Reclaim You- Chronic Pain and Body Image with Megan Luybli
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In this episode, Sarah and Megan Luybli, a registered dietitian and intuitive eating counselor, discuss the intersection of chronic pain and body image. Megan shares her personal journey with chronic pain and how it has affected her body image. They talk about the importance of support, self-validation, and self-compassion in navigating these challenges. Megan also highlights the need for more awareness and understanding of chronic pain in all bodies. They discuss the role of therapy and somatic experiencing in finding regulation and ease in the body. Megan shares resources and support groups for those dealing with chronic pain.
Takeaways
Chronic pain can have a significant impact on body image and self-perception.
Support from others and self-validation are crucial in navigating the challenges of chronic pain and body image.
Therapy and somatic experiencing can help regulate the nervous system and provide tools for managing pain and body image issues.
There is a need for more awareness and understanding of chronic pain in larger bodies.
Resources and support groups, such as Nancy's Nook, can provide valuable information and community for those dealing with chronic pain.
Learn more about Megan, her work and her practice at https://www.asoftplacetolandllc.com
Check out Nancy's Nook Endometriosis at www.nancysnookendo.com
Follow Emma Maxwell on IG at @endometriosisem
Thanks for listening to Reclaim You with Reclaim Therapy!
To learn more about Reclaim Therapy and how to work with a therapist on the team, head to https://www.reclaimtherapy.org.
Be sure to comment, like and subscribe here, or on YouTube and come follow along on Instagram!
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Sarah (01:37)
Hi everyone, welcome back to Reclaim You. I'm here with my friend Megan and we are celebrating season two.
Welcome to the pod, Megan.
Megan (01:49)
Thanks for having me, I'm so excited!
Sarah (01:52)
I'm so excited to have you here. Megan is super cool. She's a dietitian, owns a practice with therapy and nutrition services in the Lehigh Valley. And yeah, I'm really excited to have her on because she's just like a wealth of information and a really bad -ass clinician that we love to work with and send folks to. So, so glad to have you here.
Megan (02:14)
I'm so excited.
Sarah (02:16)
Yeah, so to start, what I ask everyone is what does reclaim you mean to you?
Megan (02:25)
I was thinking about this. I think reclaim you means that especially for what my journey has looked like for body image and my own recovery is reclaiming back my power. Power being my relationship with my body, my relationship with food.
not allowing other people or die culture to dictate that, which has taken a lot of work, but it's been good.
Sarah (02:59)
Yeah, hard work, hard work and brave work for sure. Yeah, yeah. So today, Megan is gonna be talking a bit about chronic pain and body image, the intersection of the two and sharing some of her story. And we can get into maybe some, you know, different ways to think of it or strategies or we'll kind of see where the conversation goes. But yeah, I'd love to hear some of your story with body image, chronic pain, how they've kind of exacerbated maybe each other.
Megan (03:02)
Yes.
Sarah (03:27)
I think it's something that a lot of people can relate to that isn't spoken about a lot or enough in the eating disorder or disordered eating spaces.
Megan (03:35)
Yeah,
I even like talk about what my story has looked like, I just want to give the caveat, I am not a doctor and I am not an expert in this whatsoever. So anything that I'm saying is only what's working for me and it might not work for someone else, but and I am on, I'm still navigating this. So I have, I have no right
Sarah (03:47)
Same, same, same.
Megan (04:02)
And I'm also going to be talking about like the reproductive system and all of those things too.
trying to think about timelines. Last May,
have been on birth control for the majority of my life. And last May, I was like, I guess I'm just going to get off of it. I don't really have like...
big feelings about it, but I was just like, I'm just going to see what my body does. Started to get off of it and my life turned to hell.
started having menstrual cycles that were really intense. My periods would last like 10 to 12 days and have like really significant bleeding to the point where I, we were talking about like iron infusions, beyond like iron supplements, which if anyone has been on iron supplements before,
Those are not fun. Like, GI -wise, they wreak havoc. And so I had started to have this like really intense pain when I would have my period. And then it even started to go outside of my period too. So I was like in pain every single day to the point where I was like, there's no way that this is normal. But also,
Sarah (04:57)
Mm -hmm. yep.
Megan (05:24)
I was like gaslighting myself and being like, just deal with it. Like, yeah. I'd gone to my own OB and she had said, well, the pain that you're experiencing sounds pretty normal.
