Unstoppable Body and Mind

Episode #113- How Skiing Helped My Back Pain

In this episode I tell you a real life story of my back pain and a flare I had this weekend.

 

Since chronic pain has more to do with fear and nervous system dysregulation, I decided skiing sounded like a nice thing to do when my back pain was uncomfortable.

 

Listen for how this counterintuitive approach helped me through the pain with less resistance and more curiosity.

 

Click here for more information on somatic coaching & Alignment Academy: https://www.bodyandmindlifecoach.com/somatic-coaching

 

For fresh content on healing chronic pain or disease, follow Betsy

on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bodyandmindlifecoach/

 

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvXZSYYGL2cfJl-oEOzqspA

 

Website https://bodyandmindlifecoach.com

 

*Free Nervous System Modules- 4 free videos explaining the nervous system, how it affects your health, and how to regulate it  https://view.flodesk.com/pages/620ffa96e0eda1a0d870b5a6

 

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Episode #112- How to Know if You’re in Freeze

In this episode I talk all about the nervous system state of freeze.

 

This is the nervous system state of shutdown when the system detects a mortal threat.

 

The nervous system chooses this state as the best option for your survival, so it is not a conscious choice.

 

Here is an example of what you may feel in freeze:

Feeling space, foggy, unable to think clearly, forgetting details, disoriented, forgetting where you’re going, losing track of time, continual exhaustion, numb, no energy, feeling overwhelmed, disconnection, feeling trapped, hopelessness, helplessness & shame.

If you identify with feeling these emotions, you are going in to freeze.

Listen in for more details about how to know you're in freeze and how it affects the body!

 

For fresh content on healing chronic pain or disease, follow Betsy

on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bodyandmindlifecoach/

 

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvXZSYYGL2cfJl-oEOzqspA

 

Website https://bodyandmindlifecoach.com

 

*Free Nervous System Modules- 4 free videos explaining the nervous system, how it affects your health, and how to regulate it  https://view.flodesk.com/pages/620ffa96e0eda1a0d870b5a6

 

*Curable App- 6 Weeks Free with this code http://www.curable.com/betsyjensen

 

If you like this podcast, please give it a five star rating and review on Itunes  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-unstoppable-body-and-minds-podcast/id1493360543

 

Episode #111- Pleasure on Purpose

In this episode, I talk about one of my favorite things to teach- having more rest, pleasure and fun in your life.

 

Most people with chronic pain are devoted, high achieving, hard working, people pleasing givers who have a hard time taking time for themselves.

 

But this concept is research based, and actually shows that when your pain or emotions are high the best thing to do is to distract rather than try to work through it and process.

 

We often think we should be working on healing all of the time, but sometimes our nervous system just needs a break, and avoidance behaviors can help you get more regulated.

 

So instead of meditating or journaling, you may watch a funny show or read a book (NOT about pain).

 

Then when you are regulated and your sensations are at a more manageable level, you can do the cognitive or emotional processing at that point.

 

When you do distracting activities with intent, they can be soothing for your nervous system.

 

For fresh content on healing chronic pain or disease, follow Betsy

on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bodyandmindlifecoach/

 

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvXZSYYGL2cfJl-oEOzqspA

 

Website https://bodyandmindlifecoach.com

 

*Free Nervous System Modules- 4 free videos explaining the nervous system, how it affects your health, and how to regulate it  https://view.flodesk.com/pages/620ffa96e0eda1a0d870b5a6

 

*Curable App- 6 Weeks Free with this code http://www.curable.com/betsyjensen

 

If you like this podcast, please give it a five star rating and review on Itunes  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-unstoppable-body-and-minds-podcast/id1493360543

 

Episode #110- Trauma and Post Traumatic Growth

In this episode I define trauma in nervous system terms, so you can have a more compassionate view about the survival states and why you go into them.

Your nervous system is always trying to keep you safe and can get stuck in survival states from all different types of trauma.  

All of us have had things that are more than our nervous system can handle, but some have not been able to process it because they have not had a compassionate witness.

Trauma can be processed and there can actually be more growth than would have been otherwise possible (post traumatic growth).

If you want to learn more about the nervous system, how it affects your body, and how to regulate it, sign up for my free nervous system modules here: 

https://view.flodesk.com/pages/620ffa96e0eda1a0d870b5a6

I will send you 4 of the video modules I use in my coaching programs, to teach you the basics in an easy to understand way!

