About Lindsey
~ Chronic Pain & TMS Coach, Mind-Body Expert ~
My Story
How long have I been doing what I do and how did I become a Pain Coach?
To answer this question, it’s probably best that I share with you a defining moment, that brought me to where I am today – coaching people like you on exactly what to do to reduce or potentially eliminate their chronic pain. That defining moment in my life happened in 2013.
I'd been working as an Occupational Therapist since graduating from University in 2001. I fell in love with the field when I saw patients recovering from serious illnesses or injuries and heal not only their bodies but also their souls. They learned essential life skills to return to a life that was healthier all round - from finances to relationships to everyday living.
I loved the idea of helping people to live their healthiest and best life and was always on the look-out to find new ways of helping people achieve this.
But along the way, I met too many people who were being given a terrible life sentence of pain and told there was nothing they could do to change it.
I felt helpless, I felt frustrated... and I felt so angry that this was seen to be acceptable in the 21st century.
One month, I had three clients, practically at the same time - with three needless life sentences of pain: one man in his 40's with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) who felt pain all over his body constantly and had to wear gloves to protect his skin from painful touch. His wife was just trying to cope with his constant falling.
Another was a veteran in his 50's suffering from tremendous back pain who was bed-ridden. The pressure on his wife was unbearable and he couldn't even get to the pain clinic to access what limited treatment there was.
The third was a woman with Chronic Fatigue who lived in her bed surrounded by clutter, barely able to get to the bathroom - even talking was painful for her. These three patients - all at the same time - were the straw that broke the camel's back for me.
All I kept saying to myself was: “How did we end up like this?! How did I end up in a world, in 2013 - where people are still allowed to live this way? With all the advances in medicine - there must be a better way! How can I find a way to release these people from a medical life sentence and make a difference for them? How can I help give them their lives back so they can live with some sense of normality?”
I decided this was NOT acceptable. I decided I needed to take action.
I knew first-hand it was possible to come back from complete physical breakdowns. I worked through it personally after my first child was born to get my body working properly again after being plagued with a variety of painful conditions - migraines, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis and other pains that couldn't be explained with the typical medical model.
I was learning how the mind and body were connected and how there were no limits to what the human body could do. The process did not take forever and miraculous shifts could happen quickly.
As I continued to work with clients, I started to apply what I had learned first-hand, combined with ongoing studies. I came across the pioneering work of Dr. John Sarno who recognised the powerful links between our minds, bodies and pain, and Georgie Oldfield who developed SIRPA (Stress Illness Recovery Practitioners Association) and brought this work to the UK.
I was learning that chronic pain was due to a variety of factors - not just injury or illness. Anything that traumatizes the body - worry, anger, fear, shame, guilt - all impacts the body as well as the mind and can short circuit people being able to experience complete health and freedom.
I continued my research into mind-body work, became a certified SIRPA practitioner, OldPain2Go® practitioner and advanced BLAST Technique® practitioner, dealt with my pain and past demons and started teaching anyone else who suffers from chronic pain how they can do the same: I watched their self-esteem return, their relationships become closer, their anxiety disappear as they became in control and free again. Their prison sentence had ended and they had a future!
Since then, I’ve worked as a Pain Coach with many private clients, spoken in front of groups and helped numerous people return to pain free living. I've become an accredited Belief Coding® facilitator which enables a deeper and even more powerful dive into the driving forces behind the pain so they can be released permanently.
I have also developed the Chiron Chronic Pain Release Coaching Programme and Pain Recovery Course, a series of important inner and outer steps everyone suffering from chronic pain needs to apply in order to regain control and release themselves from the life sentence of pain.
I have made a commitment to dedicate the rest of my professional life to helping people everywhere who feel misunderstood by the medical community, are suffering from being over-prescribed with medication and tired of being tired and in pain.
I help them breakthrough their worry, anxiety, depression and fear to feel better inside and out, be in control of their life again and live the life they want - pain free.
What makes me different to other Pain Specialists?
Although we will occasionally touch on the physical aspects of the pain and other ‘pain management’ things, you have me as a mind-body expert and consultant. With my therapy background, I am able to incorporate the best bits of pain management principles with the mind-body approach to provide a truly holistic treatment programme that works. My programme doesn't aim to help you manage pain so you can learn to live with it, it aims for you to be pain free so you can get on with your life!
I teach you new understandings of your body and mind and proven ways to take back control. I work using evidence-based techniques on the inner and outer principles to enable you to become pain-free, looking at your pain from every angle - emotional, psychological, sociological, spiritual. What that means to you is that you get an experienced, authentic and effective pain coach with compassion (and a healthy dose of humour!).
I am DBS checked, HCPC registered and a member of the British Association of Occupational Therapists.