The Cure for Chronic Pain with Nicole Sachs, LCSW

Scarlett was so distraught when she found this work. She was in her 40's, using a walker to get around, unable to climb stairs, and a failed back surgery left her with severe neuropathy and totally bereft. After finding my work through her research on Dr. Sarno, Scarlett dove in and took my online course Freedom From Chronic Pain. It began her journey, and by the time we met at a small retreat I d...

Today on the podcast I bring to you a very personal episode about my own life, and what it means to live the work. Lately my TMS has been showing up as sleep anxiety, and it makes a lot of sense! It's an old wound (lots of childhood trauma about sleep) and I am an inherently anxious person. But when it really began to affect my life, I decided to really re-dedicate myself to my JournalSpeak practi...

You know how I love my Real Time Heals - cold therapy sessions on air that get to the heart of where people are struggling. Today, Jennifer joins me to discuss her Long Covid, which took this avid athlete and triathlete down to the ground. I have been helping people with Long Covid all around the world since its inception, and I want everyone on the planet to know that this work is an option for t...

Today we tackle an impactful and important topic - learning to greet this life with curiosity instead of fear: "wearing it loosely" instead of seeking to control. THIS IS NOT EASY, but it is everything. We as humans are such inherent controllers, wanting to be "right" or "done" or "okay". Life just doesn't work that way. Join me today with Samantha, a member of our community who sent a Speakpipe a...

Today on the pod we are talking about Anxiety, one of the favorite topics of this community. When I say fave of course I know you don't WANT to have to talk about anxiety, but alas, we are such an anxious bunch. Here's why: Anxiety and Chronic Pain/Illness/Symptoms/Syndromes/Diagnoses are interchangeable. Anxiety is one of the most common symptom imperatives, and so often I hear from you guys that...

Marian is back! My first ever podcast guest 4 years ago, Marian has come so far and has sage wisdom for you all about how to live a chronic pain free life. This does not mean that things are perfect. It means that she has a toolkit and knows how to use it. We cover all the best practices (including how two crazies like us can meditate), and we talk about her whole journey and what it's revealed ab...

So often we feel pulled in two directions with this work: How can I unearth and reckon with the things in my life that are causing my body to channel pain, and also hold space for a positive mindset and openness to ease? A common misconception, I have found in my many years of doing and teaching this work, is that either we can't have both, or we are hurting ourselves by feeling so much heavy stuf...

** TRIGGER WARNING. EMMA IS DOING GREAT, BUT DOES DISCUSS SUICIDAL IDEATION AND THE DEATH OF A FAMILY MEMBER BY SUICIDE ON THIS EPISODE ** When Emma and I first connected, she was requesting a RTH for issues related to Lupus/other autoimmune conditions, and I jumped at the chance to highlight such an important topic, and help her to move the needle on her healing. But guess what?? Emma dedicated h...

I've learned this year that we need to get lost in order to be found. The obstacles in the path are the path. Our challenging parts of life (family, work, self-worth, relationships) are our sacred spiritual practices. Happily, all of this hard work also results in the cessation of chronic pain. What a joy it is for me to be on this trip with you. I love that I can use my own life as an example and...

Today as we inhabit The Holidays 2022, I bring to you a revisit of an incredibly impactful concept: Pre-grieving and the attendant anxiety and lack of presence it brings. Almost a year after it originally aired, this episode holds particular significance considering what has transpired, and the lessons therein. Join me for an important reboot of a topic that plagues so many of us, and the mindset...

We received a Speakpipe that really influenced us and got us thinking. Dana piped in to say that she was experiencing insomnia and numbness after leaving her job to stay home with her kids, and also knew somewhere inside she was stuck - that her deeper worry and projection was that when she got "done" with these parts of her life, then she might actually do something that made her feel fulfilled....

I heard from Grace long before I met her at Omega. She was deeply struggling, and reached out for help. The only thing I could advise her (and could advise anyone) was to take advantage of the resources I offer, and do her best to do the work. Well, boy did she! Not only did Grace do the work, she came to Omega and bravely and boldly lived her journey out loud. Grace's story has lots of peaks and...

