Healing with Purpose

HEALING WITH PURPOSE

Recovering From Chronic Symptoms Through a Lens of Collective Liberation and Growth

The chronic stress that underlies chronic symptoms is not just an individual problem. It's a collective issue.

None of us got into this tangle on our own. And we need each other's collaboration and support to heal.

DEAR SELF-HEALER...

If you’re visiting this page, it’s probably because you’re interested in mind-body healing for chronic symptoms. Maybe you’ve just discovered it or maybe you’re elbows deep in books and courses and podcasts. You’re drawn to the approach... but maybe you’re also frustrated by some things you’ve heard, like:

“Practice outcome independence,” when symptoms are driving you to tears.
“Tell yourself you’re safe,” when there are real stressors weighing on you.
“Learn forgiveness,” when you actually need your anger to be validated.
“You have to 100% believe that you can heal,” when you’ve been putting your all into it, yet symptoms still persist.

I feel your frustration.

Mind-body medicine changed my life and helped me find my way out of a decade of persistent migraine attacks. But along the way, I came across some ideas that sent me spiraling further into self-blame rather than fostering the self-compassion that I needed to heal.

Maybe you can relate?

Not to mention, you're probably hearing loads of recovery stories about people who healed overnight just by reading a book or practicing one technique. It can make you feel like you must be doing something wrong.

If you're nodding your head, you're not alone and it's not a personal failure.

After working with over 100 students and clients on the path of mind-body healing, here’s my opinion:

Self-love is usually the area that needs more work in order to move the dial on persistent symptoms. But it's hard to shift out of self-blame without addressing the systemic cultural patterns that got us into the chronic cycle to begin with.

This is why I created Healing with Purpose: Recovering from chronic symptoms through a lens of collective liberation and growth.

Healing with Purpose is an online program designed to help us get clear on where our self-defeating patterns actually come from so that we can start dismantling oppressive programming together and support each other in embracing the self-love that we need to heal.

After working with Anna, my symptoms improved dramatically. In fact, for the first time in a long time, I couldn’t even remember the last time I had a migraine. Perhaps even more powerful for me was that I finally felt like I was “unstuck” and free from my pain.

The biggest change for me is that I am no longer scared of my pain. While I don’t have nearly as many migraines — and when they do happen, they are not as bad — I still have flare-ups. What’s different is that I have the tools to help me get curious about what’s going on and to immediately meet the sensation with self-compassion.

Courtney LaCaria

Farmer and Fiber Artist, Form and Function Creative

HEALING WITH PURPOSE IS AN INVITATION TO...

Recognize you're not alone. The epidemic of chronic stress and chronic symptoms isn’t a “me” problem, it’s a “we” problem — though collective stress and its effects on our mind-body system can manifest in different ways for different people.
Release self-blame. Together, we'll work toward understanding that the patterns which contribute to chronic symptoms (like people-pleasing, emotional suppression and chronic worry) are not our “fault,” but rather an adaptation to our social conditioning.

Receive support from others. You don’t have to do this all alone. In fact, we can’t heal without one another’s support.
Understand that your personal healing work isn't "selfish." It’s actually a meaningful contribution to collective healing.
Harness our collective power. Part of the matrix that contributes to chronic symptoms is a feeling of powerlessness in our own lives and in the world around us. Together, we'll explore our collective power to effect change through our contributions to mutual healing.

Chronic symptoms are not your fault.

We need each other's support to heal.

LEARN ABOUT THE WHAT, WHERE, WHEN

Working with Anna has helped me to understand that I have the ability to heal myself, that I am not to blame... for some of the more self-destructive behaviors — that it comes from the environment and the world that we live in, but that I can, on my own and with others, change that. Thank you Anna for helping me to remind myself that I don't need any quick fixes, but that I'm on a healing path.

Monique

Public School Teacher

MY STORY

I'm Anna Holtzman and I'm a licensed therapist and chronic pain recovery coach. I'm also a writer and former film/TV editor.

I got into my current career through my own recovery process from over ten years of chronic migraines. And my healing journey started when I learned this:

Pain is an alarm signal that's created by your nervous system when it senses danger or threat.