Sarah (05:28)
Get over it. Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.
Megan (05:44)
You know, periods aren't fun. You're going to be crampy anyway. So it also could be...
endometriosis or PCOS, but we're not entirely sure because like we can't like the treatments for those are birth control. So like just get back on birth control and see how it goes. And I felt so dismissed and disappointed.
Sarah (06:05)
Yeah, that's the word that comes to mind. Yeah, that's the word that comes to mind. Yeah.
Megan (06:10)
Yeah. So I ended up going to a different GYN and she had kind of said the same thing, but more so along the lines of like, well, why don't you try cutting out dairy and gluten? And maybe it's like a dietary thing coming from a GYN talking to a dietician, which that's like my number one pet peeve.
people telling me nutrition advice. One, being in recovery, I like straight up, I can't hear that stuff. Like, I don't want to hear it. It's going to trigger the hell out of me. And then all of my knowledge goes out the window. So then I was like, my god, I cannot, I can't, I can't see her again. Like, I will not do this. So after going down like a Reddit black hole, and...
Sarah (06:39)
Yeah.
huh.
Yep. Yep.
Megan (07:08)
Even talking to, like hearing my clients stories about their menstrual cycles, I had begun to explore a little bit more about what endometriosis looks like. And I found this pelvic floor physical therapist in my area and was wondering, okay, maybe I can start here. Maybe she would have some insights.
and we'll kind of see how it goes. Started meeting with her and she has been and still is like the most validating person in my life for this. She was like, yeah, this sounds like this, like endometriosis. And this is like the next steps. Like how do we navigate your pain? Because like you can't live like this. And she had a...
Sarah (07:44)
Bye.
Megan (07:58)
recommended a certain surgeon, which in my area, there's no one that specializes in endo up here. So I have to go down to Philly area for it. So I've been meeting with that doctor, went back on birth control for a little bit, wreaked havoc on my mental health, like was so depressed, could not get out of bed. And
which is like the weird thing because I had been on birth control for the majority of my life. And he was like, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. So then now I'm on a different medication. But the caveat with this medication is that it increases my risk of breast cancer. So I have to have, I'm 28 and I have to start having mammograms soon.
Sarah (08:27)
Mm -hmm.
Hmm.
Megan (08:46)
And then also navigating like the hormonal shifts too, which has just been like a nightmare. So throughout all of this, pelvic floor PT, I'm also seeing a back PT because my pain is largely in my back. And then this surgeon, this pain that I have experienced has just been like debilitating to the point where I'm like,
Sarah (08:49)
Yeah, yep.
Megan (09:12)
calling my mom in tears, like can't breathe and can't even fathom like getting out of bed to go to the ER. Like lying on my bathroom floor wishing I would pass out actually having flu -like symptoms, like I would be developing fevers when I was in like such pain. So.
Sarah (09:15)
Hmm.
Megan (09:35)
Through this, I've been doing just like so much research on like, how the, one, how the hell can this like, literally go overnight and my life just change because I had no social life and I'm getting back into a space where I can go out. I'm on pain meds 24 seven, which I've developed like other GI complications from. I can't live a normal life right now. And again, I'm starting to get back to that space, but.
Sarah (09:58)
Yeah. Yep.
Megan (10:04)
before was like very just depressed and seeing my therapist once a week, it was just like still not enough. So throughout all of this, it just kind of got me thinking about like, my gosh, I am now understanding what it's like to actually relate to my clients who do have chronic pain. And this is something that I'm just gonna be living with for the rest of my life.
Sarah (10:09)
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.
Megan (10:30)
I also know that part of endo is having surgery too. I can be a part of someone's journey. I'm not there yet. But again, that's just like a part of what my journey has looked like. So throughout all of this, my recovery got a little bit shakier. To be like completely honest, it was really rough for a minute.
Sarah (10:51)
Mm -hmm, I would imagine.
-hmm.
Megan (10:55)
And then on top of that body image was like hell. The just being reminded every day, like every minute of every day that I have a body is a nightmare. And it took so long in therapy.
Sarah (10:59)
Mm -hmm. Yep.
Mm -hmm. Yep.
Megan (11:19)
with my therapist to be able to do the work of like, how do I work with this instead of feeling like, okay, my body is against me in this moment.
and I'm still working through it. So all of that to say is it has been a ride and a nightmare, but I also have like a deeper understanding with my relationship with my body too.
