Transforming Chronic Pain and Illness

Despite amazing advances in medicine and the best intentions of our health-care providers, chronic pain and recurring illness often dominate our lives. And if you're one of the millions of people living with the burden of a long-term health challenge, it may very well feel as if there's nothing to do but accept it and persevere. 

Dr. Jeffrey Rutstein sees things differently. "You have the power to transform your pain and suffering into a sense of relief and release rather than something that keeps you in suffering and struggle," he attests. With Transforming Chronic Pain and Illness, you're invited to a two-part online program teaching you the latest insights and practices from Polyvagal Theory on how to work with your nervous system to effectively manage not just physical discomfort but also the related thoughts and emotions that contribute to our suffering. 

Explore trauma-informed teachings and tools to ease the struggle with chronic pain and return to a sense of grounding and relief. Dr. Rutstein shares a practical understanding of the human nervous system, and how pain and illness cause our nervous system to be dysregulated in a vicious cycle that intensifies the suffering we experience.

By applying our nervous system perspective, particularly the lens of Polyvagal Theory, we can begin to bring our nervous system back into regulation and interrupt the ongoing exacerbation of symptoms and pain. You'll learn:

• How to view your circumstances from a "Polyvagal perspective" in which chronic illness and pain are not your fault and not your adversary

• The emotional factors and nervous system responses that can increase or decrease our symptoms and our suffering—and how to befriend your nervous system to prevent exacerbation of these difficulties

• How your nervous system and immune system interact, and how to identify and manage the most common stressors that arise in the face of chronic pain and illness

• The critical role of your vagus nerve, and mind-body techniques to work with it to moderate your body's fight/flight/freeze responses

• The immediate power of mindful awareness, compassion, and forgiveness to mitigate self-criticism or shame and restore your sense of equilibrium and equanimity

• Timeless insights from the world's wisdom traditions for meeting yourself where you are with grace, acceptance, and hope

• Somatic (or body-based) meditations, breathing exercises, and other simple mind-body techniques you can use on the spot to reduce pain and suffering and experience more resilience and ease