The danger can be physical, like a broken arm. But when pain is chronic, it's more often something like...

fear that we'll get in trouble for expressing our truth.
"imposter syndrome" yelling at us to doubt our intuituion and worth.
perfectionism threatening us with stories of failure and rejection.

The bottom line: I'm not broken, and neither are you. Our bodies are just responding to the culture we were brought up in. A culture that has taught us to doubt our truth and berate ourselves with criticism, creating an environment of chronic nervous system stress. Eventually, our bodies decided to protest with symptoms like tension and pain.

If you are looking for a practitioner who is compassionate and will equip you with powerful tools to move forward, then I strongly recommend Anna. She is a great listener and skillfully held space for everyone in the online sessions.

Meg

HEALING WITH PURPOSE COULD BE FOR YOU IF...

You're a deeply feeling person who struggles with (or helps people with) symptoms like headaches, backaches, stiff muscles, IBS, insomnia, nerve pain, pelvic pain, TMJ, tinnitus, anxiety, autoimmune conditions, food/chemical sensitivities — or other manifestations of a stressed-out nervous system.
You're just starting your mind-body journey and you're seeking a supportive place to begin that will meet you wherever you're at and offer you validation, encouragement, acceptance and a practical set of tools that you can customize so that they work for you — rather than trying to squeeze yourself into a one-size-fits-all approach. Or...
You've been on this mind-body healing path for what feels like an eternity and you're yearning for the next layer of unfolding. Maybe you feel frustrated by phrases like "you just need to believe more" or "practice outcome independence" or "stop being afraid of your symptoms" and you're seeking an approach that's both validating and empowering. Or...

You're a mind-body practitioner who wants to help clients understand how social conditioning and collective cultural layers play a part in mind-body symptoms, and you're seeking language and frameworks with which to do this.

JOIN THE WAITLIST!

My pain scale has gone from 5-10 when I first started working with Anna to a steady 2-3, which means that I can be more active, do more of the things I was unable to do for years, and am feeling less disabled by my symptoms.

Anna models self-love, self-care, kindness, patience, and compassion. Her technique is the opposite of pressure and expectations. She provides a safe space to explore new ways of thinking and offers new possibilities, but only if they feel right for you. Anna invests in you and your well-being and provides authentic support.

Katrina K

Teacher

WHAT WE'LL COVER

Week 1: Symptoms Are Messages

Each week will include teaching, guided exercises and group discussion on a different topic. Week one is designed to help us shift away from viewing our symptpoms as enemies or nuisances, and instead start viewing them as purposeful messages about how to care for ourselves.
Week 2: Establishing an Emotional Hygiene Routine

Patriarchal culture teaches us to suppress our emotions. In this module, we'll shift away from viewing emotions as problems or symptoms, and start viewing them as a regular, biological function — like digestion — that needs a regular, daily routine to keep it running smoothly.
Week 3: Shifting Self-Talk From Criticism to Compassion

Hierarchical social structures condition us to expect criticism and internalize it. This module will help us shift away from the habit of yelling at ourselves in our heads — which puts stress on our nervous systems — and shift toward a new habit of loving kindness toward ourselves, which helps our nervous system unwind and relax.
Week 4: Boundaries, Pacing and Balance

In this module, we will explore the perspective that boundaries and pacing do not make us selfish or lazy as capitalism may have thought us — but rather, they are necessary features of a responsible, sustainable energy ecosystem.
Week 5: Making Space For Passion

The goal of this module is to help us understand that mind-body healing is not just about reducing symptoms. It's about making space for our life energy, passion and assertiveness to flow freely through us. Together, we'll explore and soften some of the fears that keep our passion stuck.
Week 6: Releasing Perfectionism and Embracing Life

In our final week together, we'll explore what it means to release the perfectionist notion that we need to be "better" before we can embrace life. And we will support each other to start standing up for our innate right to pursue joy, pleasure and fulfillment in the present, at our current capacity.

JOIN THE WAITLIST!

I got so much better that I wrote a book all about my experience. It was life changing. I am living in a way that I never thought I was ever going to get back to.

With the tools that I've learned with Anna, I am able to calm my nervous system down. And that almost always lowers my pain level, which is huge!