Sarah (11:33)
Mm -hmm.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah. Wow. That's quite a story. And you're still living it right now. Still kind of figuring it out. It's still in the messy middle, like you said. I'm so glad that you were able to find providers who are affirming and who are really set on working with you to figure this out and support you in like doing whatever it is you have to do to try to.
Megan (11:55)
Yes! Yeah.
Sarah (12:12)
some of the I would imagine fear of the pain the actual pain the ripples of the pain right that like reminder that you are living in a body that feels like is fighting against you a lot of the time
Megan (12:24)
I think the other level to it too is I was so terrified that I was going to be turned away because I do live in a larger body. And I have like the most amazing therapist in the world. And every time I would go to a new appointment, she would call ahead for me and like do the work of like, are there any BMI cutoffs to work with this doctor? I had it in my head that I would go to this surgeon that I'm seeing now and he would be like, just lose weight and like,
Sarah (12:31)
Mm -hmm.
Megan (12:52)
deal with it. But it wasn't like that. I have not come into contact with anyone on my treatment team who has brought up weight or body size at all, which has just been incredible. But that's like another. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Which is just like another level that thankfully I have not had to deal with. But I know a lot of people of
Sarah (13:06)
Yes, the way that it should be the way that it should be that traditionally is not right. Yeah.
Megan (13:18)
especially like my clients that are in larger bodies and have chronic pain and nothing's being done about it.
Sarah (13:26)
I'm thinking about just like, as you share that, I'm feeling like the like bracing for you, like the bracing for like, when the pain happens, or how to tolerate the pain, how to get through the pain episodes, right? Wondering when it's going to happen again, even like wondering what's going to happen at these doctor's appointments. And this like rumble of fear.
I would imagine of some sort, I'm sure lots of rumbles underneath, but I'm particularly thinking of the rumble of fear underneath. That's just like there and ever present and this kind of like contraction embracing and waiting, which I would imagine from like a body perspective would impact the pain as well, right? Like maybe would make it that much worse or palpable or something.
Megan (14:10)
Yeah, it's interesting, like the way that you phrase that too, because I have, I feel that. And at the same time, I feel like my anxiety around it and my pain, they influence each other. But in the beginning, when someone, I don't know, like a random person I would be talking to would be like, my gosh, I wonder if like, just even the thought of like, this could be in my head.
and this isn't like a tangible thing and it's like, maybe it's just anxiety that's making it worse. I was like, I cannot hear that. But now doing the work in therapy and recognizing like there is a level of just the unknown of what's happening next. I live my life in between appointments right now and.
Sarah (14:44)
huh. Yeah.
Yep. Yep.
Megan (15:02)
It used to be I'm living my life period to period, but thankfully now with this medication, I'm not getting a period. But it's like, it's constantly on edge. Like what's next? How do I brace myself for this? How do I navigate moving forward? And I still need to do like very much tend to my nervous system now. Because if I don't, it's just gonna make everything else worse.
Sarah (15:07)
huh.
Yeah, yeah. I'm thinking about Peter Levine, who's the, I think he's the founder, is he the founder? I should know this. Sematic experiencing is this jam, right? Like he teaches it, he preaches it, he's the guy, right? And he has this little metaphor he holds up his fist and says in terms of trauma, right? Like, here's the trauma. And then he goes like this and he opens his hand and he said, where, and he says, where's the trauma?
So it's so interesting that like contraction, like you're talking about and tending to your nervous system without tending to your nervous system, I would imagine there is this like, like we said, like the brace, the contraction, this like holding on and waiting and by tending to your nervous system and finding more regulation or even like pockets of regulation, there's just this like expansion and space for ease where it doesn't feel as maybe impactful to brace and hold and wait and imagine and all of those things.
Megan (16:22)
Yeah, which I'm still trying to figure it feels like every day, it's still like a new thing that I'm trying to figure out. And what worked last week for me to relax does not work this week. I have to figure out like, all right, back to the drawing board. The thing that has been like the constant though for me over the past year, like has been therapy.
Sarah (16:30)
huh.
Yep.
