What does "rebuilding the body" mean to you?
My client (who remains anonymous, I’ll call her Emma) is in her mid-thirties and is rebuilding her body through Whole Body & Mind Coaching.
She has a long history of stress, trauma, extremely stubborn weight gain, and debilitating spinal pain and limitation. She was advised by medical professionals she would need spinal surgery to improve her quality of life.
Despite spending years believing her body has let her down, she is becoming physically & emotionally stronger with each passing week.
With this one-of-a-kind coaching & training, Emma is on her way to reconnecting her mind & body, one little step at a time.
Emma’s story shows us that when you start by meeting the body where it is right now, you give your body the chance to build resilience.
Emma learned to listen to the ‘messages’ from her body, such as symptoms, pain, emotions, unwanted weight, eating challenges and physical limitations. She learned new ways of gently communicating with her body.
A deeper understanding of her triggers (both physical & emotional), and recognising how trauma shows up in the body, has helped my client to finally begin to let go. Her body expresses appreciation by showing up for her in her everyday life.
Reducing the intensity of pain & trauma comes from meeting the body where it is, here & now, gently progressing forward as daily life brings more calm & ease. It comes from breathing into the body in a way that allows the nervous system to calm. Creating space for new possibilities.
We have applied skills to improve & understand the health of Emma’s nervous system, by finding ways to move and train that are effective, efficient, and sustainable, within the comfort of her own body.
When I began working with Emma a 4-5 months ago, she was unable to stand up and sit down in a regular chair due to debilitating back pain, she was using an electric chair to support her everyday needs.
She was eventually forced to give up her employment.
She was led to seek hope when she saw my advert on a local group.
Today Emma is able to easily sit & stand, with good use of her main muscle groups, and her smile matches her pride as she does so!
She no longer uses her electronic chair and has significantly reduced the use of the walker that she was also using for support.
Last weekend, she sent me a message oozing with pride – she was able to enjoy an outdoor event where she was walking constantly around for 2 hours! Prior to us working together, she was not able to leave her home without assistance.
We are now focusing on improving her posture & balance.
Trauma is extremely complex. Being trauma aware as a coach, helps me to find the tools to help my clients manage their way of showing up in the world.
All of this happens without ever having to dig into my client’s past. Of course, space is always created for this if she feels inclined, but sharing her past experience is not a requirement to help ease her symptoms and make life so much more comfortable and enjoyable.
My client attends also regular therapy for addressing the trauma itself.
I hope Emma’s story can provide hope & perspective, and confidence that this kind of recovery is possible. Improvements are often noted in a few short weeks.
Every ‘body’ is unique & therefore requires a unique approach to recovery and transformation.
I am so privileged to work with amazing women in a way that helps them to heal, at a pace that works for them.
It could mean the ability to walk and do general day-to-day things without pain, or significantly reduce pain & symptoms.
It could mean being able to lift weights without fear of a flare or relapse.
It could mean being able to exercise regularly without overwhelming fatigue.
It could be developing awareness or a new understanding of your body, pain, and movement so you can better tend to your symptoms and condition.
It could mean the possibility of not having to face surgery, or even the recognition that an active life is possible without surgery.
It could mean being able to enjoy regular body movement, instead of it feeling like body punishment.
It could be the recognition that there isn’t something that needs fixing, or something ‘wrong’, learning that symptoms are ‘messengers’ from the body, that something needs paying attention to.
It could mean learning how to move well and safely in the body, or working with this ‘version’ of your body since an injury or incident.
It could mean feeling confident, strong, and good in your body, regardless of the trauma, injuries, pain, or symptoms.
