Welcome Eileen Laird, author of Healing Mindset. This episode, we target autoimmune disease and the role that the mind-body connection can play in reducing pain, increasing resilience, and living a more vital life.
There are over a hundred different autoimmune conditions — from rheumatoid arthritis to lupus to Grave’s disease to multiple sclerosis and more — one in ten people have an autoimmune condition worldwide. Stress makes the condition worse… fortunately, this also works in the other direction! In moments of overwhelm, we can learn to send an anti-inflammatory cascade back through the nervous system.
And that’s what we practice today! Eileen guides us in a soothing meditation of self-compassion, both working with pain and befriending the body.
In our discussion afterwards we explore:
how to work with pain and find safe places in the body
the relationship between sensitivity and autoimmune conditions
how to notice early warning signals
how Eileen supports herself via daily routines
and much more…
Eileen, thank you for writing your book and for supporting so many people through your incredible podcast.
LINKS:
The Afterparty
Ah-hoy! In this week’s party, we drink dragon fruit lemonade in pilsner glasses, and Tasha talks about her own rollercoaster journey with Graves’ disease. Sometimes an illness calls on you to change the entire way you live – there is no other choice. We also talk about how pain can be an invitation to experience yourself as a broader field of sensation, one that includes the body but isn’t limited to it. Then we clink our glasses again! :)
*In an effort to sustain our antics, the Afterparty will move behind ye old paywall soon!
Pour yourself some lemonade, take the practice for a spin, then tell us in the comments how it all went down!
K, That’s all for now! Thanks for tuning in & see you next week.
Love always,
🧘🏽♀️ Tasha & Jeff 🧘🏼♂️
This was great -- I'd love to see more episodes on working with pain experiences. It's so prevalent and needed by so many people. And my neuroscience nerd soul loves learning new language for explaining how and why this works. I might save that "fluctuating arabesque" for special occasions, though... ;-)
Follow up: not exactly the same as the conversation tied to diagnosable disease. But validating that these conversations and knowledge is growing in these areas none the less!
This was a very helpful podcast. When I was an adolescent, I started feeling achy all of the time. The doctors chalked it up to growing pains, and when it just continued to get worse into my 20s, they said it was fibromyalgia. When it was really bad in my 30s they said it was in my head. Finally, in my 40s they took fucking X-rays. Yeah, 30 years to even take an X-ray. Anyway, they realized that I have widespread (literally everywhere: feet, ankles, knees, hips, spine, shoulders, neck, elbows, wrists, hands.) osteoarthritis. And they said it is genetic, started before I was a teenager, and I would have benefited from an early diagnosis. They caught it at a point where I now have scoliosis from it, which, to be honest, looks kinda cool on an X-ray. I also have chronic (20+ days/mo.) migraines. (Sorry, I'll stop complaining now.) I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you; meditations for pain would be helpful; and I feel very lucky to be amongst others who enjoy meditation, food, and words. 😂
I hear you on the long, lengthy, life-long journey towards diagnosis. It's a journey 😩 So glad I'm not the only one who wants more meditative explorations of pain, haha. Jeff and I were like "are these episodes downers, or do people like it?" Turns out, it's actually the salve we all secretly need!
I'm so glad this episode was helpful, and so sorry that it took decades to get a diagnosis. It's way too common! From one food/meditation/word lover to another, it's nice to meet you!
Thank you! ♥️
Reminds me of some readings I recently received from ‘reasons to be cheerful’ and this book: The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging (Simon & Schuster) by Julia Hotz.
Ha! The Universe never fails to deliver! It's a Sunday morning, and I finally gave up on sleep around 4am because a RA flare is making sleep difficult. So I headed to Substack, and this glorious gift was waiting for me! So many parallels. I came to meditation originally as a way of escaping my pain. It doesn't work that way at all I quickly discovered. I had rapid onset with high disease activity as well. Also a hsb. And started my first round of immunosuppressants ( and self isolation)three months before covid hit. Now I'm going to order Eileen's book ( thank you!) and lean into the new level of joy that's been unlocked this morning! So much gratitude xx
Wow! How serendipitous! Happy this could show up at exactly the right time for you :)
I love serendipity! I'm so happy you found this episode at the right time. Thanks for sharing your story, Carmen. It does sound so similar to mine.