When pain persists, it can change more than how you feel. It can change how you move, the plans you make, and what you believe is possible for your life.
Perhaps you’ve tried different treatments and found only temporary relief. You may feel caught between wanting to get back to the things you love and worrying that you’ll make something worse. Or you’ve begun learning about the mind-body connection and would like someone to help you put that understanding into practice.
I offer compassionate, personalized coaching to help you explore another path toward relief—one that brings together pain education, emotional awareness, somatic practices, and greater trust in yourself.
My story: learning to trust my body again
Movement has always been a central part of my life. As a dancer, Pilates teacher, and longtime movement educator, I have spent decades helping people develop strength, body awareness, and confidence. Yet knowing a great deal about movement did not protect me from experiencing persistent pain—or from becoming afraid of my own body.
Over the years, I experienced recurring knee, hip, and back pain along with chronic jaw pain and migraines. I sought explanations and tried different approaches, including physical therapy, chiropractic care, orthotics, and bodywork. Some things helped, sometimes for long stretches. But pain would return, and with it came more questions about what was wrong and what I needed to correct.
During a particularly difficult episode of back pain, even ordinary movements began to feel threatening. I found myself anticipating pain and questioning activities that once felt natural. For someone whose life and work revolved around movement, that uncertainty was especially unsettling.
Learning about mind-body approaches to persistent pain gave me a different way to understand my experience. I began exploring the relationships among my symptoms, the pressures in my life, my emotional experience, and the messages I had absorbed about my body.
Through journaling, somatic awareness, and gradually returning to movement with less fear, I began rebuilding trust. Moments of walking and dancing with greater freedom reminded me how much possibility was still there.
That experience deepened my teaching and led me to become a certified pain coach through the Sachs/Sarno Solution. Today, I bring both personal understanding and professional training to supporting others through this work.
I hold a PhD in Anthropology with a specialization in Medical Anthropology. My work explores how people understand illness and healing, how cultural beliefs influence our experiences, and how the stories we hear about our bodies can shape our lives.
That perspective informs how I listen.
Your symptoms exist within a whole life: your relationships, responsibilities, experiences, expectations, and the ways you have learned to care for others and yourself. I make room for that larger picture.
Alongside my academic background, I bring more than twenty years of teaching movement and somatic awareness. Together, these experiences shape an approach grounded in curiosity, empathy, and empowerment—with respect for your knowledge of your own experience.
What is mind-body pain coaching?
Chronic pain can involve a nervous system that continues sending protective pain signals after an injury has healed, or even when no injury has occurred. Stress, fear, learned associations, and emotional experiences can influence this process.
You may have encountered this approach through the terms TMS, mind-body syndrome, or neuroplastic pain.
Understanding these connections can create opportunities for change. Coaching helps you explore that understanding and develop practical ways to respond to symptoms, emotions, and everyday challenges.
Your pain deserves to be taken seriously. You do not have to have everything figured out—or feel completely convinced of this approach—to begin asking questions.
Could this approach be right for you?
This work may be worth exploring if:
You have had your persistent symptoms medically evaluated and would like to understand whether a mind-body approach could complement your care.
Treatments have brought limited or temporary relief, and you are curious about other factors that may be contributing.
You find yourself monitoring symptoms, anticipating pain, or avoiding activities because you are afraid of a flare.
You have noticed that symptoms change with stress, circumstances, attention, or feelings of safety.
You recognize patterns of perfectionism, self-criticism, people-pleasing, or putting your needs last.
You have read about TMS or mind-body healing but feel unsure how to apply it in your own life.
What we’ll explore together
Our work is collaborative and shaped around your experience. Three foundations guide my approach:
Understanding your pain
Learn how persistent pain can develop and explore the beliefs, fears, and experiences influencing your relationship with your body.
Putting understanding into practice
Develop tools such as expressive journaling, somatic tracking, meditation, and gradual movement exploration. Together, we’ll discover which practices are useful and how to make them part of everyday life.
Practicing self-compassion
Learn to meet difficult feelings and setbacks with greater kindness. We’ll explore how to recognize your needs, soften self-imposed pressure, and develop a stronger sense of agency.
The intention is to support meaningful change: less fear around symptoms, greater freedom in everyday activities, and more room for the life you want to live. Each person’s experience and pace will be different.
Working with me
I offer individual mind-body pain coaching as well as Elemental Ease, an eight-week group experience that combines education, guided practices, reflection, and connection. If you’re curious, I invite you to reach out. We can talk about what you’re experiencing, what you hope might change, and whether coaching feels like a good fit. Please email me at christey@elemental-pilates.com