My freshest content is on Instagram now, be sure and follow me there: https://www.instagram.com/bodyandmindlifecoach/

website https://bodyandmindlifecoach.com

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*Curable App- 6 Weeks Free with this code http://www.curable.com/betsyjensen

 

If you like this podcast, please give it a five star rating and review on Itunes  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-unstoppable-body-and-minds-podcast/id1493360543

 

 

Episode #109- What is Somatic Coaching?

Today I talk all about somatic coaching- what it is, what it looks like, and who it can help.

Somatic means body, so somatic coaching uses perceptions and sensations and attention to the body in order to enhance the coaching experience.

Most therapy and coaching just involves talking, and using our conscious mind. 

But about 95% of our thoughts are subconscious, so many of our behaviors and nervous system responses are not in our conscious awareness.

Through somatic coaching (involving the body vs. just talking), I have reached the deepest insights about myself, and hugely shifted my thoughts and feelings in a short amount of time.

 

Here is what somatic coaching can help with:

 

* Chronic pain/ illness- Somatic coaching helps you feel your sensations more neutrally, which rewires the brain to decrease pain instead of amplifying it.   Most chronic conditions are from learned pain pathways that can be rewired.

 

*Returning to movement- Somatic coaching is a great way to get back to exercise or normal movements without pain, since training the brain first has no risk of injury!  Sports Psychologists have known the power of visualization with athletes for decades.  We use similar techniques to return to movement in a progressive, safe, effective, and pain-free way.

 

*Processing emotions- Somatic coaching is how we can process emotions, since emotions are felt in the body.  Trapped emotions are responses learned by the nervous system, and can be can be unlearned with somatic coaching.

 

*Healing trauma- The same somatic techniques to process pain and emotions are used in healing trauma.  Trauma occurs when something is more than what your nervous system can handle.  By building the capacity of your nervous system through somatic coaching, you can respond differently when triggered without getting stuck in survival states.

 

*Subconscious breakthroughs for behavior change- Ever wonder why you find yourself repeating unhealthy behaviors?  We can get to the root of them through somatic coaching.  Often something from childhood has primed the nervous system to behave a certain way.  This happens subconsciously before you even have conscious awareness of it.  Behavior change becomes much easier with somatic coaching and addressing the issue at it's root!

 

For fresh content on healing chronic pain or disease, follow Betsy

on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bodyandmindlifecoach/

 

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvXZSYYGL2cfJl-oEOzqspA

 

Website https://bodyandmindlifecoach.com

 

*Free Nervous System Modules- 4 free videos explaining the nervous system, how it affects your health, and how to regulate it  https://view.flodesk.com/pages/620ffa96e0eda1a0d870b5a6

 

*Curable App- 6 Weeks Free with this code http://www.curable.com/betsyjensen

 

If you like this podcast, please give it a five star rating and review on Itunes  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-unstoppable-body-and-minds-podcast/id1493360543

 

Episode # 108- 5 Minute Somatic Tracking Meditation

In this episode I take you through a 5 minute somatic tracking meditation to calm your nervous system, and rewire your brain to create less pain!

 

Somatic tracking is the process of going into the sensations in the body and describing them neutrally.

 

This gives some space between the stimulus (sensation) and the typical response (some form of fear that leads to more pain).

 

When we can describe the sensations with different words, imagine the color or shape or texture, and just watching what is there instead of reacting to it, it actually trains the brain that the sensation is not important.  So it does not continue to produce it.

 

Listen in for a quick description of why we do somatic tracking to reprocess pain and emotions, and for the short meditation that you can use when you just have a few moments to practice!

 

Want help applying this into your life?  Check out my group coaching membership, Alignment Academy!

 

Join a community of like minded self healers- full of support, inspiration, and fun!

https://betsy-jensen.mykajabi.com/alignment-academy-membership

 

For fresh content on healing chronic pain or disease, follow Betsy

on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bodyandmindlifecoach/

 

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvXZSYYGL2cfJl-oEOzqspA

 

Website https://bodyandmindlifecoach.com

 

*Free Nervous System Modules- 4 free videos explaining the nervous system, how it affects your health, and how to regulate it  https://view.flodesk.com/pages/620ffa96e0eda1a0d870b5a6

 

*Curable App- 6 Weeks Free with this code http://www.curable.com/betsyjensen

 

If you like this podcast, please give it a five star rating and review on Itunes  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-unstoppable-body-and-minds-podcast/id1493360543

 

