VIDEO: Dr. Loretta Breuning and Light Your Sparkle on Chronic pain and Illness

Written by Casey Hersch, MSW, LCSW

Dr Loretta Breuning and Light Your Sparkle on Chronic illness and Pain

I had a great time with Dr Breuning as a guest on her podcast.  We discussed chronic illness and pain.  Dr Breuning is the author of numerous self-help books including Habits of a Happy Brain, The Science of Positivity, and her more recent book, Tame Your Anxiety.  She is the founder of the Inner Mammal Institute. She asks me about my personal experience with chronic illness, how ballroom dance impacts my healing, the healing wheel, and the dimensions (physical, emotional, and passion). She offers her expertise in how to create new circuits in the brain by connecting pain and relapses with illness to positive experiences.  We touch on the culture of illness and the "sick role" and how it serves positive and negative psychological benefits.  She emphasizes the importance of building on the branches and circuits that we already have in our brain from our life---these "strengths" help us overcome challenges and live a meaningful life.  The idea of using "strengths" to build resiliency is at the heart of my own healing and philosophy.  We discuss practical suggestions which are easy to use and they work!