I’m still digesting the amazingness of this weekend! I attended the SIRPA Conference 2022 at the Royal Society of Medicine. Firstly, to meet Georgie Oldfield and the SIRPA practitioners I’ve spent so long seeing and chatting to online was so wonderful 😍 Then to meet and hear all of the speakers talk so passionately about their research was truly inspiring. I’m so excited to be a part of this community of people looking to raise awareness of the importance of understanding the up to date pain science so we can address the underlying causes of persistent pain rather than just …

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They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But what you don’t get told is that the most important beholder is yourself.  I remember being 6 or 7 years old, playing dress up with a friend at home, we were wearing oversized dresses and playing with make up, I  was in character and I asked my friend how we could look more beautiful. Now clearly as a 6 or 7 year old girl I was already the most beautiful thing in the world and just as beautiful was my imagination, but I have a vivid memory of my mum …

Love thyself Read More »

How can Embodied Processing help resolve your pain? Let’s revisit stress. Stress is an inevitable part of life, in moderation it is a good thing, stress motivates us and keeps life interesting. However, too much stress can prime your brain for chronic pain. This is because, the more your fight / flight response stays activated, the more sensitive your brain becomes to unpleasantness. Stressful events early in life (such as neglect, abuse, bullying etc) get compounded by stressors later in life (such as difficult relationships with coworkers or family, divorce, accidents etc). Multiple stressful events can result in chronic activation …

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“People won’t remember what you said, they won’t remember what you did, but they will remember how you made them feel”. Maya Angelou Have you ever noticed how some people make you light up and others make you want to withdraw? Co-regulation is the way that the nervous system of one individual  influences the nervous system of another.  It’s how you make someone feel, without saying a word.  Interestingly (I think!) only mammals co regulate.  Mammals are the only organisms that stay in groups and require social engagement because for us that means increased chance of survival. Dogs are really good …

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When was the last time you had a good belly laugh? When we grow up we get busy, we focus on work and family commitments and forget to make time for pure fun. What’s more, when we do find ourselves with some leisure time, we’re more likely to switch off in front of the TV or computer than engage in fun, rejuvenating play like we did as children. But play is essential, and not just for kids! Too often, somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we stop playing. When it comes to play, there doesn’t need to be any point to …

Play time isn’t just for kids! Read More »

Great to see this research paper on the positive effects of ScarWork following surgery. This study involved people who had been through cancer related surgery. Results were impressive. Symptom improvements included reduced itching, frequency of discomfort and sensations of numbness. Patients also reported benefits including improved appearance, texture, mobility, well being and acceptance of scars. I have access to the full paper so please get in touch if you are interested to know more.

It’s here!! The Coaching Programme for Chronic Pain This has been very a long time in the making – I’ve had to work through some resistance of my own to putting this out in the world – But it’s here now and it’s such an honour to share it! The Programme is the culmination of the SIRPA (Stress Illness Recovery), Trauma Informed Coaching and Embodied Processing Practitioner qualifications I’ve gathered over the past two years, not to mention the influence of my bodywork practice. I am always learning, from my clients as much as anything else. The Programme isn’t prescriptive, …

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You will likely have heard the phrase, psychosomatic. In medical terms, psyche means the mind and somatic means the body. Psychosomatic Pain is where the mind (the psyche) creates physical (somatic) symptoms in the body (the soma).  This does NOT mean you’ve made it up.  For our purposes we will refer to psychosomatic pain as Neuroplastic Pain because neuroplasticity is how the brain forms new neural connections. Neuroplastic Pain has also been known as TMS (Tension Myositis Syndrome) by a well known pain doctor, Dr John Sarno, as well as PPD (Psychophysiological Disorder). Ask about the Chronic Pain Coaching Programme …

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You might be someone who describes excruciating pain in your lower back so much so that you are frightened to bend, reach and twist despite all of your scans and x-rays being clear; it might feel so bad that it stops you sleeping; on top of that the pain might be affecting your work and causing stress. You might wonder if it’s fascial dysfunction because this does not show up on traditional scans and x-rays. You might wonder if you have internal scar tissue that can be resolved by treating the adhesive areas to rehydrate the tissue. You might wonder …

Emotions and Chronic Pain Read More »

When pain persists, it can become all consuming. Chronic pain conditions often present, not just as one symptom, but as a group of symptoms that have a global impact on the entire body. That’s why, for chronic pain, the approach needs to be different. One of the fundamentals of Myofascial Release is we address the symptoms but look elsewhere for the cause. The symptoms are the alarm bells and we can quieten them down easily enough, what we need to spend more time nurturing is your nervous system. That’s where the magic lies. Whether I’m using Myofascial Release or coaching, …

Shifting the focus on Chronic Pain Read More »