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Topic: Chronic Pain & Symptoms

Part 1: The Missing Pieces in Your Healing

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In this first episode of a 3-part series on the missing pieces in your healing, Grace explores why you might still be stuck in chronic symptoms—despite doing all the "right" things. She unpacks the deeper blueprint behind your healing efforts, explains how urgency and control often block progress, and introduces a new way forward: one rooted in nervous system safety, presence, and self-trust. If you're tired of trying to fix your body and are ready to work with it instead, this one's for you.

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5 Chronic Pain Myths

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If you're dealing with chronic pain—whether it's neck, back, or mystery pain doctors can't explain—this episode is for you. Grace breaks down 5 common myths about chronic pain and explains why so many people stay stuck in cycles of frustration, fear, and symptom management.

You’ll learn why pain doesn’t always mean damage, why more meds and physical therapy might not be helping, and what actually needs to happen for your body to start healing.

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The Overlap Between Eating Disorders and Chronic Illness

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In this episode of, Grace dives deep into a topic that affects so many of us—disordered relationships with food, especially for those navigating chronic illness and pain. Grace explores how perfectionism, control, and fear around food often intersect with chronic symptoms, leading to a cycle of anxiety, restriction, and dysregulation. 

She shares her personal journey with disordered eating and how rigid food rules worsened her symptoms. Grace breaks down the subtle but dangerous shift from mindful eating to fear-based eating, the personality traits that make people with chronic illness more vulnerable to disordered eating, and how wellness culture and functional medicine can unintentionally lead to harmful restrictions.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

  • How chronic illness and disordered eating mimic each other
  • Why perfectionism and control around food often lead to more harm
  • The key differences between mindful eating and fear-based eating
  • How fear of food impacts digestion, inflammation, and nervous system regulation
  • Why rigid wellness culture rules may be sabotaging your healing journey
  • Practical ways to heal your relationship with food and build trust with your body

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Q&A: Your questions answered!

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In this episode, Grace answers listener-submitted questions on mental, emotional, and spiritual health. She explores the connection between thoughts and emotions, how to retrain the brain for healing, and why food sensitivities may be linked to the nervous system.

Grace unpacks:

  • How to differentiate between thoughts and emotions while healing
  • The impact of negative thought loops on the body
  • Visualization techniques for managing symptom-related anxiety
  • Overcoming motivation struggles with ADHD and anxiety
  • The connection between food sensitivities and nervous system responses

Through detailed explanations and practical tools, Grace provides guidance on building self-awareness, regulating emotions, and creating a healing mindset.

Healing IBS Through Your Nervous System as a Dietician  

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Letting Go of Perfectionism

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In this episode, Grace explores the impact of perfectionism—how it subtly takes hold, shapes our self-worth, and fuels stress, self-doubt, and even chronic symptoms. She unpacks the hidden ways perfectionism manifests, from overthinking and procrastination to the relentless pressure of hustle culture. Through personal insights and reflections, Grace breaks down why society rewards busyness, how perfectionism affects the healing process, and the importance of shifting toward self-compassion. She also leads a powerful guided reflection to help listeners identify and release perfectionistic tendencies, fostering a mindset of ease, trust, and outcome independence.

Learn about Human Design with Charlotte Wright 

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Q & A – your questions answered!

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In this episode of the Heal with Grace podcast, host Grace answers listener questions about healing and navigating the complexities of mind-body health. Topics include managing perfectionism tendencies, handling the disappearance of chronic symptoms, maintaining a mindset when struggling to feel understood, and dealing with IBS and complex PTSD. Grace also announces new individual coaching spots with her and therapist Liana, emphasising the importance of personalised support in nervous system regulation. Tune in for practical advice and compassionate guidance for your healing journey.

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Best of 2024: Ep. 24 How to create your own authentic messages of safety

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In this episode of the Heal with Grace podcast, Grace interviews Vanessa Blackstone, the executive director of the Pain Psychology Center. Vanessa, who has a background in social work and is a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, shares her journey from dealing with her own chronic pain to becoming a therapist in pain reprocessing therapy (PRT). They delve into the concept of PRT, explaining how it aims to address the neural pathways in the brain that perpetuate chronic pain by creating messages of safety and soothing the nervous system. Vanessa discusses the challenges of establishing a sense of safety, particularly for those who didn't grow up in secure environments. Through her personal stories and therapeutic experiences, she emphasises the importance of slowing down, understanding one's emotions, and using authentic messages of safety to foster healing. The episode also touches on the broader aspects of creating safety in one's current life and explores how our past and present environments influence our sense of security

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Finding Your Inner Anchor: How to Feel Safe in Your Own Body

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In this episode of the Heal with Grace podcast, hosted by Grace Secker, listeners explore the essential practice of establishing an inner resource to find safety within their nervous systems. Grace discusses the importance of this practice in managing stress, chronic pain, and difficult emotions by creating a space of inner calm and grounding. The episode features a guided meditation designed to help listeners connect with their own inner resource, offering practical steps to build resilience and ease in the face of life's challenges. Grace also introduces a Q&A segment for future episodes and invites listeners to submit their questions.

Episode 24: How to create your own Authentic message of safety with Vanessa Blackstone

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How to stop catastrophizing

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This episode of the Heal with Grace podcast delves into the concept of catastrophising and its impact on anxiety and chronic pain. I explain how negative thought patterns can exacerbate pain and offer strategies to break this cycle, such as checking the facts of negative thoughts, naming underlying emotions, and retraining the brain to view pain as safe. Through personal anecdotes and practical tools, listeners are encouraged to practice self-compassion and mindfulness to facilitate healing. The episode concludes with an invitation for listeners to seek support and guidance on their healing journey.

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