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Megan (16:49)
So we have not, I have made it, I don't know if I would say like a pact with myself, but I've just made it a very much a priority to be like, I have to be, this has to be consistent. I have to be going weekly. Like I, and when I have to skip a week or two in between, like I feel it. And it's really hard for me to regulate by myself at this point.
Sarah (17:15)
Well, yeah, right? Because like that disconnection, the disconnection, the lack of support, it's kind of like things collapse without support. I just thought last night I was building magnetized with my son and he built this huge building. He's making castles lately and it was too big. There was no support to support the roof or the, I don't know, whatever it was he was trying to build. And I was like, Gray, without the support, it's gonna collapse. And he was like, nah, nah, watch this mom. And like the whole thing fell, so we'd rebuild it. And I was like, okay, more support.
more support. And he's like, nah, nah, nah, this kid at school told me that if I did this, it was to, and I was like, okay, try collapse. Right. And that just came into my mind because like without the support, it's easy to collapse, right? It's easy to fall into old patterns and like the depression of everything that you've gone through. I imagine like there's a, it can be a hook that can just pull you into it.
Megan (18:03)
I feel like relate to that so much. I feel like I'm like the same as your son. I'm like, I could do this is fine. It's like, wait, you're why are you crying every day? yeah. Yeah.
Sarah (18:07)
No, I can do it. Me too. Me too.
Right? Right. Right. Because there's no support. There's no support. There's no infrastructure. without the support too, like that attunement and the co -regulation that happens in therapy, right? Like you trust your therapist and you love your therapist and all of those things. It just, it does. It moves mountains, right?
Megan (18:33)
Yeah, I'm curious since you are so very much into like the somatic experiencing what has like the regulation, even just with working with clients with chronic pain and navigating the body image stuff, like what has been helpful to bring in from your somatic experiencing training into those sections?
Sarah (18:58)
You know, it's so interesting to think about like body image and body image attacks, how it makes a lot of sense when the body is in a state of like fight or flight, or even in some sort of collapse, right?
you're having like a body image attack, right? I would imagine it's some sort of fight or flight response happening in your nervous system.
Because what happens in here is going to happen in here. Our bodies are a filing cabinet for our minds, right? So if our mind is doing something, our body is certainly doing something. So if you're in a place where you feel like you're at war with your body internally, like the interceptive sense is that there's this like fight response, like cycling that hasn't been completed, it makes a lot of sense that we're going to start to fight against ourselves cognitively and like looking into a mirror or reflection or a picture or whatever it is.
those survival responses, they happen so unconsciously that you could look at a picture and things could be like churning inside, or you could look in a reflection or look at your outfit or whatever it is. And the fight response is just instinctual because it's pulsing in your body.
Megan (20:06)
What does it look like to complete the cycle? What do you mean by
Sarah (20:10)
when trauma happens or an emotionally overwhelming event happens, so it could be like a pain episode, it could be something in childhood, it could be a single event trauma, these responses, if they're not completed at the time, can get stuck in our bodies.
So even something like a Fender Bender, right? So you're at a stoplight or like people are going, someone's on their brakes and you don't have time to do it and you slam on their brakes, right? There's this response that can happen.
that our bodies want to do, right? Like our bodies want to maybe like fight or our bodies want to flee. And we don't complete that response because you're in a car, right? Like there's this something that's inhibiting you from completing the response. So then in theory, the response gets stuck in our bodies and we can continue to replay this fight response with the desire to complete it at some point. But we might not have the...
capacity in our nervous systems yet because of life experience to actually complete that response. So working with someone like a somatic experiencing practitioner or someone who does, Sensory motor, psychotherapy, those type of somatic therapies, working with someone like that can help you gain more regulation in your nervous system to be able to feel into those survival responses.
and in essence complete them. So that's kind of the quick version, maybe not as nuanced as I'd like it to be, I think like for me, I'm a freezer, right? And I've been working in therapy for a couple of years now to start to like move my own kind of like freeze response that comes up with people pleasing, that comes up with a lot of people pleasing and like doing things myself and over -functioning and things like that.
Megan (21:34)
Hmm.
Sarah (21:59)
And it's just, it is, it's kind of like a slow thaw of like, I have to gain more capacity in my own nervous system to tolerate the discomfort of like unfreezing in certain situations. So in terms of body image, if the go -to is like a fight response, I would imagine that you would have to probably gain more ease or space in your nervous system.
Megan (22:11)
Mm.
