Media
Like Mind, Like Body, The Curable Podcast
Why It’s OK to Be Skeptical About Healing
When it comes to healing, do you need to believe that there is only one “right path” for you? In this conversation with the amazing Christie Uipi, I share how skepticism and uncertainty can be welcomed in as a natural part of the healing journey.
We also talk about:
How I overcame a decade of pain
How to cultivate feelings of greater safety in the presence of uncertainty
How to engage in a more supportive dynamic with your healthcare team
Listen to the episode here.
The Curiosity Cure Podcast
Weight Stigma and Neuroplastic Symptom Recovery
If you haven’t met them, the cuties in the picture are Lupito (tuxedo) and Ziggy (tabby). I share a bit about them and their journey from Mexico City to London in the podcast. Listen in.
When it comes to chronic pain and other neuroplastic symptoms, so many people in larger bodies receive the message that they need to change their weight or size in order to heal.
In this conversation with my dear friend and coach extraordinaire Deb Malkin, we address:
How weight bias and stigma hijack critical thinking in healthcare spaces
The unique challenges that people in larger bodies face in accessing supportive care on their journey with pain and recovery
Troubling the idea that someone’s weight or size needs to change in order to heal and recover from pain - spoiler alert: it doesn’t
The link between weight stigma and bias, the nocebo effect, and threat physiology, and what this means for people experiencing neuroplastic symptoms
The importance of weight inclusive care
Creating corrective experiences in healing
An invitation to practitioners to create trauma-informed spaces that center consent, let go of assumptions, and engage curiosity and compassion
This is a deeply personal conversation. Listen in and share to create more weight inclusive care in mind-body healing spaces… and stay tuned for part 2
Listen to the episode here.
From Chronic Pain to Passion with Anna Holtzman
On grappling with uncertainty
In this episode of the brilliant Anna Holtzman’s podcast, we talked about one of the universal aspects of the chronic pain recovery experience, grappling with uncertainty.
We also talked about:
What led me to this work
The most instrumental tools in my recovery process
Challenging the hierarchical dynamic in mainstream Western medicine and discovering what healing and living a good and meaningful life is like for each of us
Connecting to our authentic self and passion through our healing journey
Listen to the episode here.
Thoughts on Record: Podcast of the Ottawa Institute of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Kent Bassett & Dr. Lilia Graue: Exploring Psychological Models of Chronic Pain
Evidence-based, psychological models and treatments for chronic pain are an exciting development in the understanding and management of chronic pain. In this episode, I join Dr. Pete Kelly and Kent Bassett, Director of the documentary This Might Hurt, for a discussion of the psychological treatment of chronic pain.
Among other topics, we discussed:
an overview of This Might Hurt and why Kent wanted to make this documentary, including his personal journey with chronic pain
a review of neuroplastic chronic pain/symptoms with a significant contribution from central sensitization
what the standard medical model has wrong about the treatment of pain
tell-tale patterns in symptom presentation that typically suggest that pain is of a psychogenic origin and the misperception that “it’s all in your head"
the urgency to integrate this framework into common interventions for chronic pain, including CBT
a brief overview of the interventions typically employed within psychological treatments for chronic pain
the role and risks of medication in the treatment of chronic pain
Listen to the episode here.
How To Heal Chronic Fatigue, POTS, and Long Covid Using Brain Retraining
Michelle Wiegers, Marion Cunningham, and Lilia Graue
Post-screening discussion with This Might Hurt film - an overview of how to use brain retraining to unlearn symptoms of fatigue, pain, and POTS associated with Long Covid. For more background on the science and recovery stories click here and here.
Can Brain Retraining Help Me Recover From Long COVID?
Lingering symptoms from long COVID and other chronic-pain conditions might result from faulty feedback loops in the nervous system. Brain training can help resolve them. Read this fantastic article by Mo Perry to find interviews from different experts, including me, and additional information and resources to help you on your healing and recovery journey.
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The Enchanted Loom*
Weaving neural pathways for healing
I write in support of:
Making sense of emerging evidence beyond oversimplified takes or dogma
Breaking free from one-size-fits-all approaches and exploring nuanced and compassionate ways to heal and feel like yourself again
*I carry on the metaphor of “The Enchanted Loom” from pioneering neuroscientist Charles S. Sherrington