Where Spirit Meets Science for Healing

That title came to me one day when I was doing a meditation. It was the third time I had been sick in three months, and I was over it. After not having been sick in three years, I figured maybe this streak of illnesses was showing up for me for a reason. So, I decided that, instead of feeling sorry for myself any longer, I would embrace the solitude and get curious about what I was supposed to get out of this time.

I took my meditation practice to a new level by spending time daily in some version of meditation. I let go of criticizing myself for not doing it “correctly,” letting my mind wander or trying to be in any particular position without squirming. My meditation took many forms, including prayer, stillness, guided meditation, breathwork, and observing my thoughts. I practiced sitting crossed-legged until I wiggled into a bent-over position with elbows on my knees when my back got tired. I practiced lying on the sofa and drifted in and out of sleep. I let go of any rules and welcomed insights from myself and my realm of spirituality. And, one afternoon during a meditation, these words popped into my head: “Where Spirit Meets Science for Healing.” That’s me in a nutshell. I blend pain science, which investigates how our brains process pain, with coaching to help people find solutions for chronic pain. This typically includes mindfulness exercises, physical exercises, goal-setting, and exploration of mindset/beliefs/emotions.

The part that I knew but could not find words for was “the spirit” of healing. The spiritual aspect is the part of us that has a relationship with the pain. It’s the part of us that needs to understand how the pain shows up for us and what purpose it serves.

Here are some examples of lessons people may need to learn from their pain or illness:

• It’s time for me to focus on my health and prioritize myself. I am worthy of the time, effort, and money to be my healthiest, best version.

• I can advocate for myself and communicate what is best for me. I can state my needs without holding back from fear that people will think I’m high-maintenance, complaining, or needy.

This lesson came up with a client when she expressed concerns about being able to work out with a personal trainer. She had several past experiences of getting injured when working out with trainers or therapists because she trusted they knew what was good or bad for her condition(s). She ignored her intuition even when she felt hesitation about doing some exercises. She wanted to get back in shape but was fearful of re-injuring. When I asked her if she felt confident she could tell the trainer she did not want to do an exercise, she said she didn’t want to feel like a whiner. Until then, she was unaware of how this belief she held that she should be “agreeable” and that expressing her concerns for her well-being might offend the other person was contributing to her staying stuck in her pain/fear cycle.

• I need to learn how to manage stress more effectively. Stress causes several physiological changes in our bodies that affect our immunity, physical resilience, and mental health. Stress can lower the threshold of our central nervous system, resulting in more pain. Sometimes pain presents as a signal that we need to slow down, take a deep breath, and find strategies to manage our stress.

Chronic pain and illness affect our entire beings, including our physical bodies, our minds (thoughts, mindset, mood), and our spirits (the “essence” of who we are, why we are here, and who we want to be). So, for me, the spirit of healing is getting to the deeper meaning of why and how the pain is here to get our attention.

If we allow ourselves to be curious about it instead of resisting it, we may be able to gain clarity on our values, priorities, and self-worth.