Shownotes:

"You actually can rewire yourself, you actually can take your healing into your own hands, you aren't stuck in chronic pain." - Michelle Theriault

How do you untangle the web of chronic pain, a condition that blurs the lines between the physical and emotional? In this episode, Taryn and Michelle sit down with Dawn Harvie, a chronic pain recovery coach with firsthand experience.

Dawn shares her journey, which began with a fall that led to complex regional pain syndrome. She highlights the emotional toll of chronic pain and the brain's role in managing it. Dawn introduces the concept of neuroplastic pain, emphasizing the power of self-compassion in the healing process.

Explore techniques like hypnotherapy and pain reprocessing therapy, and get a fresh perspective on recovering from chronic pain. If you're navigating the complexities of chronic pain, this episode serves as a compassionate guide.

Dawn is a Chronic Pain Recovery Coach. Through her journey of recovery from chronic pain, she became fascinated with the topic. She uses her skills as a Mind Rebel™ Certified Coach, as well as everything she has learned about chronic pain, to help you understand the role of the brain in chronic pain and how to overcome it.

Read more about Dawn’s story, find resources, and connect with her at ChronicPainRecoveryCoach.ca.

Disclaimer: The concepts and skills discussed in this podcast do not replace formal medical or psychological treatment and should not be considered personal medical advice. Consult your own medical practitioner for any medical or psychological issues that you are having. 

Hope for Healing with Dr. John Stracks

Like Mind Like Body expert interviews and recovery stories

Psychophysiologic Disorders Association: https://ppdassociation.org/symptoms

Dr. Rick Hanson: “the brain is like velcro for negative experiences and teflon for positive ones.”

The Boulder Back Pain Study by Yoni K Ashar et al., Effect of Pain Reprocessing Therapy vs Placebo and Usual Care for Patients With Chronic Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial, published in JAMA Psychiatry, 79(1): 13-23, in 2022. DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.2669 

Dr. Howard Schubiner, Unlearn Your Pain (4th ed, 2022, Mind Body Publishing) 

Unlearn Your Anxiety and Depression (2016, Mind Body Publishing).

Study of hypnosis and breast cancer patients: Sofie Bulling Lind et al., Clinical Hypnosis in Medical Care: A Mixed-Method Feasibility Study published in 2021 in Integrative Cancer Therapies, Volume 20: 1-11. (Study was done in Norway, not Sweden as noted during the podcast.) 

Joan Rosenberg, 90 Seconds to a Life You Love (2019, Little Brown and Company). 

J Matta et al., Association of Self-reported COVID-19 Infection and SARS-CoV-2 Serology Test Results With Persistent Physical Symptoms Among French Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic 

[00:01:34] What is chronic pain?

[00:03:19] Dawn’s personal journey with chronic pain

[00:09:05] Pain as a message from the brain

[00:13:39] Childhood trauma and personality traits

[00:15:39] Dawn’s journey to recovery

[00:17:52] Techniques for dealing with chronic pain

[00:29:27] Criteria for identifying neuroplastic pain

[00:43:25] The resistance of the medical system to new approaches

[00:44:09] Understanding neuroplastic pain

[00:58:54] The link between chronic physical pain and emotional pain

[01:06:57] Visualization in chronic pain recovery 

[01:11:42] The promise of hypnobirthing, and the reality of experience

[01:12:55] Hypnotherapy and chronic pain relief

[01:14:38] The brain's role in pain perception

[01:21:57] The connection between fear and pain 

[01:28:47]Emotions as messages

[01:30:13] Listening to the body’s signals