SmartBody SmartMind Part 2

In my journey out of chronic pain, I spent a solid year and a half working with the material presented in the SBSM program. They offer lifetime access to all the program material in order to emphasize the fact that coming out of pain and into wellness is a lifelong journey, not a 3-month accomplishment. The program offers so much! However, some of what they presented just wasn’t for me or didn’t fit my worldview, so I let it go, but most of it was invaluable to learning to break the cycles of pain and tension in my body.

Let me continue. In SBSM, I learned to:

• Sense when my stress increases. I know what to do to bring down the tension. Learning to stay calm in the face of physical stress/pain has changed my life. My pain always reduces when I stop what I’m doing, do mindful (focused, slow body) movements, and focus on my breath. I can sense what to do next depending on what is going on in my body. This is very empowering. I know what to do with my pain! I know how to bring it down! (Celebrate with me!)

• Understand fight/flight/freeze. I usually slipped into freeze and felt like giving up. This makes tons of sense because of my past paralysis, wheelchair, and operations (immobilization).  I improved enough to feel anger rather than just wanting to give up. That feels more alive! But then I learned that I have to control that anger and not show it all to my husband!  :0). (I was so proud of myself when I got angry enough to yell instead of curling up and crying!). 

• Grieve my loss. Though I’ve shared my testimony many times and my life has turned out very well, all things considered, I think this program actually helped me grieve the loss of my healthy, active 14-year-old body. Maybe I delayed that grief for over 30 years. Opps. Once I finally understood just how much my body and mind went through, I was able to be compassionate with myself. The regular practice of lament has given me a meaningful way to grieve. When strong feelings of sadness come over me (such as when I’m not able to participate in a fun physical activity like hiking), I let my sadness express itself, but I give it boundaries, so it doesn’t overwhelm me. I know the emotions will pass if I give them the space they need.

• Have a greater capacity. I still have a significant amount of pain in my right leg and tension through my back and shoulders, but my ability to handle it has greatly increased. I think I probably didn’t start to see major changes until having practiced SBSM for about 9 months. At that point (and with the help of inspiresomatics.com) I was able to reduce my headaches and body pain drastically. I still practice somatic movements, usually twice a day on my yoga mat. Of primary importance was learning the art of awareness. For so many years, I had been overriding my pain and ignoring it to push on. Us busy human doings are all very practiced in numbing pain… so we can keep on doing. SBSM did not completely heal me from my pain but taught me how to manage it so that I have capacity to live again.

• Do what my body needs and let go of appearances. At one point, I knew I needed to use walking sticks. I started using them not knowing if I would ever be able to get rid of them. I could see how much better I walked with them, and I had the personal power to do what was necessary, even though I didn’t want to because of pride. I also started using wheelchair services at airports. I had begun to dread travel because standing in line was agony for me. For way too many years, I was too proud to use wheelchairs. Now the joy of travel is coming back! Letting go of pride and worry over appearances is a major accomplishment, my friends. Just do it!

• Find internal sources of relief. Before this, I always look toward external sources: massage, physical therapy, pain pills. It is just amazing to know that the answer is within myself and my abilities to stay calm and refocus my awareness. Amazing. This feels very much like a spiritual breakthrough. Rather than viewing God as “out there” like a distant, but loving grandfather in the sky, God has made his home in me. My body is his temple. It makes sense. When I was stuck in my pain, God felt distant. It is His presence within me that I’m focusing on in my breath prayers. (See This blog post – Room to Breathe). I have found the ability to rest in Him. I feel alive when I come back, multiple times each day, to resting, pausing, and noticing his presence in me.

• Change my lifestyle.  This is the bottom line.  If anybody wants to be regulated and reduce pain, their lifestyle must change. Now I can say no to activities — without shame — if I know it is too much for me. Yet, changing my lifestyle does not mean I’ve become a lazy person who does less. I do different things and do a lot of things in a different manner than before. I’ve become more focused.

Please note – SBSM and Inspire Somatics did the trick for me. These programs helped me break my pain cycle and the feeling of hopeless entrapment. I still practice the things I learned daily. Incorporating stillness and calmness multiple times each day is a lifestyle change that everyone can benefit from. We are at an exciting time in history when so much new information is available to help us come out of trauma. Just remember that your “one step at a time” might not look like mine. I’m praying that God leads you as you seek to change your lifestyle and reduce your pain. This whole website is to encourage you that it is possible! 

One step at a time.

“To deny oneself is to be aware only of Christ and no more of self,

to see only Him who goes before and no more the road which is too hard for us.

Once more all that self-denial can say is:

‘He leads the way, keep close to Him.’”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer