Most of my coaching clients are women. And, several of them suffer from fibromyalgia or other conditions that cause severe pain. When I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia Dr. Donaldson suggested that I was "Type A". I didn’t agree then. And, I don’t completely agree now. Sure I can be driven and competitive but years of…
I just had the delightful experience of 7 days without the pain of Fibromyalgia. I attribute the experience to sunshine, sunshine, sunshine, heat, and dry weather. Then last night we got word of a big system moving in. Thunder. Tons of rain. Cold, well at least relatively. The air pressure plunged. The humidity soared. The…
A long year has gone by. Ch ch changes. Ups and downs. But, it seems THE BOOK is calling me back. So, I am starting up again. When inspired, or perspired, I’ll be back.
I’ve been thinking about this a long, long, long time. Finally, today it hit me! I’ve been SOOO focused on my physical pain that I neglected the fact that there are really 4 dimensions or aspects of pain. In fact, pain can come from 4 directions. What are they? The first is obvious: Physical Pain….
I wrote this post about "Dancing with My Muse" over at Creative Careers Unleashed. It’s got me thinking about the relationship between pain and pleasure. I’ve noticed that when I feel the building rush and tingle of sensual pleasure… and push it down, suppress it… then I immediately feel the crush of myalgic pain. I…
In Jr. High we had a quirky little English teacher. He was a fussy, little bird of a man, flitting around the classroom like a Sandpiper. Pausing for moments to glance over one’s shoulder then skittering to the next student. I still remember his detailed description of how to build a proper compost heap: carefully…
It’s a cloudy Tuesday, the temperature hovering near -3 C. I’ve been sleeping better and longer lately. So, why am I so damn tired! And, why do I hurt all over? Then it hit me! Delayed reaction. Have you ever cut yourself on something really sharp? So, sharp that you don’t notice the cut until…
One of the joys of Fibro is the "pain in the butt" feeling. Apparently, tender points are the cause. But, what causes tender points? According to Dr. Stuart Donaldson of Myosymmetries tender points and other pain associated with Fibro is ’caused’ by "bad messaging" between the brain and muscles [my words]. As I understand it,…
I have a rather large collection of non-fiction books. Well over a thousand. Many fall in the self-help, psychology, personal growth categories. Every once in a while, as I’m sitting on the chair that’s parked in front of the bookshelf containing the self-help collection, I glance through the books. That’s how I rediscovered John Ratey’s…
A colleague recently recommended on her favourite books on dealing with pain, Dr. John Sarno’s Mindbody Prescription. I’ve only read the 1st chapter and already my worldview has shifted. It was like Sarno had been sitting in and watching my pain therapy session for the last year. Sarno’s approach is based on Freudian, yes! Freud,…