 

 

 

Episode #107- Pain Catastrophizing

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:

1. I worry all the time about whether the pain will end. 
2. I feel I can't go on. 
3. It's terrible and I think it's never going to get any better. 
4. It's awful and I feel that it overwhelms me.
5. I feel I can't stand it anymore. 
6. I become afraid that the pain may get worse. 
7. I think of other painful experiences. 
8. I anxiously want the pain to go away.  
9. I can't seem to keep it out of my mind. 
10. I keep thinking about how much it hurts. 
11. I keep thinking about how badly I want the pain to stop. 
12. There is nothing I can do to reduce the intensity of the pain. 
13. I wonder whether something serious may happen. 

A score over 37 means you tend to catastrophize how you think of your pain.

 

What is the solution for pain catastrophizing?

 

Mindfulness- being in the present moment!

There are ways to interpret your pain differently, like through somatic tracking or sending yourself messages of safety

 

Somatic strategies to calm the nervous system will help decrease pain catastrophizing.

 

So listen in for this quick summary of pain catastrophizing and how to rewire it!

 

For fresh content on healing chronic pain or disease, follow Betsy

on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bodyandmindlifecoach/

 

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvXZSYYGL2cfJl-oEOzqspA

 

Website https://bodyandmindlifecoach.com

 

*Free Nervous System Modules- 4 free videos explaining the nervous system, how it affects your health, and how to regulate it  https://view.flodesk.com/pages/620ffa96e0eda1a0d870b5a6

 

*Curable App- 6 Weeks Free with this code http://www.curable.com/betsyjensen

 

If you like this podcast, please give it a five star rating and review on Itunes  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-unstoppable-body-and-minds-podcast/id1493360543

 

 

 

Episode #106- Extinction Bursts

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 pressing more urgently and quickly before the behavior of pressing the button extinguished.

If you have an extinction burst, there are 3 common stages 1- panic, 2- forcing it, and 3- oh this is how it works!

Listen to this episode for more, and trust the process- extinction bursts are a good thing because it means the signal will soon become extinct!

 

Want help applying this into your life?  Check out my group coaching membership, Alignment Academy!

https://betsy-jensen.mykajabi.com/alignment-academy-membership

 

For fresh content on healing chronic pain or disease, follow Betsy

on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bodyandmindlifecoach/

 

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvXZSYYGL2cfJl-oEOzqspA

 

Website https://bodyandmindlifecoach.com

 

*Free Nervous System Modules- 4 free videos explaining the nervous system, how it affects your health, and how to regulate it  https://view.flodesk.com/pages/620ffa96e0eda1a0d870b5a6

 

*Curable App- 6 Weeks Free with this code http://www.curable.com/betsyjensen

 

If you like this podcast, please give it a five star rating and review on Itunes  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-unstoppable-body-and-minds-podcast/id1493360543

 

Bonus Episode- Alignment Academy Founder’s Special

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 the link for more information if this is calling to you!

Alignment Academy information:

https://betsy-jensen.mykajabi.com/alignment-academy-membership

 

For fresh content on healing chronic pain or disease, follow Betsy

on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bodyandmindlifecoach/

 

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvXZSYYGL2cfJl-oEOzqspA

 

Website https://bodyandmindlifecoach.com

 

*Free Nervous System Modules- 4 free videos explaining the nervous system, how it affects your health, and how to regulate it  https://view.flodesk.com/pages/620ffa96e0eda1a0d870b5a6

 

*Curable App- 6 Weeks Free with this code http://www.curable.com/betsyjensen

 

If you like this podcast, please give it a five star rating and review on Itunes  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-unstoppable-body-and-minds-podcast/id1493360543

 

 

Episode #104-Predictive Coding

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).  Click here:

https://betsy-jensen.mykajabi.com/alignment-academy-membership

 

For fresh content on healing chronic pain or disease, follow Betsy

on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bodyandmindlifecoach/

 

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvXZSYYGL2cfJl-oEOzqspA

 

Website https://bodyandmindlifecoach.com

 

*Free Nervous System Modules- 4 free videos explaining the nervous system, how it affects your health, and how to regulate it  https://view.flodesk.com/pages/620ffa96e0eda1a0d870b5a6

 

*Curable App- 6 Weeks Free with this code http://www.curable.com/betsyjensen

 

If you like this podcast, please give it a five star rating and review on Itunes  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-unstoppable-body-and-minds-podcast/id1493360543

 

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