Slow Down and Soothe Pain Program
An 8-week coaching program for high-achieving people with chronic pain
What if you could learn new ways to respond to pain with less fear and frustration, and experience more peace within your body?
Perhaps you’ve noticed:
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You’ve been through cycles of having pain and not having pain, but nothing about your body seemed to change
Your pain started after an injury, but persisted long after that injury healed
Medical providers have said that there is “nothing wrong” with your body, which is incredibly frustrating!
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Your pain has persisted after a surgery or procedure that was supposed to fix it
Your pain went away and then returned after a surgery or procedure that was supposed to fix it
You’ve tried many different medical interventions for pain, and none of them have helped (or have offered only temporary relief)
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Medical providers have suggested that stress is making your pain worse. However, you know that being in pain all the time is what is making you so stressed!
You haven’t been offered a lot of hope for your recovery from pain, which is scary for you
You tend to be a bit anxious or worried in general, and pain makes this a lot worse
Imagine if you could:
Change your relationship to pain, so that it becomes less scary and has less control over your life.
Learn to slow down, soothe, and nurture yourself in meaningful ways.
Stop putting so much pressure on yourself.
Include new pain-reducing activities into your daily life, in a low-stakes way that does not create more stress.
Slow Down and Soothe Participant
“I now have a mental toolkit to combat pain.”
Slow Down and Soothe Participant
“This program, and my direct work with Dr. Yeterian, was honestly a massive paradigm shift.”
Slow Down and Soothe Participant
“If I am in a pain cycle, I now have techniques that I can use to feel safe in my body and not revert back to the self- perpetuating cycle that would ultimately not be good for my mind or my body.”
Hi, I’m Dr. Julie Yeterian. I work with clients with chronic pain, illness, stress, anxiety, and trauma, and am a certified practitioner of Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT). I have also lived with chronic pain on and off since childhood and have been through the cycles of hope, frustration, and despair that come along with that. For most of the time that I was suffering from pain, I didn’t know that my mind was one of the most powerful tools in my healing. Mind-body approaches have become an essential part of my recovery from pain, and I can help you discover them for yourself in this program.
The Slow Down and Soothe Program integrates mind-body approaches, education about pain, and expressive writing in a supportive environment.
You’ll explore how releasing your attachment to feeling less pain is essential to feeling less pain. This is the paradox of pain, and we’ll examine how it works in your life.
You’ll learn what to do instead of trying to “get rid of” your pain. The goal is to feel more freedom in your life and body and to open your mind to all possibilities.
You’ll challenge the narratives that you’ve been told about your pain, and the stories that you tell yourself about your pain and suffering.
How it works:
We meet virtually once/week for 8 weeks
Each week, you’ll complete activities, writing, or practices in between meetings. We’ll implement these in a low-stakes way that does not create more stress in your life. Our focus will be on intentionally doing less, trying less hard, and doing things “imperfectly.”
The cost of the program is $1600 (group sessions) or $2000 (individual sessions, when available) for 8 weeks. If you’re interested in the program, we will have a brief phone call to ensure this program is a good fit for you. If you choose to enroll, you are committing yourself to the full program.
What we cover:
Week 1: Understanding Your Pain
Week 2: Increasing Openness and Practicing Non-Attachment
Week 3: Slowing Down (Part I)--What You’re Doing
Week 4: Slowing Down (Part II)--What You’re Thinking and Feeling
Week 5: Reconnecting to Movement
Week 6: Reclaiming Pleasure and Autonomy
Week 7: Bringing Your New Mindset to Other Parts of Your Life
Week 8: Moving Forward (Gently)
Participants have said…
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What I thought was "normal" was really just keeping my brain on high alert, which kept me in the fear cycle and always in pain.
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The number one result I saw is that I now know it is OK when I have pain flare ups, and how to talk to myself regarding this. I know this sounds simple, but it has helped immensely.
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My mood improved tremendously, both as a result of returning to more a more active lifestyle and realizing my chronic pain might eventually decrease, as it's not caused by structural issues.
Still wondering if this is right for you?
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See yourself as being a perfectionist, high-achiever, striver, do-er, Type A person, or similar
Are open to the idea that psychological factors can be part of what keeps you in pain
Are interested in exploring mind-body approaches to healing from chronic pain
Are excited about integrating new practices into your daily life, in a self-directed, flexible, non-pressured way
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Are primarily interested in continuing to search for a physical solution for your pain (that is not something I can offer)
Have not yet gotten enough high-quality medical care to inform your understanding of what is and isn’t wrong with your body (you may need more clarity before you can fully trust a psychological approach to pain recovery)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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A: “High-achieving” in this case has nothing to do with how much money you make or what your job title is. I am referring to psychological and behavioral tendencies that tend to be present in people who are focused on achievement and outcomes. These include things like putting pressure on yourself, having high expectations for yourself (and others), having difficulty slowing down, being intense, being self-critical/hard on yourself, being goal-oriented, and/or being rigid. These tendencies can make chronic pain more likely to occur and can make it harder to get out of pain. This program is designed with this type of person in mind.
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A: High-achieving people have tendencies that can make chronic pain more likely to occur and make getting out of pain harder. We need a little extra support in learning HOW to do the things that can reduce our pain. For instance, maybe you've been told that meditation helps with pain, so you've put a lot of pressure on yourself to stick to a regular meditation schedule and gotten frustrated with yourself when you couldn't stick to it, thereby creating even more stress in your life! This program directly addresses those tendencies to increase your chances of resolving your pain.
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A: Some other personal characteristics that are a good fit for this program (that aren’t related to achievement) are being anxious, a worrier, or prone to high levels of stress.
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A: Most chronic pain is due to a combination of factors, and our historic split between body and mind hasn’t been very helpful in helping people get out of pain. Even if you have a clear physical cause for your pain, there may be psychological factors at play that are making pain even worse (such as being fearful of pain, expecting pain to get worse, or anticipating having pain in certain situations). This program focuses solely on those psychological factors, so you should make sure that you have a team of dedicated medical providers helping you with the physical aspects.
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A: No, this is a coaching program. While I am trained as a clinical psychologist, I am working as a coach in this program, not as a psychologist or therapist. It is important for you to know the differences between coaching and therapy. For example, coaching is not a healthcare service, and coaches do not diagnose or treat any medical or mental health problems. Unlike therapy, coaching is not privileged under state law and records are not protected under HIPAA. Coaches do not work under licensing boards.
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If you’re interested in working with me through traditional psychotherapy, please visit my private practice website.