Sarah (22:26)
to feel into just like what is so that the fight response has more space to have some like, it isn't so weighted in one direction. Does that make sense?
Megan (22:37)
Yeah, absolutely. I think the thing that resonated the most with me in there is when you had related it to like a car crash. That's like what my body feels like often. Luckily, not anymore. But like when I was very deep in having the pain flare ups, not even flare ups, just like an everyday thing, it felt like I was just like constantly being hit by a car. And part of what pelvic floor therapy,
Sarah (23:00)
time.
Megan (23:04)
Like the work that I do with her has been learning how to breathe, which is so powerful and putting my body in positions that are inherently relaxing. And how do I breathe through the pain?
Sarah (23:10)
Yeah. Yeah.
Megan (23:29)
when I already have all the tools on board. Like I already have the pain meds in my system, but they're not hitting it quite yet. I already have my tens unit on and it's not doing anything. Like it's always, it's cool to kind of be able to see, yeah, like that comes into the nervous system relaxation part of it.
Sarah (23:40)
Mm -hmm.
Hmm. Yeah, yeah. It's like to address the tension and the bracing that's just inherently happening with the pain. You know, we also have to have to pendulate into that relaxation and space and ease, right? So by being able to focus on like those positions that are inherently restful, right? And maybe bring some more space in your own, you know, body or mind, maybe even like around you, it feels like you have something to come back to.
which then will release some of the tension embracing.
Megan (24:21)
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah, I'm trying to think of like what has been so grounding and the thing that has I keep coming back to is the one thing that my pelvic floor therapist has said and even the back PT that I see now is like grounding so much so that like I'm laying on the floor with my feet up on my bed and having...
some other like pulsing sensation happening too. So again, whether that be like with my tens unit or I've been thinking about like, I know it's not EMDR, but like even having like the bilateral stimulation, like that has been so helpful.
Yeah, I think it's so interesting. But again, there's only like so much that we can do when, for example, like,
Sarah (25:05)
Yeah.
Mm -hmm.
Megan (25:14)
it feels like someone has just dumped like a vat of acid in my uterus. So it's like, when it is that activated, and then body image starts to flare up because it's like, my gosh, I... there's like a level of I feel so bad for my body that it's going through this. And then at some point it turned into...
Sarah (25:19)
Mm -hmm.
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Megan (25:40)
I can't believe my body's betraying me like this. Which is such a mindfuck.
Sarah (25:42)
Yeah. Yeah.
It really is. How do you feel like you've navigated that? And I know that's like ongoing, I would imagine it would be for me. But it is it's like this fight against yourself, you know, like the betrayal, and then feeling like you want to disconnect from it, I'm sure in lots of ways.
Megan (26:04)
Honestly, it has been somewhat helpful for the disconnection to happen. Like it has been helpful for me to kind of like do my best to check out and think like, if I could just like place my body over here and then I'm over here, like that'd be great for a hot minute.
Sarah (26:12)
yeah.
Mm hmm. Yeah. Yeah dissociation is a really adaptive response. Yes.
Megan (26:28)
Yeah, yeah. And then it's interesting, though, because as soon as, you know, this different medications I'm on and then navigating the pain medication that I'm on, it's things have slowly gotten better in the sense that I can now navigate when I wake up in the morning what kind of like a pain day it's going to be. So depending on how intense it'll be, I know, okay, today is a day where I can't go without XYZ.
Sarah (26:50)
huh.
Megan (26:59)
today is a day where I can really go half the day without taking my pain meds. And, I've had to look at that as progress, which for me as this, like, I wouldn't call myself very type A, but I do have like those perfectionist tendencies, like thinking about.
My progress now is being able to go a half day without having paint meds in me. That has been so hard. And having another win is like not having to move clients around for a week.
Sarah (27:29)
Mm -hmm.
Yeah. Yeah.
Mm -hmm. Yeah.
Megan (27:41)
that has also been like, well, that should be the default. Like you shouldn't be doing this X, Y, Z. Like you should be on top of it. Like why haven't you gotten this under control blah, blah,
so it's been a lot of trying to cut myself some slack, which is so hard and I feel like something that I'm still always trying to figure out.
Sarah (27:58)
Mm -hmm. Yeah, the journey of self -compassion, right? Like, it's a journey of a lifetime.
