As I write this in January 2025, we’ve stepped into a year that’s looking like it’s going to ratchet up the stress levels even more, with challenges coming on many fronts. Whatever can be done to improve the external circumstances we all share, each person will do according to their own beliefs and capacities, and may the force be with them. My own talents and nature have led me to learn how to help folks in pain, one at a time, and I believe that’s my best contribution to our shared world.
External circumstances can be triggering, which means we’re not only responding to the here and now, but also to old hurts that never got healed. Our ability to stop the injustices, disasters, wars, and misery in our world may be limited, but we can work on how it affects us. We can learn to react more often from our best self, instead of our wounded inner child. We can learn to act more often from our innate wisdom, instead of our pain. We can learn to stop the vicious cycle of trauma that breeds more trauma. That’s the focus of my coaching.
So I had this idea. Some coaching clients see me off and on, or as the need arises, and I’m always glad they do. Things do get better and desired changes do happen, but I also know the work builds with each session and I wondered, what would happen if I saw some clients twice a month for coaching, for six months?
I’m proposing we find out. One common obstacle to accessing coaching is the cost, and that irks me. As we know, our economic system is not designed to benefit the 99%, making the kind of work I do out of reach for many. Although I offer a sliding scale on an everyday basis, this January I am offering to see clients for between $20 and $49 per one-hour session, less than my lowest sliding rate (client sets the price by assessing what it’s worth to them), but only if they agree to see me for twice-monthly sessions for six months and fill out a questionnaire before and after.
Before the first session, participants will fill out an intake form in which they’ll assess their concerns – physical, emotional, psychological – and how much each affects their life on a scale of 1-10. Because as a coach I specialize in mind/body wellness and chronic pain, many of the items on the questionnaire are physical symptoms of autoimmune conditions.
I am not claiming to diagnose or offer a cure or a substitute for medical care, but these conditions have all proven to be positively affected by working with the emotions and I’m curious what changes we will see in six months. The idea behind working with physical symptoms is that chronic stress lowers our immunity, and relieving stress can relieve symptoms and restore a healthy immune system.
As a coach, I work with functioning people who want to suffer less and have more freedom of choice in how they experience life. If you are in danger of harming yourself or anyone else, if you are in a state of emergency, this program is not for you, and I urge you to see a licensed psychology professional.
You’ll fill out the same form in six months’ time and I’ll be curious to see what (if anything) has changed. It’s my own informal study. Everything I learn about you is completely confidential and protected by HIPAA law and will never be shared.
After all participants have completed six months or 12 sessions and I have all the “after” questionnaires, I’ll probably use the data in a blog and/or promotional materials, but only the results in general, without any identifying information about the individual participants.
If you or someone you know would like to try coaching with a Certified Trauma Care Practioner who is trained in Gabor Maté’s Compassionate Inquiry and Internal Family Systems, and if you are willing to commit to a total of 12 sessions over 6 months at a price you can afford, please go to my contact page to ask questions or sign up: https://www.mbodimentmassage.com/contact. All sessions are done on Zoom by appointment.
If you’d like to learn more about my approach, scroll down to read my blog on coaching, what I’m thinking, how it evolved, what to expect. I’m excited to begin this six-month program and plan to finish by the end of July, so do sign up now, this January, as we enter a year that’s looking like it’s going to be a “bumpy ride.” Let’s fasten our seatbelts together.
