The experience of chronic pain can weave itself through our lives and emotional and physical bodies, often stopping us in our tracks.

And the struggle of living in an ableist and capitalist culture with folks telling you to get over it, pull harder on your boot straps, or just be grateful sure doesn’t help.

I don’t know everything, but I do know one thing - you deserve support as you navigate life with chronic pain.

❀

If this sounds a little bit like where you are:

➵ experiencing cycles and spirals of pain, shame, depression & anxiety

➵ often struggling to discern between physical & emotional pain, and experiencing them as deeply connected

➵ navigating chronic pain and having difficulty drawing protective boundaries

➵ identifying with experiences of chronic pain and complex trauma

➵ struggling to connect with your body in ways that feel safe and accessible

➵ feeling tired of hearing that you’re a warrior, you’re so resilient, just be grateful

➵ struggling to talk to folks in your life about your experience and express your needs

Imagine what might be possible during our four weeks together:

➵ exploring your inner landscape and experiences of pain through somatic & expressive practices

➵ nourishing and understanding your nervous system in small, doable steps that add up

➵ discovering ways to hold yourself and your pain with compassion

➵ adding over a dozen practices to your tool kit for the most painful moments

➵ hearing your experience and feelings affirmed as someone who navigates chronic pain

➵ connecting with your body in ways that feel right to you

➵ collecting a myriad of tools and practices you can weave into your daily rituals and routines

In this 4 week journey, you will be invited to understand and explore your nervous system, hold yourself and your pain with compassion, and reflect upon your lived experience. Through coping tools for painful moments, expressive and trauma-informed bodybased practices, and self-tending for painful spirals, you will be supported in deepening your relationship with your self and your pain and gathering the tools and practices that work for you.

All course materials will be delivered directly to your inbox, where you can explore in your own time, following your own pace.

Our journey, through the weeks

You will receive:

💌 4 trauma-informed weekly lessons, delivered directly to your inbox with all attached course materials and exercises

🤓 4 Weekly Wonders - send your questions and curiosities, and I will answer in our Weekly Wonder e-mail via video, writing and voice notes (all captioned & transcribed)

👋 4 check-in e-mails with gentle encouragement & a highlighted weekly practice for you to explore (if you wanna!)

🌀 10+ experiential practices & healing tools - from journaling to creative and somatic (body-based) exercises

🌬️ 2 trauma-informed guided meditations (no bird sounds or prescriptive language)

💞 Prompts to create a plan for self care & resourcing as you move through our course

✔️ A process designed to help you create a unique care plan for moments of chronic pain

📓 A complete guidebook with all course materials, beautifully bundled & delivered from me to you

Plus these bonuses:

• Meeting the Moment, a digital and printable check-in bundle designed to offer daily, weekly & in-the-moment support

• Trauma-informed self massage techniques video, shared by Jess

• A magical e-mail with additional insights & resources after our time together ends

Jess held a very thoughtful and respectful space and encouraged everyone to adapt and do what feels good. I have some range of motion limitations so I always appreciate when that is acknowledged and/or adaptions are provided. I learned some good techniques for grounding and being gentle with myself.

S.C., a Held (somatic self care through self massage) workshop participant

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This course is

➵ experiential and body-based, with somatic and expressive exercises, including trauma-informed self-touch

➵ trauma-informed and nervous-system-centered; everything is invitational and there are many options & adaptations

➵ a gentle exploration of chronic pain (mind, body and nervous system) through writing, expressive practices, reflection & bodybased inquiry

➵ accessible and delivered via e-mail with accompanying PDFs (lots of writing because I’m a writer!), audio with transcripts & captioned videos for our bodybased practices

This course is not

✗ full of pathologizing or spiritual bypassing language or rhetoric

✗ a quick-fix for chronic pain (but we wish, right? 😅)

✗ 1-on-1, individualized support (although you can ask questions in Weekly Wonders!)

✗ a deep dive into physical ailments and neuroscience (although we will touch on all things body and nervous system)

The details

Let’s spend February together, exploring coping tools and somatic practices for tending to chronic pain. We will “meet” in your inbox for 4 weeks in February. You will receive e-mails from me on Mondays (the weekly lesson), Thursdays (a gentle nudge and highlighted practice), and Sundays (answers to your wonders) each week.

Our course begins Monday, February 1st and completes on Sunday, February 28th.

