Tag: healing

How Coronavirus Saved My Life Podcast Cover
mental health, podcast

episode 36: the story (Our Childhood Story Created By Broken People)

Christine Zethraus, PMHNP

Listen to episode 36 below

Christine Zethraus, PMHNP

Summary

What is your Story? What Story have you been telling yourself since childhood? What is the constant story running in your head?

Today’s episode is about My Story. The Story I’ve been telling myself since childhood. A story built by broken people AKA my Parents. 

The purpose of today’s episode is to help Empower You to create a new story.

I share techniques that work for me. You deserve to feel good in your story.

I first began observing my thoughts and emotions. “What am I feeling?”  Then ask yourself where does this feeling come from? Is it real? Is it based on fact? Is it based on a memory or an emotion from childhood? Is this a belief? What is the evidence that supports this belief? Are there any other points of view that might support this belief? What would someone who loves me say about this belief? Would they agree with me or disagree with me? What can I do today to support myself in making changes toward becoming healthier emotionally and spiritually? 

Listen to episode 36: the story for more healing techniques. 

—————————————————————————–

I dedicate this episode to my friend & fellow podcaster Willie Porter. 

Willie asked me a question no one ever asked me in childhood.

“When was the last time you took a break?” was the question. 

Thank you Willie for being a great friend & supporter. 

Check out Willie’s podcast he makes with his Wife 

Check out Willie Podcast Below:

Connect with Christine:

 Twitter | Instagram | website | Youtube | FB 

Check out Christine’s other podcast with her sister The Family Burrito

Resources: 

Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza

Disclaimer: The information and recommendations in this Podcast are only opinions of the host and guests of How Coronavirus Saved My Life Podcast –

Continue reading “episode 36: the story (Our Childhood Story Created By Broken People)” →
Headshot of Arun Nijhawan
mental health, podcast

episode 35: the recovery (Ways to Recover from Chronic Pain and Long COVID with Arun Nijhawan, PART TWO)

Christine Zethraus, PMHNP

“I want to help people not suffer as much”

Christine Zethraus, PMHNP

I was 99.99999% Skeptical

-Arun Nijhawan
Headshot of Arun Nijhawan
Arun Nijhawan, Co-founder of menda.health

Summary

Do you suffer from Chronic Pain? 

Do you have Long COVID symptoms still but can’t get answers?

This episode is for YOU. YOU are not alone.

My guest today is Arun Nijhawan.

Arun was diagnosed with Degenerative Disc Disease at age 24.

His pain became so debilitating he no longer could play basketball, hike–his pain made it difficult to even walk. His pain was REAL. So was the SOLUTION.

Listen to Part TWO of episode 35: the recovery— where Arun tells his story of how he recovered from Chronic Pain while I tell my OWN story of Long COVID Recovery.

The purpose of today’s episode is for people suffering from Chronic Pain and Long COVID symptoms to feel heard and cared for, to not suffer as much, and find hope once again in the possibility of recovery. 

Arun Nijhawan is the co-founder of menda.health— an evidence-based virtual pain recovery program. 

Arun suffered from Chronic Pain for 5 long years.

Arun still didn’t have answers despite having the BEST access to medical resources.

Listen to his story of Chronic Pain Recovery.

Arun’s story will blow you away. 

https://www.menda.health/

Connect with Christine:

 Twitter | Instagram | website | Youtube | FB 

Disclaimer: The information and recommendations in this Podcast are only opinions of the host and guests of How Coronavirus Saved My Life Podcast — Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/howcoronavirussavedmylife/message

episode 43: the cord (How My Dad's Death Was A Gift To My Healing) – How Coronavirus Saved My Life

episode 43: the chord (How My Dad's Death Was A Gift To My Healing) When my dad died, a toxic limb was severed from my body. It was startling when the detective called to tell me my Dad was dead. I no longer had to endure my father's dysfunctional behaviors. He was dead. So now what? In this episode, I share epiphanies about my dad’s death being a gift to my healing and the unconditional love I gave him directly before he died despite the hurt he caused me in childhood. My father’s death gave me unspeakable freedom and release. His death created a deeper pathway to my inner worthiness.  My father’s death led me to discover my mother is a narcissist. How? Because his chaotic behaviors were no longer in the picture or a distraction. A fog had lifted. I could see my mother's abuse clearly now.  ———————————————————————– This episode is sponsored by Uphealing Mental Healthcare. Uphealing Mental Healthcare is a telehealth service in the Dallas / Fort Worth, providing psychiatric treatment with medication management and therapy. Visit uphealing.org for more information. http://uphealing.org —————————————————————- Connect with Christine for Mental Health Discussions and Tools for Recovery: ⁠https://howcoronavirussavedmylife.com⁠ ⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter⁠ |⁠ ⁠⁠Instagram⁠ |⁠ ⁠⁠website⁠ | ⁠Youtube⁠ | ⁠FB ⁠ Check out Christine's other podcast with her sister ⁠The Family Burrito⁠ Disclaimer: The information and recommendations in this Podcast are only opinions of the host and guests of ⁠How Coronavirus Saved My Life Podcast — Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/howcoronavirussavedmylife/message
  1. episode 43: the cord (How My Dad's Death Was A Gift To My Healing)
  2. episode 42: the perspective (How Changing Your Perspective is Healing)
  3. episode 41: the uncertainty (How to Embrace Uncertainty Rather Than Fearing It)
  4. episode 40: the injustice (How My Father's Racism Impacted My Childhood)
  5. episode 39: the gratitude (How My Journaling Practice Saved My Life)

What It’s Like Being Raised by a Narcissistic Mother: Part Two
mental health, podcast

episode 35: the recovery (Ways to Recover from Chronic Pain and Long COVID with Arun Nijhawan, PART ONE)

Christine Zethraus, PMHNP

Summary

Do you suffer from Chronic Pain? Do you have Long COVID symptoms?

