Lisa’s story: I can smile again

By the time I found Lin, I was ready to be well.

I was at a point where you could have told me to stand on my head, and if I thought it would work, I would've done it. I was in the emergency room every two weeks or so. It was absurd to me. I didn't understand. And it was getting worse and worse. I just happened upon Lin and I said, well, I've tried everything else. Let's try this and see if it works.

The first thing I learned with Lin is that my brain controls most of my pain, and it's up to me to regulate my nervous system. I learned a mind-body approach - how to develop new neural pathways in order to change the way my body reacts to pain.



I haven't been to the ER for almost a year.

Lin set my arrow on a straight path toward my target - overall wellness and freedom from pain.

In the beginning, when you are creating the new neural pathways, your brain fights it. Your brain and nervous system fight off your attempts to heal by giving you more symptoms. They throw little signals… like allergy symptoms and pains in parts of your body you never thought could even experience pain. It's your brain fighting against what you are trying to do.

When I experienced these little symptoms, I turned to my coach and said "Shannon, what is going on with my body?" Her answer? "You don't know how close you are to recovery."

And then, boom - you get it.

My coach was impressed by my rapid success. She said, "I've never seen anything like this!  It’s like you're at least a year into it - but you've only been with us a few months."

The thing was, I was ready to be well. I was already doing some of the techniques that Lin teaches. I was meditating. I was trying to talk to my body, but I wasn't doing it the right way. I just needed to be focused. Lin set my arrow on a straight path toward my target - freedom from pain and overall wellness.

But it was hard work, holding that arrow in place. There were lots of challenges that threatened to throw me off course. It's not that I got worse before I get better, but I did experience lots of things before I really got better.

I had a lot of childhood trauma to work through. Lin showed me how to allow space for the hard things and gave me the tools to do the work. Lin couldn’t do it for me. I had to do it. My coach supported me with meditations and mantras and other support, and I did it on my own.

Even when it was super-exhausting, I stuck with it, because I could see my body changing. And the work finally paid off.

Lin has been my personal cheerleader.

The thing about Lin that really moved the needle for me was my coach, Shannon.  

I really needed a cheerleader. I needed someone to say, "Lisa, you can do this. Lisa, you know this."  Someone to be accountable to. I was a walking victim at one point, with one thing after another happening to me. I needed someone to say to me, "It's okay to be okay. You don't have to fight everything. Fight for yourself. All of that energy you're putting into defending yourself against the world, use that energy to help yourself."

Since I started the brain-first approach with Lin my life is full. I am no longer a victim. I feel I have control over my mind and my body, and I have the great opportunity to help others who are feeling like I felt. I have a life now. I can smile. I can accept a hug, and it doesn't hurt.

Lin teaches you how to own your story, how to help yourself, and how to heal yourself.

To anyone who is considering this approach, I say, “Try it!” You really have nothing to lose but pain.
You just need to be open-minded, open-hearted, and patient. And you need to have grace with yourself - you may not get it right all the time. The nature of recovery is that you're going to have bad days. It's what you do next that really means something. With the help of your Lin coach, you get back up, and you keep going.

And I would also say, “Be stubborn!”  Be very determined to get results. You know how a hungry person eats when they get some food that they like in front of them?  That's how you should approach Lin.

Once I was solidly on the road to recovery, I decided to become a Lin coach myself.

Without a doubt, I believe that if you put everything that Lin offers into action, you are going to see a difference. You may not be totally pain-free, but you're going to see something different in your life. If it doesn't work, Lin will get your money back, and you can move on. We are here to support you.



If you put these things into practice in your life, you’ll get out of it what you put into it.

My Recovery Toolbox

• Favorite Neuroscience Fact: I can control my pain. I can affect my body. I have control.
• Fear-busting thought: I am okay. It’s fundamentally true. (If I wasn't really okay I wouldn't even be able to say, "I am okay," so clearly I am okay.)
• What I’ve put into my life in place of pain: Lin. Lin has become my life. I have a normal life now. I can get out of bed and not worry about whether I'm going to throw up or whether I'm going to need my cane. Just having a normal life and being able to be a daughter and a friend is a gift.