Thyroid Therapies
An 8-week online group coaching program for people living with thyroid disease, rooted in the science of mindbody medicine
Do you live with thyroid disease and want to take a holistic approach to your healing journey?
Thyroid disease is not just a physical or medical experience; our entire selves are at play, including our mental health, emotion regulation, and nervous system health. Mindbody medicine, rooted in the science of mindfulness and neuroplasticity, can help us heal holistically through skills and practices that target different parts of the brain, but can then have ripple effects throughout our bodies to get us into a state of healing where our medical interventions can take root.
In the Thyroid Therapies program, we will build community and connect around the oftentimes isolating experiences specific to thyroid disease, while exploring the scientific basis of the mindbody connection and associated practices that will shift you into a healing state. Our curriculum begins by building safety through practices that impact the brainstem, then we will expand our ability to access a sense of warmth and love through practices that target the limbic brain, and finally we will move into the prefrontal cortex through conscious choices about the stories we tell ourselves and the choices we make in how we live our lives.
This program is for you if you …
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Want to connect with others with similar experiences
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Want to learn tangible skills & practices that will support you for life
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Have a sense that there is more to your healing journey than the medical aspect
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Are curious about popular stress management techniques but want an evidence-based approach
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Are curious about the science behind the mindbody connection and how to leverage it to heal
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Are ready to take action to move your healing journey forward
Healing with MindBody Medicine
We will target 3 different parts of the brain that will shift you into a healing state through 3 different themes
Brainstem & Safety
We will begin by looking at how feeling safe inside of ourselves, in our environments, and in our relationships deeply impacts our mindbodies and overall health. We will learn two tools that directly target the brainstem and its Vagus Nerve to send safety signals throughout the mindbody system: safety reappraisal and diaphragmatic breathing.
Limbic System & Love
Then we’ll turn to the limbic brain - our emotional processing center - to understand how healthy flow of emotion and emotion regulation impact our mindbodies and overall health. Together, we will focus on cultivating a sense of warmth and love through compassion and gratitude practices.
Prefrontal Cortex & Choice
Lastly, we will move into the most recent evolution in the human brain - the prefrontal cortex. Neurologically, we have the ability to access conscious choice in our lives, and we can leverage this to boost our overall wellbeing. Together we will explore how to choose wisely the beliefs we have about ourselves and our experience of illness, as well as how to ensure we are making choices rooted in what we value, love, and want more of in our lives.
Our Journey Together
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Introduction + What is MindBody Medicine?
TOOL: Mindfulness Meditation
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[BRAINSTEM // SAFETY] Polyvagal Theory & The Science of Safety
TOOL: Facial Massage
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[BRAINSTEM // SAFETY] The Powerful Bridge of the Breath
TOOL: Diaphragmatic Breathing
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[BRAINSTEM // SAFETY] Emotion Regulation for Physical Health
TOOL: Turning Towards & Non-Attachment
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[LIMBIC SYSTEM // LOVE] Compassion
TOOL: Metta Meditation
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[LIMBIC SYSTEM // LOVE] Gratitude
TOOL: Gratitude Journaling
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[PREFRONTAL CORTEX // CHOICE] The Power of Belief & Narrative
TOOL: Narrative Therapy & Illness Cognition
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[PREFRONTAL CORTEX // CHOICE] Living Into Your Values
TOOL: Identify & Move Towards Your Core Values
Whether you have been a thyroid patient for one month or twenty years, you will leave this group with a deepened understanding of your own mindbody, connection with others who have similar experiences, and a toolbox full of practices that will support you for the rest of your life.
We will begin each meeting with group connection and discussion time, followed by a 20-minute educational lecture on the week’s theme, and finally together we will build the foundation you need to bring a related tool or practice into your life to bring yourself towards greater healing. Each week you will be asked to integrate the week’s practice into your day-to-day life. You will also receive optional follow-up resources (books, podcasts, videos, etc) as well as journaling prompts to deepen your learning at your own pace.