All materials will be delivered via e-mail with accompanying PDFs, audio meditations (with transcripts) and video (captioned). All course materials are yours to keep forever and access whenever you would like.

What does somatic mean? Soma is the body, and a lot of this course will be exploring our bodies (as much as you want to) and invitations into body-based practices like gentle self-massage and trauma-informed body awareness. You will be encouraged to explore slowly and in the ways that feel right for you! This course also includes journaling and reflections, so you’re welcome to tap into your headspace, too. (Which is also part of the body, right? :) To learn more about my approach to bodybased practices, you may click here and here.

What do I need to participate? An internet connection, a device like a laptop or tablet, and a curiosity about your experience of chronic pain. There are no additional needed tools (though I will share optional self care tools in our compilation of resources!).

What is the format of this course? This course ‘meets’ via e-mail; each week I will send three e-mails your way with a beautiful bundle of attached course materials (writing and written exercises, audio meditations, and videos). This course is multi-media, but there’s more written and visual content than video, just so you know. You will also have the option each week to ask questions about the course, practices, and your experience, which I will answer in the Weekly Wonders e-mail. There is no live component of this course, so you don’t have to show up for anything at a particular time, and you can explore course material at your own pace.

Is there 1-on-1 support? I do not have the capacity to offer 1-on-1 support through this course, however we do have 4 Weekly Wonders e-mails. My intention with offering the weekly Q&A (where you can ask individual questions and curiosities and I will answer!) is to make space for additional insight and support when you most need it. <3

Are there refunds? Due to the digital nature of this course, refunds are not possible. I strive to be crystal clear about what this course includes so you know what you’re signing up for. That said, please reach out via e-mail if you have any questions - I’m happy to chat in a no-pressure way about whether this course is the right fit for you! I’m definitely not into selling people on stuff they don’t need.

Do you have another question? I’d be happy to connect. Please feel free to reach out via e-mail: softpathhealing@gmail.com

$315 (or two payments of 157.50) - for those who can afford this rate, which helps support the other tier & scholarships

$255 (or two payments of 127.50) - for those who identify as BIPOC, queer and/or have access needs

You can learn more about sliding scale and the green bottle method by clicking here. You may also pay via a payment plan; you will be charged half of the rate on the date you register, and then the remainder on the same date the following month.

Scholarship Update: Application is closed. Thanks to everyone who applied!

10% of proceeds are always distributed to where they are needed in the community where I live and beyond. Past orgs have included Lideres Campesinas, The Okra Project and Farmworker Household Assistance Program.

I’d love to tend with you. If you feel called, join us!

Registration closes Saturday, January 30th, 2021 or when this course is full. Spaces are limited.

❀ STANDARD RATE ❀

❀ ACCESSIBILITY RATE ❀

“Jess clearly possesses a nuanced understanding of how the subtle/energetic and physical body holds and expresses trauma. She is a gifted facilitator who demonstrates compassionate awareness and skillfully creates a safe container from which emotional vulnerability and connection flow organically. Jess beautifully married her in-depth knowledge of the online platform with the aforementioned skills to evoke meaningful group engagement that I have yet to experience in any other virtual forum for this kind of healing work.”

Meg, a Held (somatic self care through self massage) workshop participant

❀

In Tending To Chronic Pain, you will receive compassionate support through:

💌 4 trauma-informed weekly lessons, delivered directly to your inbox with all attached course materials and exercises

🤓 4 Weekly Wonders - send your questions and curiosities, and I will answer in our Weekly Wonder e-mail via video, writing and voice notes (all captioned & transcribed)

👋 4 check-in e-mails with gentle encouragement & a highlighted weekly practice for you to explore (if you wanna!)

🌀 10+ experiential practices & healing tools - from journaling to creative and somatic (body-based) exercises

🌬️ 2 trauma-informed guided meditations (no bird sounds or prescriptive language)

💞 Prompts to create a plan for self care & resourcing as you move through our course

✔️ A process designed to help you create a unique care plan for moments of chronic pain

📓 A complete guidebook with all course materials, beautifully bundled & delivered from me to you

Plus these bonuses:

• Meeting the Moment, a digital and printable check-in bundle designed to offer daily, weekly & in-the-moment support

• Trauma-informed self massage techniques video, shared by Jess

• A magical e-mail with additional insights & resources after our time together ends

Chronic pain can suck. If this 4-week journey feels like it might be helpful, I hope you will join us!

❤