Overcoming Chronic Pain with Mind-Body Connection

At just 19, Nicole Sachs received a grim prognosis—doctors told her she’d likely be in a wheelchair by 40, unable to travel or have children. This was a tough pill to swallow, especially for someone so young.

Years of severe lower back pain led her to discover it stemmed from spondylolisthesis, a spinal condition where a vertebra slips out of position. Physicians firmly linked her pain to this chronic condition and suggested spinal fusion surgery as the best path forward, albeit without any promises of alleviating her pain effectively.

However, before proceeding with surgery, Sachs encountered mind-body work and something clicked for her. She realized her pain was not just a physical issue—it was tied to repressed trauma and emotions.

Now, three decades later, not only has she found relief from her pain, but she also embraces life as a mother of three, traveling the globe and defying the limitations once imposed on her.

In her book, Mind Your Body, Sachs, who is also a social worker, explores how she connected traditional Western medicine with a groundbreaking new understanding of chronic pain; she emphasizes that her mind needed healing rather than her spine.

This journey challenged her understanding of pain entirely. Sachs emphasizes a pivotal realization: doctors don’t always have all the solutions. Now, she wants to share the insights that radically changed her life, hoping to assist countless others who find themselves caught in persistent pain.

Pain, Sachs suggests, can often be psychological, but perhaps not in the way many think. For centuries, ancient healers recognized the deep connection between mind and body—how, for instance, emotional trauma could manifest as physical pain. But with the rise of Western medicine, particularly in the 17th century, this interconnectedness began to diminish in the eyes of many.

This led to a dismissive attitude, with numerous doctors telling patients their tests were normal, implying their pain existed only in their minds. Sachs experienced this firsthand.

Yet, embracing the mind-body connection eased her pain and ignited a desire to delve deeper into understanding how the brain interacts with chronic pain. She pursued psychology and clinical social work, refining her approach to interlace psychotherapy with mind-body principles.

Sachs articulated, “The genesis of most chronic conditions can be explained when you understand how a fight-or-flight-motivated nervous system signals distress to divert us from perceived ‘predators’ causing our suffering.” Over time, she learned that rewiring her thinking was essential.

By acknowledging and giving voice to her inner child and unresolved trauma, Sachs found her pain beginning to fade away.

In mind-body medicine, terms like ‘chronic condition’ and ‘chronic pain’ cover a variety of persistent health issues—ranging from autoimmune diseases to anxiety disorders. Sachs spent years battling severe back pain, often going in and out of doctors’ offices, trying various medications.

It’s interesting, your brain is wired to protect you, so when you’re stuck in a constant state of stress, emotional pain might convert into chronic illness. This reaction floods the body with adrenaline and cortisol, preparing you to react in a crisis.

Understanding JournalSpeak

In her practice, Sachs introduced “JournalSpeak,” a visceral journaling method aimed at helping individuals release pent-up emotions. Here are some steps she promotes:

• Set a Timer: Journal for about 20 minutes without filtering thoughts or worrying about grammar.
• Pick a Topic: Choose something emotionally triggering, like past decisions or current physical symptoms.
• Write Unfiltered: Express unrestrained emotions—letting out even the messy or irrational parts of yourself.
• Discard the Writings: Once done, you can burn or delete what you’ve written, focusing on letting go rather than reflecting.
• Follow Up with Calm: Engage in a calming activity, like meditation, signaling to your brain that it’s safe to release those feelings.

In mind-body medicine, pain often reflects the nervous system’s response to repressed emotions. Sachs posits that addressing one’s feelings is crucial.

Throughout her own healing journey, she contended with feelings of loneliness and rage stemming from childhood experiences, and she eventually learned how these emotions triggered her physical pain. By facing these feelings, patients can deactivate the body’s instinctive alarm system, potentially halting pain.

JournalSpeak is about more than just writing; it’s a path to purge buried emotions. After journaling, Sachs recommends a period of meditation or breathwork to help ground oneself.

Research has hinted at the link between chronic pain and emotional issues. A report from 2012 highlighted how intertwined they are physiologically, indicating that a significant portion of chronic pain patients also meet the criteria for PTSD. Both conditions trigger hyperarousal in the brain, leading to stress that exacerbates pain.

Ultimately, Sachs believes the brain can learn to see that difficult emotions don’t pose real danger, thus lessening unnecessary pain signals. Approaches like JournalSpeak and mindfulness aim to recalibrate the nervous system—and remind us that not every stressor requires a painful response.