You are the expert in your own experience.

"If you've seen one... you've seen... one." - My teacher's teacher

You are the expert in your own experience.

Dear humans,

Some of you know that I’ve been taking an Intro to Counseling class at PSU. (!!) There’s more to say about it (and about the impending career pivot I’m exploring), but for now, I just want to share something my teacher said when we were talking about traumatic brain injuries (TBI):

“As my mentor says, ‘If you’ve seen one TBI, you’ve seen… one TBI.’”

Her point (and her mentor’s point) was that everyone’s experience is unique. Even if two people share the same injury, condition, or diagnosis, their experiences will not be exactly the same. And so, as counselors, teachers, caregivers, we must remember: we cannot assume we know someone’s experience, simply because we know their diagnosis.

To me, this is foundational to trauma-informed teaching: Everyone is the expert in their own experience. As teachers, we can offer what we have learned, we can share general guidelines and principles for our students to try out, but we will never know what it’s like to live in their bodies. We have to trust that they know themselves best.

This Saturday, I’m hosting a 2-hr online workshop, Yoga for Back Care. Each time I lead a 2-hr workshop, I am reminded just how short 2 hours is, and how we can’t possibly discuss everything I want to discuss! And so, each time, I try to simplify. I try to highlight what is most interesting and important to me at the moment, and to trust that that is enough.

Right now, what feels most interesting and important is exploring and experiencing. Because, even if everyone in the workshop shares a common experience of “back pain,” the way it manifests for each of us is different. Rather than tell anyone what they “should” do for their specific pain or condition, or attempt to offer a list of definitive “dos” and “don’ts,” I hope to provide a container for students to feel, to experiment, and to feel some more. Above all, I hope to provide a space where each individual can approach their body with curiosity and kindness.

If this sounds fun to you, I’d love to see you there. You don’t need to have a particular diagnosis, or a certain level of chronic pain - just a vested interest in learning about your spine, and all the stuff that surrounds it. If you have a friend who you think might enjoy it too, feel free to invite them! We’ll meet live (via Zoom) this Saturday, Dec 2, 9-11am PT; recordings will also be available (if you want the recording, simply sign up as usual so I have your email address!).

Until then, take care of your bodies, minds, and hearts,
Abby


P.S. If you want to read about one of my recent back injuries, and some things I learned from it, you can check out yesterday’s blog post!