What do you feel like, like when you are having body image what's, what's most helpful? Do you feel like if they are coinciding pain episodes or weeks or days or anything really what's what's kind of moved the needle for you in your experience?
Megan (28:22)
Yeah, I think comfort is the one thing that comes to mind comfort is in if it is coinciding with a pain flare up, I have to like, I mean, pants are normally out of the question anyway, because I just like I can't stand jeans. But like having something very stretchy on my abdomen has been Heat sometimes has been helpful even just like for grounding purposes, but
Sarah (28:39)
Okay.
Megan (28:49)
Now it's like so hot and gross and humid out that that's not fun. And being able to...
Sarah (28:51)
Yeah, it's human. Yeah.
Megan (29:00)
sometimes connect and other times disconnect, whether that be like, I'm doing some gentle stretching, but at some point it might turn into, okay, I need to stop this, I'm too in it. Or I feel like too overstimulated with the sensations that are happening in my body.
Sarah (29:12)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Megan (29:19)
it feels like the phrase that it keeps coming to is like slow living, like very much like slow, slowing down that day, making my favorite coffee in the morning, being able to stay hydrated throughout the day, making sure that like maybe preparing meals that day is like out of the question for me. So being able to order something or like tell my family and thank my mom has just been.
Sarah (29:23)
Hmm.
Megan (29:45)
plus 10 out of 10 and she'll like drop dinner off at my house. So it's like things like that that have like how can I make today like as easy as possible and oftentimes I have two dogs so it usually involves them too so being able to like take my mind off of it.
Sarah (30:00)
Mm hmm. Yeah, yeah. So having lots of support, I'm thinking about the collapse versus support thing, right? Like having lots of lots of support to uphold you in those moments of just like actual suffering and distress. I don't specialize in chronic pain or anything like that. But I do know that with
Megan (30:06)
Thanks for watching!
Sarah (30:22)
chronic pain, our entire like sensory map rearranges itself, right? So interception changes, our nervous systems do a lot of really interesting things that can like increase the amount of pain that we experience because it that's just like what it does, right? The vagus nerve, it does that it's a sensory nerve. And so it's interesting to think about how
Megan (30:41)
you
Sarah (30:49)
with chronic pain and body image how the flares can go alongside of each other. And then outside of that, like you're working on now you shared is that like getting into your body and working with your nervous system to try to like reroute or renegotiate what's happening internally, you know, when you can. but it's like everything is so interconnected.
And then the cognitions of body image can just feel so deep and so hard when you're suffering so much.
Megan (31:21)
Yeah, yeah. I actually haven't looked into too much of the science part of it, that's so interesting how you just explained that. But I, it does feel like I'm more ready to kind of like understand that piece and I am very interested in it.
Sarah (31:36)
Well, I would when you were experiencing you were just literally surviving, right? Like survival, survival's so important, right? The science and the understanding the whys and the hows, not so important.
Megan (31:41)
Yep.
Yes, yeah, that's a good word for it. Survival. Quite literally. Trying to stay afloat.
Sarah (31:52)
Yeah. Yeah, do whatever you had to do to like make it through the day and through the week and pay your bills and all of the things that I imagine were such a struggle when you were first like thrust into this experience.
Megan (32:06)
Yeah, 100%.
Sarah (32:08)
Is there anything else you feel like you want to share about body image, chronic pain,
Megan (32:14)
think the support of like going back to the support piece has been so important. I've joined like some endometriosis support groups and those can be hit or miss just depending on like what people's journeys have looked like, of course. But also connecting with other people via Instagram.
about what their journey looks like and their supports. I... I'm gonna butcher her name, but I follow this one woman on Instagram, I believe. Her handle is enumetriosism. And I think it's Emma. she...
posts a lot about her journey and to the point where she's even needed like aids in terms of like crutches or a walker to be able to get around with her pain. So it's just, it's felt so validating that like there are communities out there for
exactly what you're navigating, whatever it is. And unfortunately, it takes like a little bit of digging to figure out where those safe spaces are. But it feels like once you hit it, it's like, it's so in your head, it's not visible. So and then it gets to the point where it's like, my god, did I just like make that up? Because then the next day you could be totally fine. And
Sarah (33:40)
Yeah.
Right, right.
