📝 Episode Title

Near Death Experience, Chronic Illness & Somatic Healing with Dawn Christensen

✨ Episode Description

What if illness wasn’t your body failing—but your body speaking?

In this deeply moving episode of Rewriting the Illness Story, Paula sits down with somatic healing practitioner Dawn Christensen to explore a powerful journey through trauma, chronic illness, and spiritual awakening.

After surviving a near-fatal car accident at 19, Dawn experienced a profound near death experience that reshaped her entire life. From years of intense physical recovery to being diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and later navigating long COVID, her path has been anything but linear.

Through it all, Dawn discovered something life-changing: the body is not the enemy—it’s the messenger.

This conversation dives into somatic healing, nervous system regulation, creativity, and what it truly means to rebuild a relationship with your body rooted in safety, trust, and inner guidance.

If you’ve ever felt disconnected from your body, stuck in chronic illness, or searching for deeper meaning in your healing journey—this episode will meet you exactly where you are.

🔑 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• What a near death experience can reveal about purpose and healing
• How chronic illness can become a doorway to transformation
• Understanding Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and its impact
• The connection between trauma, the nervous system, and physical symptoms
• Why “the body is the messenger” (and how to start listening)
• How somatic healing creates safety in the body
• The role of creativity and expression in healing
• Navigating long COVID and rebuilding from the inside out
• Letting go of hustle culture and reconnecting with your truth

🌿 Key Takeaways

• Healing is not linear—it’s layered and deeply personal
• Your body is always communicating, not betraying you
• Safety in the nervous system is the foundation for real healing
• You don’t need to earn your worth—you already have a seat at the table
• Slowing down and listening inward is where transformation begins

💬 Memorable Quotes

• “The body is not the enemy. The body is the messenger.”
• “Healing is not linear.”
• “You already have a seat at the table—there’s nothing to earn.”
• “We’re not broken—we’ve just been disconnected.”

👤 About the Guest

Dawn Christensen is a somatic healing practitioner, expressive arts counselor, and writer whose work is rooted in lived experience. After surviving a near-fatal accident, navigating chronic illness, and healing through long COVID, she now supports others in reconnecting with their bodies through nervous system regulation, creativity, and deep self-trust.

🔗 Connect with Dawn

• Substack: New Dawn Healing Arts https://substack.com/@dawnchristensen
• Facebook: Dawn Christensen
• New Book

You can find me at:

https://www.instagram.com/rewritingtheillnessstory?igsh=MWEzZDc2bWFyaXpyZg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

OR

rewritingillness@gmail.com

Music: Island Glow by Dirk Dealer

Book with Meditation: You Are Not your Pain Book by Danny Penman and Vidyamala Burch (on Amazon). https://amzn.to/3PIT118

Cathy Heller https://cathyheller.samcart.com/referral/thisabundantlifebycathyheller/bT7E7mYq6rPBaJ9g

In this raw and honest mini episode of Rewriting the Illness Story, Paula shares what it really looks like when healing doesn’t go as planned.

After a week of physical pain, GI issues, and unexpected insomnia, she opens up about something rarely talked about in the mindfulness and coaching space—the emotional spiral that can follow when nothing seems to be working.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, frustrated, or like you’re doing everything “right” but still struggling, this episode is for you.

Paula dives into:

• Why healing is not linear (even when it feels like it should be)
• The hidden pressure of toxic positivity and comparison
• How control and overthinking keep us stuck in cycles of burnout
• What to do when you start spiraling mentally and emotionally
• The power of allowing your feelings without judgment
• How to shift out of a negative spiral and reconnect with yourself
• Finding joy in the middle of pain—not someday, but today

This episode is a reminder that you are not broken, you are not failing, and you don’t need to have everything figured out to move forward.

Healing isn’t about perfection—it’s about learning to meet yourself where you are and choosing differently, one moment at a time.

You can find me at:

https://www.instagram.com/rewritingtheillnessstory?igsh=MWEzZDc2bWFyaXpyZg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

OR

rewritingillness@gmail.com

Music: Island Glow by Dirk Dealer

Book with Meditation: You Are Not your Pain Book by Danny Penman and Vidyamala Burch (on Amazon). https://amzn.to/3PIT118

Cathy Heller https://cathyheller.samcart.com/referral/thisabundantlifebycathyheller/bT7E7mYq6rPBaJ9g

What if your illness isn’t just something to fix… but something trying to guide you?

In this episode of Rewriting the Illness Story, I sit down with coach Shelly Groom to talk about her journey through anxiety, fibromyalgia, and chronic illness—and how it ultimately led her back to herself.

Shelly shares what it was like to go from panic attacks and ER visits to years of debilitating symptoms, being dismissed by doctors, and searching for answers that never seemed to come. Through time, self-discovery, and small but powerful shifts, she began to move out of survival mode and into healing, purpose, and alignment.

This conversation explores the emotional and physical toll of invisible illness, the frustration of not being believed, and the powerful role mindset, awareness, and self-compassion can play in the healing journey.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, unseen, or overwhelmed by your health, this episode will remind you—you’re not alone, and there is another way forward.

In this episode, we discuss:
• Living with anxiety, fibromyalgia, and chronic illness
• The experience of being dismissed or misdiagnosed
• How stress, burnout, and life circumstances impact the body
• The mind-body connection and shifting out of “sick identity”
• Small, manageable steps that support healing
• The importance of validation, support, and being seen
• How purpose and alignment can shift your health and energy
• Practices like gratitude, grace, rest, and mindfulness

Connect with Shelly Groom:
Website: https://www.thecoachingtree.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.coachingtree?igsh=bmFpb3BvNHZteXNw

You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life Paperback – April 23, 2013
by Jen Sincero

https://amzn.to/4vtCn5V

If this episode resonated with you:
Follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear this.

Keywords:
chronic illness, fibromyalgia, anxiety, invisible illness, healing journey, mind body connection, emotional healing, burnout recovery, holistic healing, self healing, personal growth, spiritual healing, women’s health

You can find me at:

https://www.instagram.com/rewritingtheillnessstory?igsh=MWEzZDc2bWFyaXpyZg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

OR

rewritingillness@gmail.com

Music: Island Glow by Dirk Dealer

Book with Meditation: You Are Not your Pain Book by Danny Penman and Vidyamala Burch (on Amazon). https://amzn.to/3PIT118

Cathy Heller https://cathyheller.samcart.com/referral/thisabundantlifebycathyheller/bT7E7mYq6rPBaJ9g