February 12, 2026

Yo! It’s good to have you here, Reader. Seriously, you being here, reading this, I deeply appreciate you being around.

If you are up for it, let me know something today? Write me back (or text me - 720-282-9667) real quick with a little answer:

What is your favorite body part at this moment? I reallllly wanna know, Reader.

I’ll tell you my answer next week, and I’ll even add my why, so keep an eye out for that.

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On to another but highly related topic - last week we talked about attunement and this week I wanna talk about a certain sort of attunement with your tissue.

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The main ways we feel our bodies are by feeling acute pain, acute pleasure, acute hunger, acute need to urinate (pee), defecate (poop), or sleep. Some of you only feel those things and don’t notice much else too often. That’s scenario 1.
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Scenario 2: Some of you don’t feel some of what’s on that list very much. That can be a cool trick sometimes but is often kinda hard for you all, and probably leads to struggles you’d rather not have. I’m going to talk to you more about that next week (so much happening next week!)

Scenario 3: Some of you feel that list plus more sensations which may or may not be positive for you - if you feel waaaaayyyy more odds are high that’s not exactly fun for you, and might feel more like constant discomfort or even chronic pain.

Scenario 4: Some of you feel a mixture of the 2nd case scenario and the third case scenario, or versions where the feelings all get blurred together and unclear, so tune in extra closely now and next week for some tips.

If that third or fourth scenario sounds familiar to you or people you care about (or if you just like being here right now) keep reading closely.

Chronic pain conditions are often a nervous system conversation breakdown - toooooo many signals are making their way into the “this is important, pay a ton of attention!” folder on your minds’ desk. The folder has a big “!” on it (it’s also probably red) and eventually that turns into a feeling of being constantly uncomfortable.

Sometimes, it isn’t even a painful signal that is coming through. It might even be somewhat pleasurable in a different context and a different time.
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So, that certain sort of attunement:

Picture music you sorta kinda like coming through a speaker at an enjoyable volume. Pleasant enough, right?

Now picture 15 speakers playing it at you, out of sync and at different volumes and there’s no remote in sight, and that goes on for 15 hours non stop.

Then 6 speakers start to play a song you hate. And that goes on for days, weeks, or even months on end until you don’t think you’ve ever not heard it.

Then for a moment, the music stops. But you keep hearing it, because you’re so used to it that you don’t quite trust it’s gone. One speaker starts playing it again, and something in you turns on all the speakers again because that’s what usually happens.

This is a lot like what chronic pain is. It’s chronic stimulus that sometimes but not always actually would be called pain by you at another time, but pretty much always is on. And when a flare comes, it is LOUD!!! Unbelievably LOUD!!!! So LOOOUUDDDD that you sometimes can’t hear anything else but that.

And chronic pain management? Well, there’s lots of things. In SiM sessions I can help you navigate the nervous system files in your mind so that you feel less of the noise (doesn’t the lack of that stimulus sound amazing?) and maybe even feel more pleasure (whhhaaaaa?????? Yes, it’s true).

But for now, I’ll give you these two/two and a half gems:

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One: Name the songs.

Instead of calling them all pain, you say, that’s Marry Me by St. Vincent. I actually like that one when it isn’t playing like this. That one is a song from a jingle I heard when I was 10 and absolutely despise. That one is “hot cross buns” played by a first year saxophone player with mild asthma (any one else take middle-school band in the 90’s?).

Two: Use the remote.

Often times naming it suddenly helps you find the remote. It will usually have limited functionality, but if you push it just right, even though you can’t turn the track off, see if it can get two clicks less loud. Or maybe you can make it finally change to another track, even if at the same volume.
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I know those sound like metaphors. I know they don’t seem quite like an action item. But I’m not kidding. Try it. Here’s a little more detail:

Name the sensations, all of them or even just a couple of them. Are they the “big giant throb” tune or are they the “blade in my spine” tune, or the “irritatingly soft tickle that makes me wanna scream” tune?

Now that you named it “pinpricking wheel of fire on my thigh”, really listen to that track. Hear the details? Let it play out. Now ask it to shift a little in volume, or the track. Keep listening to it. Now can you hear it get softer, just the flame but not the pin prick? Or maybe it shifted all together to just a buzz.

This is physical pain I’m describing, but it works well for mental and emotional pains too, and all of us have those sometimes.

This is not escapism, not self-denial, or minimizing, or negative disassociation (though it can be a negative if keeping you from important feelings and growth in life, I am a HUGE believer in disassociation as a powerful tool that can be very very good for you, ask me about it in your next session).

This is changing the way you relate to the very real things that are happening in your life. This is empowerment.

And we could all use more personal and collective empowerment all the time, especially now. We need to be able to handle being present enough with what is happening if we want to use our agency to make it better (and man, do we alllll need it to be better). One of the songs we all have playing right now is a tune of oppressive, aggressive, political tyranny. We need to hear that one as long as they are playing it so we know how loudly and for how long play a different tune - a song of collective support, communities creating safe environments for all, and deep care for the people who share this world with us.

Like I said, I'm so glad you're here Reader being part of SiM. Remember the tag line here? Truly communal health care. True health care makes us all better. So let's take care of you, and we can take care of them, and on and on and on we go. That's a song I'd like to turn up.

You're action items for now:

Try out that exercise next time you're feeling overwhelmed, over-stimulated, overloaded, and book with me for support with that.

And let me know - what is your favorite body part at this moment? reply or text 720.282.9667

See you soon,
Kate

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