Hello loves! Today on the podcast we are hearing from Erin, a cancer survivor who is curious as to how we can square the need to eat healthily and regulate our gut microbiomes with this mind/body work. Erin's symptoms are stuck and she is not sure where to go, so I am here to weigh in (no pun intended lol). I have found over years of practice, writing, and teaching, that there is no system more po...

When I got Claire's email, I was so filled with gratitude that I knew our interview had to be our Thanksgiving episode. Claire spent a lifetime (and I mean a lifetime) battling TMS in myriad forms, never knowing that there was a solution that connected all of her symptoms. Plantar fasciitis, fibromyalgia, and finally larynx and voice disorders that brought her to her knees - Claire became ready to...

As we enter into what some refer to as "hurricane season" - the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's - let's spend some time talking about the MindBody journey and getting the support that lifts us. When we need to express ourselves, it can be helpful to prepare our thoughts. So often this MindBody work is misinterpreted, and once we begin it can feel daunting to share about it in a satisfyin...

Yes, we have been called to wake up. Yes, we were desperate to leave chronic pain and conditions in the rearview. And yes, this is fraught with anger, frustration, fear, confusion, and conflict. But here we are, and this is the road to everything you've ever wanted. I promise. It just takes what it takes to get there. Today on the pod, Christine's inspired Speakpipe (read: F*ck you, Nicole!) sends...

I love when your very own voices give me the chance to explain things that everyone needs to know. These concepts bear repeating again and again, reminding us always how to stick with the work alongside a mindset of healing. Today we take two Speakpipe questions from Alanna and Raquel, and tackle the "back to basics" concepts of how to do this work "right" and why exactly we are a society sufferin...

If you've been with me for a while, you have definitely heard me evoke the image of life's journey being analogous to climbing a mountain. Not a slog from the bottom to the top in a straight line - an ascension in concentric circles, around it like a corkscrew. This beautiful image is one we are building out today. I know how hard it is to feel like you're not making enough progress, or you're "ri...

Lisa Rinna has been on your screen for years, but rarely has the controversy over her anger been so great. We became acquainted when Lisa reached out for help with the grief of losing her mother, a beacon of strength and support in her life. Once she began a JournalSpeak practice, Lisa began to feel the relief of connection with authenticity, which was made manifest right in front of the camera wh...

Over the years in private practice, there was a theme that recurred again and again - "I can't stand the way I react to life sometimes, but I can't seem to change it!" I have found people frustrated with their seeming inability to affect transformation in their own lives. It came to me, little by slowly and working with my own journey in tandem, that we were all being led around by the neck by 5 y...

Hello my loves. Today we revisit a beautiful story which is a metaphor for healing, and take a look at how I've changed in the past two years since I first told it. Tara Brach, the amazing meditation teacher and sage guide, tells us to gather the parts of us we've needed to banish, and "let them belong". Today we discuss this process, and the gentle way we can hold ourselves accountable in the war...

Today we conclude our official 28 day challenge with a selection of your own voices, and acknowledgment of all stages of the journey. I answer your questions, weigh in on my own 28 days of JS and meditation, and highlight several of you who are walking this path with grace and tenacity. I'm so proud of you! Remember, one of the most important things you can realize in this journey is that YOU ARE...

Wow. What an episode this was to produce. So much emotion comes up for me when I walk this path with you guys, hearing your stories and witnessing your growth. Many, many of you have written and Speakpiped to me asking for a "Where are they now?" themed episode on my Real Time Heals... and I have answered. Brooke came to me after 5 pelvic and thoracic surgeries to treat endometriosis and hip pain...

Hello my podcast family! Today on the pod we are focusing on things to celebrate. This is hard work, but it yields great rewards. We have received some beautiful success stories on Speakpipe, and today I'm highlighting one that really lit us up. Kathryn had migraines so badly, she had only ONE OR TWO DAYS A MONTH without searing pain. She tried everything. Now, after doing the work, she's essentia...

Welcome to the wild and wacky fall, where anything goes. This is a travel week, so I was thinking of bringing on a "best of" RTH, which many of you have requested on Speakpipe, but the universe had other plans. I got walloped this week by a bout of TMS I haven't felt in many years, and true to my nature, I decided to bring it onto the pod to share my process with you. Never knew I would be the sub...