Imagine it a lot like a tree.
With the roots deep and many.
Unseen. Underground.
Some twisted and tangled.
Ready to be untethered. Unearthed.
I learned through reading this to you that this chapter is not only a deep one but a big one.
This being the case, this one chapter has been unexpectedly split into two. This being part one with part two to follow.
It all started for me from the belief that if we can get to the root cause of illness then we can pave a pathway to wellness.
This belief (as well as any others I have) may or may not align with your own.
I’m not here to convince you of anything, nor to persuade you.
The purpose of this chapter (and in alignment with the whole of Pathway One: Awakening Through Struggle) is to open the door to a conversation.
There is so much we don’t know. So much we are yet to understand.
This is one way I have found to bring together what I do know, what I have researched and what I have learned, as well as what I have experienced and lived through. Much of it may relate. Aspects of it may not.
For the purpose of this chapter, I share with you that starting point and the journey of exploration this took me on.
Including (as is the case for many of us), not seeing myself on any kind of journey at all for a long while.
In this chapter we speak to the mind-body connection and early adopting pioneers of this framework. Something which quickly became a reference point and area of interest in my own journey - whilst acknowledging this is not the whole picture.
And also what this is not about.
This is not about blame.
This is not about failure.
We also discuss trauma and the nervous system, speaking to what it is understood as and means.
Bridging symbolic language, clinical perspective and neuroscience.
Moving toward understanding patterns behind migraine as well as the medical roots which in part, correlate what I learned through mind-body frameworks.
Working with all of this as information and intelligence.
Encouraging plenty of pause moments and gentle check ins.
The beauty of this work is that as well as being entirely invitational, we get to move with it at our own pace.
We can pause, look away, return (or not) at any time of our choosing.
Unlike previous weeks, we did not lose connection until an hour in. So the ending may be abrupt and mid flow towards the end of sharing the common denominators often found not just in migraine but in a wide and varied range of complex and chronic illnesses.
I’ll return in live to complete the remaining parts of this chapter in circle style format again - whether next Tuesday or before. I haven’t quite figured it out yet and I’m letting that be ok for now.
If you do venture in to this recording with me, I’d love to hear how it is received by you.
Perhaps you’d like to share your own beliefs, connections made, experiences garnered.
All are welcome here.
As I shared in one of the promotional notes earlier this week,
Bring your curiosity. A healthy level of scepticism.
And, as is always the invitation here, show up as you are.
Know that if you find yourself in this work, there is room for you here.
An Invitation to Gather
As always, if something in this piece speaks to where you are right now, know that you don’t have to navigate this alone.
There are a number of ways to gather here… ways to listen, reflect, write, talk, learn, and simply be.
Here are a few of them:
1. If you want community - returning THIS FRIDAY
🌿 The Wellness Maidens
A gentle monthly gathering for connection, conversation and community.
After a 2 month (UK) summer break, we return on the first Friday of September (4th).
This offering is delivered free from financial barrier and is my gift to you.
Reserve your space for either:
10am BST / 11am CEST / 2:30pm IST
4pm BST / 11am EDT / 8am PDT
2. If you want to talk - NEXT TUESDAY
💬 Let’s Talk About… LIVE
Come and gather in real time as we explore the themes, stories and questions emerging from this work.
A place to listen, reflect, ask questions and be part of the conversation.
Currently reading a chapter from my upcoming book, Migraine: Root. Reclaim. Rise. live each week.
Join us next Tuesday at 4pm BST / 11am CEST / 2:30pm IST for The Patterns That Once Protected You. (if not the remaining part of The Root Cause)
3. If you want to walk deeper into the work - PRE-ORDER
📖 Migraine: Root. Reclaim. Rise.
This action guide memoir and integrative healing companion brings together the story, framework and practices that have been unfolding through this work…
an invitation into the journey of understanding my story in depth, the reclamation of my voice and discovering what becomes possible when you begin to lead from within.
Pre-order the book (more countries to be added soon):
🇬🇧 UK
🇳🇱 Netherlands
🇩🇰 Denmark
🇸🇬 Singapore
Dear Reader,
There are many ways to gather here.
These are just a few. You don’t need to choose them all.
Just find the doorway that feels right for you.
Migraine is the portal.
Women’s lived experience is one of the roots.
The human experience is the wider territory.
If you find yourself in this work, there is room for you here.
