Overview
This podcast episode, hosted by Chad Smith, features Michelle Wiegers discussing her personal experience with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and the application of pain reprocessing therapy for chronic gut symptoms. The conversation covers mindset shifts, the connection between anxiety and physical symptoms, practical recovery techniques, and answers to listener questions about unlearning symptoms, food reintroduction, and treatment approaches.
Michelle's Experience with IBS and Mind-Body Symptoms
- Michelle's earliest mind-body symptoms were gastrointestinal, including IBS from childhood, which intensified in college.
- She was diagnosed with several conditions (IBS, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, EDS), leading to restrictive diets and increased anxiety around food.
- Mindset and belief about the root cause (anxiety and repressed emotions, not just food) were essential to her recovery.
- Recognized that fear and anxiety around food perpetuated IBS symptoms more than the foods themselves.
Approaches to Unlearning IBS Symptoms
- Emphasizes starting with a belief shift: symptoms are anxiety-driven, not solely caused by food.
- Gradual, graded exposure to feared foods is recommended—start with foods that induce the least anxiety.
- Use tools like somatic tracking, embodied affirmations, and imaginal exposure to rewire fear responses.
- Creating safety and reducing fear are crucial steps in the recovery process.
Anxiety, Muscular, and Digestive Symptoms
- Distinction between striated muscle anxiety (musculoskeletal pain) and smooth muscle anxiety (gut and visceral symptoms).
- Gut symptoms like IBS are more challenging to reverse because they are linked to involuntary muscles and deeper anxieties.
- Understanding these distinctions can foster hope and more targeted recovery strategies.
Listener Q&A Highlights
- Graded exposure and imagination can help identify food fears; even imagining a food may trigger symptoms, highlighting a mind-body link.
- Lactose intolerance may be mind-body related if not congenital; gradual experimentation is suggested.
- Nervous system dysregulation from stress can perpetuate symptoms; breathwork, expressive writing, and gentle movement help calm the system.
- Physical alignment issues with conditions like EDS may have both structural and mind-body components; addressing fear and building strength are both helpful.
- Persistent symptoms shifting from pain to anxiety are common; support from therapy and careful emotional work are advised.
- Continuing traditional treatments (medications, chiropractic, etc.) should be reduced carefully and only under medical supervision; safety is a priority during transition.
Techniques for Food Reintroduction
- Begin with foods that cause the least fear, using graded exposure and positive affirmations.
- Imagination exercises (visualizing eating the food) may reveal hidden anxieties to address before real-life exposure.
Somatic Tracking Practice
- Somatic tracking involves noticing physical sensations without fear and cultivating curiosity, not trying to change them.
- This practice helps retrain the brain to see bodily sensations as safe, building new neural pathways.
- The experience may lead to emotional insights or changes in physical symptoms over time.
Recommendations / Advice
- Prioritize creating safety and gradual exposure rather than abrupt changes.
- Seek weekly therapeutic support, especially for severe anxiety or depression.
- Confirm with medical professionals that symptoms are not due to an undiagnosed medical condition before pursuing mind-body approaches.
- Use breathwork, somatic tracking, and expressive writing to support nervous system regulation.
- Trust gradual progress and personalize recovery strategies based on individual readiness and capacity.