We all tell ourselves stories.
Some are easy to catch:
“I’m not a morning person.”
“I’ve always had a sensitive stomach.”
“I get sick every winter.”
Others operate more quietly in the background:
“I have to be productive to deserve rest.”
“My body is too broken to heal.”
“People like me don’t get better.”
We rarely see these as stories. They feel like facts. But what if they’re not? What if these inner narratives are shaping your health—your biochemistry, your immune system, even your pain—in ways you haven’t considered?
And what if the key to healing isn’t just in what you’re doing, but in what you’re believing?
Where These Stories Begin
Our health stories often start before we realize we’re telling them to ourselves. Maybe someone labeled you as “frail” or “dramatic” as a child.
Maybe a doctor told you your symptoms were “all in your head.”
Maybe you were the sibling who always got sick, or the student who couldn’t focus.
Maybe someone praised you for being “strong”—so you stopped showing pain, or acknowledged in yourself.
Over time, we internalize those messages. They take root.
Not just in our minds—but in our tissues, our nervous system, our behavior.
These stories become our lens: how we interpret a symptom, how we respond to a setback, even how much healing we allow ourselves to expect.
What We Hide From Ourselves
Here’s something I’ve seen again and again in clinical practice:
The stories we carry about our health are often tangled up with parts of ourselves we’ve tried to hide.
We hide our fear of being seen as weak (or strong).
We hide our frustration that healing is taking so long. Or become impatient with our progress.
We hide our resentment at needing help.
We hide the parts of us that feel “too much,” “too sensitive,” or “not enough.”
This is the terrain of shadow work—making conscious what’s been buried.
When we avoid these parts, we don’t just hide them from others. We impede our healing process.
And here’s the kicker: the more we try to be perfect—flawless in our health routines, stoic in our suffering—the more energy we use up managing the image. Energy that could go toward healing.
The Hidden Cost of a Limiting Narrative
The problem with these health stories isn’t that they’re untrue.
They often come from lived experience. Trauma. Disappointment. Survival. Genetics.
But when a story gets repeated enough—“Nothing works for me,” “I’ll always be like this”—it becomes a kind of neurological script.
It shapes our thoughts. Our habits. Even our biology.
The nervous system listens. The immune system listens. The gut listens.
Every cell is paying attention to what you believe about yourself.
A belief like “I always crash after a trip” doesn’t just express caution—it can trigger the very stress response it fears.
A story like “I’m just broken” may keep you from fully committing to a new possibility.
And maybe the most dangerous belief of all:
“This is just who I am.”
It’s Not About Blame. It’s About Power.
If any of this resonates with you, please hear this clearly:
This is not your fault.
We all carry stories. Mostly, they protected us.
They helped us make sense of a world—or a body—that felt overwhelming. And if they originated in childhood, may have been a survival strategy in an unsafe place where you had no control.
But what protected you then may hold you back now.
The good news? These stories are not fixed. They’re editable. You can rewrite the script.
You can live in a new narrative—one where healing is possible, where your body is capable, and where your past does not get the last word.
Start With These Three Questions
Here are three powerful prompts to help you begin:
- What beliefs do I have about my body that I repeat often?
(e.g., “I have terrible digestion,” “I’ll never sleep well,” “I’m just high-strung.”) - Where did I first learn this belief?
Was it something a doctor said? A parent implied? A role you had to play to survive? - Is this story absolutely true—or just something that has been true?
And if it’s no longer serving you…
what might be possible if you gently let it go?
Healing Happens When We Come Home to Ourselves
Most people skip this part.
They go straight to the supplements, the diets, the protocols.
And those things matter—deeply. But they can only take you so far if, deep down, part of you believes you’re unfixable.
Or unworthy.
Or too much.
Or too broken.
Real healing starts when we stop abandoning ourselves.
When we bring light to the places we’ve pushed into the shadows.
When we release the need to be perfect—and instead become whole.
That’s what this work is about.
Ready to Go Deeper?
If this resonates with you, I invite you to join me for my upcoming workshop:
“Letting Go of the Story: Healing Beyond Diagnosis.”
We’ll go step-by-step through the process of uncovering and gently releasing the narratives that keep us stuck—and reconnecting with the parts of ourselves we’ve pushed aside.
Because the truth is, you are more than your diagnosis.
More than your past.
And more than the story you’ve been told.
Healing begins when you believe that.
👉 [Sign up here to be the first to know when registration opens.]
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