Ashley Haseotes

Founder of One Mission, healer at Veda Healing and author of The Unspoken

WHAT PAST STUDENTS HAVE SAID

Each person's experience is unique. Here are some of the things that students of previous programs have reported that they came away with...

A set of tools and knowledge that has helped them navigate, reduce or even eliminate chronic symptoms.
The confidence of knowing how to navigate flare-ups when they arise without shutting down or spiraling into self-blame.
A group of like-minded and supportive peers who help them to feel seen, accepted and encouraged on their journey of recovery.
A more compassionate sense of connection with themselves, their bodies, their purpose and the greater collective.

JOIN THE WAITLIST!

WHAT'S INCLUDED?

Here's what you'll receive when you join Healing with Purpose:

6 Live Workshop Sessions

Each live workshop will include teaching, guided exercises and group discussion on a different topic in mind-body healing, through a lens of collective liberation and growth.
6 Recorded Workshop Replays

Each workshop session will be recorded so that you can watch the replay on your own time. The replays will not include live group participation, only the teaching and guided portions. This is to preserve a safe space to share during live sessions.

Private Facebook Community

Questions and challenges are sure to come up as you move along this journey. This private forum is a place to share them and get support directly from me, as well as connect with like-minded peers.
Unlimited Email Support

During the course of the program, you are welcome to email me privately for extra support.

Lifetime Access!

You'll have lifetime access to the recorded replays and other teaching materials, so you can go through them as many times as you like!
Fully Loaded Resource Library

A compendium of all my favorite books, podcasts, videos, apps and websites on mind-body chronic pain recovery.
BONUS: Rx for Flare-Ups Mini-Course

Symptom flare-ups can feel really scary and confusing. What if you had a reliable toolkit to help you reduce the overwhelm and guide you through the storm? This short, self-paced course is that go-to toolkit.

Anna has such a good feel for the connection between mind and body as it relates to physical symptoms. I'm thrilled to have her as a colleague, and my patients who have met with her have been helped immensely. I highly recommend working with her both individually and in her group.

John Stracks, MD

Mind-Body Medicine

cormendihealth.com
johnstracksmd.com

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

(WHAT, WHERE, WHEN)

What is Healing with Purpose?

Healing with Purpose is a six-week online group program designed to support you with recovery from chronic symptoms through a lens of collective liberation and growth.

Where does the program take place?

Online.

When does the program take place?

The program will launch in 2024. The exact date is TBD. The six live weekly sessions will probably take place on Tuesdays from 1-3pm Eastern Time. To receive updates on the launch date, please join the waitlist.

Are there recorded replays if I can't make the live sessions?

Yes, and you may keep them for life. The recorded replays will not include the live participation and discussion from other members, they will only include the portions in which I am teaching and leading. This is to create a safe space to share during the live sessions.

What's the cost?

The cost for the program will be $333. There will be an option to pay in three monthly installments of $111. And there will be a limited number of pay-what-you-can spots available.

How many group members will there be?

There will be a maximum of 18 group members and a minimum of 9. If this round of the program receives fewer than 9 registrants, it will be postponed to a later date and those who've signed up will receive a full refund as well as the opportunity to sign up again next time.

How do I know if this program is a good fit for me?

If you are a deeply feeling person who struggles with chronic symptoms, and if you feel drawn to the vibe of what you've read on this page, then this program may be a good fit for you. There are many different approaches and practitioners out there. I recommend trusting your gut about which feel right to you! To get a better sense of my approach, you can visit my Instagram and my blog.

I don't have chronic pain per se. Can this program still help me?

Yes! You can use this program to work on any stress-related symptoms, coping behaviors, sensations, etc. such as anxiety, phobias, insomnia, muscle tightness, dizziness, tinnitus, fatigue, etc. In other words, symptoms of a "stressed out nervous system."

This program is designed to help you unravel the copping patterns that your nervous system has been using to deal with stress, deepen your relationship with yourself, and become your own best ally so that your mind and nervous system can get on the same team and work together more harmoniously.

Is this a quick fix?

Nope! It's only natural for us to want to heal quickly. Unfortunately, holding that as a goal places more stress and pressure on our nervous system, which is the opposite of what we need in order to let our healing unfold at its innate and unique pace.

That said, many folks who've embarked on the work that we'll be exploring in the program have reported significant shifts all along the way!