Sacred Illness™

In this raw and reflective episode, Dr. Kristin Wing, a naturopathic doctor and mother of two, shares her deeply personal journey through chronic skin issues, anticipatory grief, and the ongoing tension between self-sacrifice and reciprocity. We explore what it means to live in a body that keeps score—through psoriasis, alopecia, oral allergy syndrome, and more—and how those signals mirror unprocessed trauma, inherited stress patterns, and unmet relational needs. From the shock of her father’s glioblastoma diagnosis to the daily depletion of motherhood and caregiving, Dr. Wing speaks candidly about the years she spent “pouring her body and resources out”—and what it has taken to finally begin reclaiming herself. We touch on boundaries, attachment, nervous system hypervigilance, and how chronic skin conditions can be a metaphor for distorted energetic boundaries and a lack of reflection in our relationships. This episode is a conversation about the grief of not being met, the longing for true emotional intimacy, and the courage it takes to reorient your life around your needs and desires—not just your responsibilities. Topics we explore: The mind-body roots of chronic skin conditions Living in anticipation: When your nervous system never relaxes The impact of parental illness, loss, and grief on the body The exhaustion of one-sided relationships Attachment, boundaries, and how our skin reflects them The importance of being mirrored and seen Shifting from over-giving to relational reciprocity Healing through witnessing (and being witnessed) The power of naming your desires out loud Who is your illness inviting you to become? For Dr. Wing, the answer is clear: a woman with the capacity to savor beauty, live from desire, and stop guessing what others need in order to feel safe. 🎧 Tune in and reflect: What is your body trying to tell you? 🔗 Links: Want to go deeper? → Begin your Sacred Illness™ Journey:https://www.aurorasomatic.com [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/] → Apply to be a podcast guest:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest] → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack:https://sacredillness.substack.com [https://sacredillness.substack.com] 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfkwww.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic [http://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe [https://sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

In this fascinating solo episode, I dive into the research on Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)—formerly called multiple personality disorder—and explore what it reveals about the mind-body connection. From shifts in allergies and eyesight to changes in pain thresholds and immune responses, DID shows us what happens when identity, story, and nervous system regulation rewire the body in real time. This episode is a stunning look at the nervous system’s role in chronic illness—through the lens of case studies that defy the rules of modern medicine. What You’ll Discover: ✨ How one person can have different allergic reactions, vision, or pain depending on the persona they are embodying✨ Why cells don’t change—but signals do✨ The difference between the body’s fast clock and slow clock✨ How trauma imprints short-term patterns that become long-term physiology✨ What DID reveals about nervous system tone, stress, and identity✨ Why stories are the interface between brain, belief, and biology✨ How repeated states (like hypervigilance or safety) train the body over time✨ The hopeful truth: your body is wired—which means it can be rewired Timestamps: 00:00 Intro — the mind-body connection & DID02:00 Historical case studies of blindness, paralysis, and altered senses05:00 Modern studies on allergies, medications, and eyesight07:00 The fast clock vs. slow clock in illness10:00 Nervous system tone and symptom development12:00 States becoming traits — how repeated patterns change the body13:00 Cellular turnover and long-term healing potential14:00 Final reflections: DID as a mirror for all of us Want to go deeper? → Begin your Sacred Illness™ Journey:https://www.aurorasomatic.com [https://www.aurorasomatic.com] → Apply to be a podcast guest:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest] → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack:https://sacredillness.substack.com [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/sacred-illness] _______________________________________________________ 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfkwww.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic [http://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe [https://sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

What if illness isn’t random—or genetic—but a result of the messages your body has received over a lifetime? In this solo episode, I invite you into a radically simple framework that cuts through the noise of health advice, diagnoses, and symptom management.We explore the idea that the body is an input-output machine, with the nervous system as the primary control center. And if the inputs aren’t safe, aligned, or supportive… the outputs will eventually show up as symptoms, dysfunction, and disease. This episode is a call to simplify, not overcomplicate. It’s about tracing illness back to the earliest stories that shaped our physiology—and rewriting those stories to restore health from the inside out. 🌿 What You’ll Discover: ✨ Why the nervous system is the hub of all health✨ How “trauma” is anything that takes you away from your true self✨ Why childhood experiences become physiological programs✨ How stories like “I’m stupid” or “I don’t matter” become immune, endocrine, and gut responses✨ Why symptom flares aren’t random—they’re output✨ Why food, genetics, and lifestyle are secondary inputs✨ What it means to heal by making your life safe for your true self✨ The real reason your illness is here—and how to respond ⏳ Timestamps: 00:00 Intro – Health is not that complicated01:00 The body as input-output machine03:00 Why the nervous system is the central hub04:00 Inputs from childhood that shape our physiology06:00 Trauma as a story of unsafety08:00 How trauma makes our world smaller10:00 Downstream impacts on every body system14:00 Chronic illness as adaptation to unsafe inputs16:00 What safety really means for the body18:00 It's not about food—it’s about what your nervous system believes20:00 Rewriting the program22:00 Who is your illness inviting you to become?23:00 Final thoughts + upcoming group journey 💫 Want to go deeper? → Join the Sacred Illness™ Membershiphttps://www.aurorasomatic.com/community [http://www.aurorasomatic.com/community]Use code PODCAST to save 20% on your first month. → Apply to be a podcast guest:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/sacred-illness?utm_source=chatgpt.com] → Follow Dr. Erin on Substack:https://sacredillness.substack.com [https://sacredillness.substack.com] 🎶 Music by: Instructions for Living a Life by Savfkwww.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic [http://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe [https://sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

