The term “corporate wellbeing” is increasingly common. As a MindBody clinical specialist with more than 20 years’ experience, who has personally witnessed the effects of chronic illnesses, I am relieved and delighted that companies are providing their employees with cutting edge wellness solutions. According to the National Library of Medicine chronic pain and disease are the leading causes of disability in the US. They also account for the majority of healthcare costs and result in billions of lost productivity. The epidemic of chronic pain and illness affects every industry.
Understanding Chronic Symptoms at Work
In my lectures to companies and organizations, I start by discussing the chronic symptoms we experience in our modern society. Although not everyone initially identifies themselves as “chronic”, once the conversation starts, it is amazing how many people discover that their back pains, migraines and other conditions like fibromyalgia or IBS have kept them in a rut. Many people become burned out after trying various medications, procedures and alternative methods. They may even resort to surgery.
Imagine that the repressed stress of a person, their emotional world and traumas (both large “T”s and small “Ts”) are stored in a “reservoir” in our chests and bellies. The nervous system sends pain signals to protect us when the reservoir begins to overflow. Pain is a warning that we must take care of ourselves. Chronic symptoms can cause the nervous system to become stuck in a long-term mode of fight or flight, and the pain will cycle. The human brain, which is plastic in nature, can rewire over time as new neural paths are formed.
My journey with MindBody Medicine & Empowered Self-Healing Strategies
My career began in partnership with Dr. John Sarno, the father of MindBody Medicine (NYU Rusk Center for Rehabilitation). Sarno’s revolutionary theories on the brain sciences behind chronic illnesses allowed me to eliminate my debilitating low back pain. Since then, I’ve expanded and developed his theories and practices in order to create a worldwide community of self healers. The body is not able to sustain a fight/flight/freeze mode for a long time. This can cause physical pain that ranges from mild to debilitating. In the 21st century, stress at work and pressure in general are almost impossible to avoid. It can be controlled with tools that regulate the nervous systems and reduce stress. These practices can help to eliminate chronic pain.
In my forthcoming book MIND YOUR BODY I have taken 20 years’ worth of best practices, organized them in one place, and offered the brain science tools, essential self-compassion techniques, and mindset tools to improve corporate culture, productivity, and across the globe.
JournalSpeak, my expressive writing technique, is one such tool. It may seem too simple at first to be true, but expressive writing can help you heal chronic issues. You will be amazed by how much it changes your body when you move from fighting or fleeing to rest and repair. We can rewire the nervous system to not perceive triggers like repressed feelings and emotions as threats by learning to accept them. After this transition, the nervous system will no longer need to send pain signals as there is no threat to respond to.
The ANSR framework (Allow, Identify, Stay, and Release) can be a useful tool for navigating emotional triggers. We can process our emotions in a structured way by allowing them to rise, naming, staying with them for a while to send a safety message to our nervous system, and then releasing. Sarno and I have used these processes to eliminate chronic pain in millions of people.
Corporate Health and Wellness: The Power of Agency
There is a lot of work to do to improve our emotional and physical health. I wonder how many climate researchers, cancer researches, thought leaders and technology innovators are ready to change the future but instead find themselves confined to bed with chronic symptoms. We can make our workplaces more productive and supportive by embracing the agency that we have over ourselves and our health, particularly in the corporate environment. Effective chronic pain management not only improves the individual’s well-being, but also increases corporate performance. I am proud to be a part of the solution in creating healthier and more supportive workplaces, where employees can flourish both personally as well as professionally.
Contributed by Nicole Sachs LCSW, Psychotherapist and MindBody Clinician. She is the host of The Cure for Chronic pain Podcast, author of Mind Your Body, and co-host of The Cure for Chronic.
The original version of this article, Corporate wellness: Addressing chronic pain in the workplace, appeared first on Human Resources News.