Megan (33:49)
just knowing that you're not making it up. Like your experience is valid, you are experiencing a very hard thing, and no one else has that experience of being in your body. So if anyone else has a comment of like, it's confusing, like you seem better today, like what's going on? They don't have that experience of living that.
Sarah (33:54)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.
Right, right. Yeah, so like validate the shit out of yourself. Mm -hmm, mm -hmm.
Megan (34:22)
Yeah. Yeah. Which is so hard when, when going back to that like people pleasing. It's like, but I want other people to validate me and like, tell me that I'm experiencing the right thing.
Sarah (34:27)
yeah.
Mm -hmm.
Right.
Mm -hmm. Yeah, absolutely. It is so hard.
so validation, self validation, validation from people you care about, the support. Yeah, and as much compassion for yourself, for your body that you can muster, even though it can be really feel really inaccessible during those flares, I imagine.
Megan (34:46)
Yes, absolutely.
Yeah, yeah, and therapy.
Sarah (34:59)
and therapy and therapy. Yes, yes. Shout out to all the therapists out there.
Megan (35:05)
Ugh, you guys are doing the work, let me tell ya.
Sarah (35:08)
Okay, so are you, so are you. Well speaking of your work, tell everyone about your practice, all the cool stuff, where to find you.
Megan (35:18)
Yeah, so I own a practice called A Soft Place to Land. We're based in Lehigh Valley and we are multidisciplinary. So that means that we have nutrition dieticians on board and therapists. So really specializing in eating disorders, disordered eating, chronic dieting, body image care. And then we offer a few other things. So.
trying to get some groups off the ground and we have something coming up hopefully by the end of the summer for college students who have no idea how to cook, which is what we've been seeing. Yeah, so I'm so home for them. Right? Yeah. I remember like freshman year, like, okay, this is how you do the laundry. Like, I thought you...
Sarah (35:57)
that. I needed that when I was a college student. I feel like I still need that. Like, can I come?
Megan (36:10)
my gosh. Yeah. So hopefully that'll be coming up by the end of the summer. And sporadically, I also run groups for those in eating disorder recovery and larger bodies. Yeah.
Sarah (36:11)
Huh?
Super cool.
And you have a new group starting, right? A new group? Is that? Yes.
Megan (36:28)
Yes, it starts on the 12th, which is next week. Yeah.
Sarah (36:33)
Okay, next week. What's the 12th? Let's look at the day. Okay, so it will be starting the day that this airs. So if you can catch it, catch it. It's a much needed space.
Megan (36:38)
I think it's a Wednesday.
Well, if you want to join...
Yeah, absolutely. 100%.
Sarah (36:52)
Well, thank you so much for sharing so much of your journey and what you're still kind of navigating in this messy middle. And yeah, you're doing beautiful work alongside of it.
Megan (37:04)
Thank you. Thanks for having me and letting me share. It's like healing to like talk about it.
Sarah (37:09)
Mm -hmm. Yeah, and I know that there's so many people who will benefit from just hearing the raw reality that don't necessarily hear about it all the time. It's something that needs to be spoken about more.
Megan (37:20)
Yeah, my god. I think the one thing I could say to take through any of this episode is like pain during periods isn't normal
And it's very understudied and we're just like figuring it out now. So pain isn't normal.
Sarah (37:38)
Yeah, yeah, and you deserve genuine weight inclusive amazing care.
Megan (37:44)
Yes. And also drop a resource. If you think that you may have endometriosis or any type of pain, look up Nancy's Nook. And I can give Sarah to link that in the show notes. It's a Facebook group and website and that's where I found my surgeon.
Sarah (37:57)
Nancy's neck, we'll add that.
Amazing, amazing resource. Well, thank you. I will definitely link that in the show notes. Yeah, and thanks again for coming on. So appreciate it. I appreciate you. Anytime, come on back. You will be back for something else, a special project later to come later this summer. Megan will be back and I'll share about that once I have it all figured out. I have it half figured out right now, so.
Megan (38:12)
Yeah.
These are having me.
Sarah (38:32)
All right, everybody, we will be back next week for another episode of season two. And until
Reclaim Therapy is a trauma focused therapy practice that provides eating disorder therapy, therapy for trauma and EMDR Therapy.
Our team is passionate about helping people reclaim their lives from diet culture, body shame and the impact of trauma.
We would love to support you as you Reclaim YOU and the life that you undeniably deserve.