In this extraordinary episode, I sit down with UK-based creator, podcaster, and healer Lizzie Dunn, whose journey with the rare genetic condition MEN-1 defies all odds. At just 13 years old, Lizzie was diagnosed with MEN-1, a hereditary endocrine disorder her doctors said would require a lifetime of surgery and surveillance. But a quiet, stubborn voice inside her said something else: “What if it’s different for me?” Lizzie followed that voice, and the path it led her on included functional medicine, spirituality, deep emotional work, nervous system regulation, and something even more powerful: self-leadership. Her most recent labs now show symptom reversal—something her doctors have never seen. This conversation is a testament to what’s possible when we dare to imagine a new story—and become the leader of our own healing journey. 🌿 What You’ll Discover: ✨ Why MEN-1 (a rare genetic condition) doesn’t have to be a lifelong sentence ✨ The inner voice that changed Lizzie’s trajectory forever ✨ Her three-pillar healing framework: Build Your A-Team, Heal Yourself, Create Your Health ✨ What it really means to reverse symptoms in a condition you’re told is “incurable” ✨ How healing isn't about eliminating fear—it's about acting anyway ✨ Why doctors often resist what works (and what to do about it) ✨ The difference between comfort, familiarity, and actual health ✨ Who your illness is inviting you to become Whether you’re navigating rare illness or everyday burnout, Lizzie’s journey will reawaken your belief in what’s possible. ⏳ Timestamps: 00:00 Intro + welcome 02:00 What is MEN-1? Lizzie’s diagnosis at 13 08:00 Early surgeries and the breaking point 10:00 The inner voice that changed everything 13:00 Symptom reversal and unexpected results 17:00 The danger of defaulting to “what’s typical” 23:00 Changing the prognosis by changing the story 28:00 Why doctors may resist what they see working 33:00 Lizzie’s 3-part healing framework 39:00 Designing your health, not waiting for it 45:00 Boundaries, discernment, and leading yourself 53:00 Who her illness invited her to become 58:00 Final reflections + how to connect with Lizzie 🔮 Connect with Lizzie and learn about her work + offers: → YouTube: @lizziieedunn [https://www.youtube.com/@lizziieedunn] → Instagram: @lizziieedunn [https://www.instagram.com/lizziieedunn] 🎧 Listen to her podcast: The MEN-1 Mosaic on her YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@lizziieedunn] 💫 Join the Sacred Illness™ Membership: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/sacred-illness [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/community] 💸 Use code PODCAST for 20% off your first month → Apply to be a podcast guest: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest [https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest] → Follow on Substack: https://drerinhayford.substack.com [https://drerinhayford.substack.com] → Inspired by this content? You can support my work by buying me a coffee here: www.buymeacoffee.com/drerin [http://www.buymeacoffee.com/drerin] 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfk www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe [https://sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

What if your body remembers more than your mind ever could? In this powerful conversation, I’m joined by Audrey Burke — a somatic experiencing practitioner, transforming touch practitioner, and licensed massage therapist based in Durham, NC. Audrey shares her deeply personal journey through confusing diagnoses, chronic digestive symptoms, amenorrhea, and mysterious illness flares — and how they ultimately led her to the world of somatic work and touch therapy. Together we explore how trauma stories live in the body long before we can speak them, and why touch is often the missing piece in nervous system healing. 🌿 What You’ll Discover: ✨ Why talk therapy isn’t always enough (and when touch becomes crucial)✨ Audrey’s story of IBS, mold illness, and learning to listen to her body✨ How developmental trauma shapes our physical symptoms — even before birth✨ The delicate balance of self-compassion, boundaries, and discernment✨ Why you don’t need to "know the story" cognitively to heal somatically✨ The importance of ancestral trauma and epigenetic influences on illness✨ Reclaiming intuitive eating after years of food fear and hyper-control✨ The dance between internal vs. external locus of control on the healing path Whether you're just starting your healing journey or deep in the work of reclaiming your body’s wisdom, this episode is a reminder that healing is not about fixing — it’s about listening. ⏳ Timestamps: 00:00 Intro + guest welcome02:00 Audrey’s story: Italy, IBS, and searching for answers10:00 Trying everything: diets, yoga, Vipassana, and beyond17:00 Finally finding somatic experiencing and touch therapy24:00 How visceral work transformed her relationship with food27:00 The unexpected medicine in mold illness32:00 Ancestral trauma and inherited patterns39:00 Food trauma, intuitive eating, and rebuilding trust with the body43:00 Boundaries, people-pleasing, and embodying discernment50:00 Navigating a world that doesn’t feel safe54:00 Who Audrey’s illness invited her to become57:00 Closing reflections and ways to connect with Audrey 🔮 Connect with Audrey: → Website: https://www.restorativepresence.com/ [https://www.restorativepresence.com/]→ [https://www.restorativepresence.com/] Instagram: @somaticswithaudrey [https://www.instagram.com/somaticswithaudrey] 💫 Join the Sacred Illness™ Membership:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/sacred-illness [https://www.restorativepresence.com/]💸 [https://www.restorativepresence.com/] Use code PODCAST for 20% off your first month → Apply to be a podcast guest:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest [https://www.restorativepresence.com/] → Follow on Substack:https://drerinhayford.substack.com [https://www.restorativepresence.com/] 🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfkwww.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic [https://www.restorativepresence.com/] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe [https://sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]