a certain point after the initial excitement of the Pain Reprocessing Therapy approach wears off and the initial practice is not yet yielding results. And frankly, this is when some people give up.

I am the queen of giving up at this point so I totally get it. As an analogy, when I was a kid I took up several different instruments. I started with piano and after the initial joy of making random noises with my fingers wore off, I struggled to actually make sense of how melodies were constructed. I had difficulty reading music and moving my fingers to the right spots on the keyboard at the same time. I stopped practicing and eventually quit. This process repeated with the recorder, the clarinet, and the french horn. I stuck with guitar a little longer, but eventually stopped practicing that as well. I took up trombone in high school in order to go on the school band trip and was a bit perplexed when I received a trombone for my high school graduation. It meant that I actually needed to keep playing?! I stuck with it for two more years and even half heartedly practiced from time to time, but trombone eventually went the way of all the other instruments.

I wanted to be instantly good at the instrument and had little patience for not yet knowing how to do that. I also saw practice as a punishment instead of a joy, some sort of drudgery I had to do alone without much feedback except for my own knowledge that I sucked at playing this instrument. I was missing the initial curiosity and the joy in discovery. And I was being hard on myself, which made it all the more unpleasant.

One of the things I admire most about musicians is they like to practice because they like to play. They enjoy the challenge of figuring out one tricky piece in a song or mastering a different technique, fingering, or sound quality. Not that they never get frustrated, but they keep finding a reason to return to practice with curiosity and faith that they will be better for having practiced than not, even if they never get to the imagined goal of being the best player ever. And when I see them play it LOOKS like PLAY! They are enjoying the game, the process, the communication.

What if we could get to that place in our symptom recovery journey?

It is important to remember that this is a life practice. Attending to our own needs, sensations, and emotions with a lens of safety sets us up for a more easeful, joyful, and connected life in general.

The silencing of symptoms is merely a side effect!

When we can tap into why were doing the work BEYOND getting out of pain or getting rid of symptoms we are better able to have a mindset of curiosity and patience with the process. When we stop judging our work ethic, whether we are doing it right, and looking for immediate relief, it makes us less hypervigilant which gives the fear-pain cycle less fuel for setting off the danger alarm in our brains. When we can find enjoyment in the discovery and the practice of practicing itself, it can become a refuge instead of another task in a long list of tasks we HAVE to do in our lives.

So find something, even if its small, that can keep that excitement of discovery alive! What happens when I…? can be a good prompt. Notice how the noticing of sensations is more nuanced and specific than when you first started. Take interest. Switch it up. Make it fun. Maybe actively try to be bad at it and see what happens.

Most of all, be kind and encouraging to yourself. Treat yourself a bit like a child learning how to ride a bike, congratulating yourself on each attempt, soothing yourself for “falling,” and encouraging yourself try again with lightness and joy.

There’s a balance between practicing hard, pushing through, being hard on yourself and doing nothing at all. It includes, curiosity over judgement, self-compassion over punishment, and gentle encouragement over barking at yourself like a drill sargent. Moving forward slowly is still forward movement and maybe more sustainable in the long run.

I have this quote hanging in my bedroom and it speaks to this kinder gentler way of practice and creation well.

Healing in community

Sometimes you need the support and feeback of others to help you practice. I for one definitely do!

Thants why I am forming a practice and sharing group for those working on mind-body recovery techniques.

Collective Wellbeing: a group practice, discussion, and support for people recovering from neuroplastic symptoms

This will be a weekly low-cost group that will run for multi week sessions.

Here is a rough outline of what we’ll focus on week to week:

• Neuroplastic Symptom Education
  • Protectometer, danger/safety, habit loop
• Cultivating More Safety
  • What is safety for me? How do I feel it in my body? What helps cue my brain that I’m safe?
• Practicing Safety
• Observing positive and neutral physical sensations with curiosity, lightness, and safety
• Observing uncomfortable physical sensations with curiosity, lightness, and safety
• More focuses for Somatic Tracking
  • Anxiety, emotions, trigger response
  • Focus switching
• Lifestyle Habits (Other Overactive Protectors)
  • Identifying and working with coping strategies that are no longer serving us
  • Cultivating authenticity
  • Shoring up support
• Visioning
  • Graded motor imagery
  • Graded exposure
  • Trying on the costume of your ideal future self

Does this group sound useful to you? Let’s talk! I want to tailor it to your needs. Healing doesn’t need to happen alone! And these are life practices. Maybe it’s time for a refresher.

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With love,

Coach Katie

Get Unstuck and Tap into Hope! 1:1 Coaching Whether you need help with making a decision, creating a plan for healing, or dealing with overwhelm, I’ve got your back! Coaching helps you organize your thoughts, make discoveries about what’s really important to you, and create movement toward overall well being. Coaching helps you dream, plan, and execute to get closer to your optimal self. Benefits of Coaching Increased self trust, confidence, and direction ‘ Fresh perspective on personal challenges Enhanced decision-making skills Greater interpersonal effectiveness Engagement in behavior aligned with core values Greater ease Less overwhelm Increased contentment Improved relationships Stronger boundaries Clearer thinking Better sleep More energy Decreased irritability Personalized, effective tools and strategies to get more of what you want! Sounds pretty dang good, huh? Coaching is individualized. I work with: people in pain to help them implement the tools to settle their nervous systems, people who are looking to make a major life transition, people looking to eat better and exercise more, people wanting better boundaries with others, and more! Coaching is a partnership. You are committed to showing up for yourself and working toward change and I am committed to helping you see your strengths, set your strategies, celebrate your successes, learn from your failures, and grow into the best version of yourself you can be. ​Ready to learn more? I encourage you to schedule a no-commitment, free initial session with me to understand more about how this approach can help you, see if we’re a good fit, and walk away with a tangible next step toward something you’re currently working on. Schedule a Free Intro Session

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