by Audrey Michele

It feels like a lifetime ago. 2012. The year I drew a line in the sand. I was pain-free, symptom-free, and medication-free of chronic pain and disease that had taken over 17years of my life. 

It's been a crazy six years since then. In that time, I wrote my story to heal in the book, "Rewired Life; a journey to untangle chronic pain and endometriosis." Saying YES and showing up to what the Universe has put in front of me has been a wild ride, and has taken me in to a space of not only being a writer, but being a Spiritual Growth Coach. This is an amazing space of holding deep conversation, emotional conversation, discussing how our emotions manifest physically; how the energies in our own bodies and the energy those individuals around us affect our life, our relationships, our work, and our health.

The Universe has tasked me with decoding the messages my body is sending, messages from my psyche, my spirit, my higher self and tasked me with helping and teaching others to do the same. Because to teach is to learn. The longer I've been a part of the conversation around women's health, our emotions, our energy and how it manifests physically, the more I understand how empowering women to heal is empowering me to continue to do so. I crave the conversation. I crave deep conversation. Honest conversation about what's really going on for people.

Here is the thing. Yes, I've healed from chronic pain and disease. And that was a big deal! But everyday I continue to uncover layers of stress, trauma, triggers, memories, stuckness, etc. in every cell of my body, and if I don't continue to do the healing work, to uplevel my nervous system and to learn new tools for emotional wellness, I know exactly where the downward spiral can go.

My healing journey started in 2008, and I thought it ended in 2012. And it did, healing from chronic pain and disease. But in the years since physical pain has subsided, I realized this is when LIFE healing began, and continues to take place. Physical healing is one thing. And while it took a great deal of spiritual and emotional healing to create physical healing, once pain was gone, healing was not over. Honestly, it just started. Pain was my protection. Pain was my way to not look inside. Healing started in 2012 as the wall had come down, I finally felt safe to REALLY look at unhealthy patterns. To REALLY honor my whole, true self.

I get asked a lot "What does it feel like?", or "How do I know I am in spiritual pain?"  First, physical ailments can point you in the direction of spiritual disconnection. It is becoming much more well known that spiritual and emotional stuckness can manifest physically. Our body is truly the message board to our psyche. So, I tend to ask my clients if they have any chronic conditions, things they've just gotten used to; snoring, knee pain, stiffness in the back, headaches, etc. Anything persistent, or that doctors cannot seem to figure out, is a great place to start. Through learning to listen to your body while healing physical ailments, we learn how our bodies choose to communicate with us...everyone is different. As we begin to pay attention and learn, we discover what if feels like to be angry, to be disconnected, and how it feels to be at ease, participating in life with gratitude and joy.

The second step, then, is noticing spiritual misalignment. As you learn to catch stressors and triggers as they happen, there is no time for them to settle into your body, and eventually manifest physically. Noticing negative thoughts, emotions, and patterns early takes recognizing when you are off balance, and then using tools to healthily process through emotions.

As we learn about ourselves, and learn more tools to heal emotionally and spiritually, the goal is to recover quicker and quicker from stressors and triggers. I can tell you, life's stressors don't stop coming at you. There is always another layer, another lesson. What spiritually waking up is about is unleveling your nervous system to be able to handle what's being thrown at you in a healthy and loving way.

My work, and my life, are all about the process and the practice to Love Yourself, Heal Your Body and Mind, and Celebrate Life with Gratitude and Joy.