I clearly remember the moments in my life when I first heard the words interstitial cystitis and vulvodynia. They were a couple years apart, but both stand out in their vividness. I spent days and weeks after each diagnosis feeling muddled, panicked, stressed, and confused. The number one thing I wanted was help and support,… Continue reading Help for Helping Yourself Heal
Tag: Vulvodynia Support
The Love List – A Powerful Healing Tool
I’ve been giving myself a fun assignment lately, and it’s working so well I want to share it with all of you. It has had a profound effect on my state of energy, which is truly the source of all health – life force energy, chi, prana – whatever you want to call it. A… Continue reading The Love List – A Powerful Healing Tool
Your Physical Alarm System
Did you know that avoiding emotions is one of the main reasons we experience physical pain? Yep, it’s true! I have avoided emotions for much of my life, most of the time not even realizing I was doing so. I did not realize that much of the anxiety I was feeling was actually a by-product… Continue reading Your Physical Alarm System
Coach, Coach Thyself
Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m a very stubborn person. My parents always told me this, and I stubbornly refused to admit it. Out loud, that is. The overwhelming evidence of my stubbornness has always been a little hard to refute. It takes a big disruption in my life to jolt me out of the single-minded… Continue reading Coach, Coach Thyself
Saved by my Inner Healer
My Inner Healer (see previous posts) and I became very good friends after my first appointment with the breathing and relaxation instructor, Kathleen. It turns out deep breathing is a fantastic way to start listening to your Inner Healer, which is why I began mentioning it a few posts ago. Breathing is magical. It stops… Continue reading Saved by my Inner Healer
Finding Your Inner Healer
In Martha Beck’s book, Finding Your North Star, she discusses the concept of the essential self. Basically, your essential self is the calm, peaceful, wise you who knows exactly what you need in every moment of your life. When you feel flashes of intuition, you are hearing the voice of your essential self. When you… Continue reading Finding Your Inner Healer
Depression
It’s so easy to feel down or depressed when you are dealing with pain or other frustrating symptoms. Everything seems gray – the days feel difficult, it’s hard to find the fun or joy in life. Depression feels heavy, and before you know it, you honestly can’t remember how to feel good. The symptoms seem… Continue reading Depression
Your Identity
I’ve always been a voracious reader, but my experience with vulvodynia opened my eyes to whole new genres of books. I read books about natural healing, more self-help books than ever, books about spirituality – if it had words in it, I read it! This was, of course, how I came to discover Martha Beck… Continue reading Your Identity
It Sounds Good…
I’ve just finished my ten-minute relaxation and am feeling calm and peaceful. (See yesterday’s post.) While I was doing my deep breathing, I remembered another piece of the puzzle you might find helpful. (Have I mentioned that taking ten minutes to focus on the breath and evoke a relaxation response often leads to inspiration as… Continue reading It Sounds Good…
The Relaxation Response – Why You’ll Love It!
I’ve talked a little about the detrimental affect panic has on your physiological healing, and you are familiar with the unpleasant sensation of living with panic or fear as your primary emotion. My last post discussed a quick way to escape the panic when it is just too overwhelming. I’d like to talk today about… Continue reading The Relaxation Response – Why You’ll Love It!