Medical rule-outs and mind-body rule-ins for those with chronic pain or symptoms
When I was suffering the worst chronic symptoms of my life, I saw all the doctors, did all the tests, and never got any answers that helped me, just one that scared me so much that it made everything worse.
The problem is, the medical system’s approach to many chronic symptoms is all wrong. It assumes that the “problem” occurs solely in the body, overemphasizes common imaging findings that don’t necessarily explain symptoms, and treats patients as if their nervous systems are irrelevant and as if doctors’ words don’t cause harm.
For many people with chronic symptoms, healing requires not just a different diagnosis but a fundamentally different style of relating to patients.