This episode is for YOU.

Per the CDC, Nearly 1 in 5 still have long COVID symptoms. A Medscape article predicts Long COVID could cost the economy TRILLIONS. 

My guest today is Arun Nijhawan. Arun was diagnosed with Degenerative Disc Disease at age 24. His pain became so debilitating he no longer could play basketball, hike–his pain made it difficult to even walk. His pain was REAL. So was the SOLUTION.

Listen to Part One of today’s episode where Arun tells his journey of Chronic Pain Recovery while I tell my OWN story of Long COVID recovery.

The purpose of today’s episode is for people suffering from Chronic Pain and Long COVID symptoms tofeel heard and cared for.

Arun Nijhawan is the co-founder of menda.health, an evidence-based virtual pain recovery program. Arun suffered from chronic pain for 5 long years. Arun still didn’t have answers despite having the BEST access to medical resources.

https://www.menda.health/

How did he recover from Chronic Pain? How did I recover from Long Covid?

Listen to our similar journey of recovery and healing. YOU are not alone. 

Topics: 

  • The trillion dollar prediction COST of Long COVID
  • Arun’s diagnosis of Degenerative Disc Disease at age 24
  • Christine’s Long COVID Symptoms (Brain fog, numbness and tingling in hand, fatigued, sensitive to environment, headaches, short of breathe)
  • The cycles and spirals of hopelessness in chronic pain and long covid
  • The “thing” that shifted Arun’s Chronic Pain into recovery 
  • The role of thoughts and emotions
  • Modern pain Neuroscience
  • Neuroplastic pain
  • Tough life experiences priming your nervous system for chronic pain
  • Pain Processing Therapy
  • Finding hope in the possibility of recovery

Connect with Christine:

 Twitter | Instagram | website | Youtube | FB 

Disclaimer: The information and recommendations in this Podcast are only opinions of the host and guests of How Coronavirus Saved My Life Podcast

Resources:

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6736a2.htm

https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/clearing-the-brain-fog-in-long-covid

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/981583?reg=1

Listen to episode 34 part one

2022 alcoholism black history month boundaries bullies burnout Childhood chronicpain chronic pain conversation coronavirus embrace evidence based family Father healing healthcare human design journal journey longcovid meditation Mental Health mindbodyconnection mother motherhood narcissist nursepractitioner nursing parenting Podcast polyvagaltheory psychology racism recovery science selfcare selfhelp selflove Spirituality therapy trauma Universe vagusnerve worthiness

Christine's High School Graduation picture
mental health, mental health, self help

What It’s Like Being Raised by a Narcissistic Mother: Part Two

Christine Zethraus, PMHNP

Why Discovering my Inner Worthiness was Crucial to my Healing

A Mental Health Nurse Practitioner & Podcast Host of How Coronavirus Saved My Life

Christine Zethraus, PMHNP

What is a Narcissist?

A narcissist is someone who has a grandiose sense of self-importance, an excessive need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others. Oftentimes they can be controlling, manipulative and demanding. They also lack conscience and guilt which makes it very easy for them to hurt others without feeling remorseful or guilty about what they have done or said to harm another person.

Now imagine this person is your Mother.

A picture of Christine with her father
(7TH GRADE) My Father picking me up from my Mom’s after she kicked me out of the house.

The Effects of a Narcissistic Mother

The effects of being raised by a narcissistic mother are profound.

Growing up with a narcissistic mother made it very difficult for me to trust anyone, especially men, I never knew if they would hurt me or not. I was constantly looking at every aspect of their behavior trying to determine if they were good or bad people so that way I could protect myself from further harm but this became exhausting after a while because there was no way I could.

Not to mention the constant need for external validation. 

A young Christine
A young me at the beginning of a life full of manipulation and gaslighting.

Abnormal Parenting

It wasn’t until years later that I realized this kind of parenting wasn’t normal; it wasn’t how other moms treated their kids.  It didn’t seem strange at the time because I had no point of reference; my mother was just “the way she was.”

But when you grow up with a narcissistic parent, it can be extremely confusing and painful — especially when you don’t even know that your parent has Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD).  

It took me years to realize that there was something wrong with this situation; it wasn’t just me making things up in my head or overreacting to things that weren’t really happening at all…it was My Narcissistic Mother. 

She is the person who will remind you of your mistakes and shortcomings every chance she gets. She will create stories that portray you as a terrible person, a burden on society, and a waste of space. She will make sure everyone knows you are a disappointment, especially if they have something she wants or needs from them.

Meet Your Narcissistic Mother

She has no empathy for others; in fact, she feels superior to most people in her life. She cannot feel remorse over anything she has done wrong or hurtful things she has said. She expects everyone to meet her high expectations without question, but never does anything herself because it is beneath her.

Your Narcissistic Mother does not like anything about you; everything that makes up who you are is wrong in her eyes.

Being raised by a narcissistic mother is a form of emotional abuse that can have a devastating effect on the child’s self-esteem and sense of self-worth. Narcissistic mothers are often very good at creating an illusion of being wonderful parents. They are often charming, charismatic and superficially seem to be loving and attentive. The reality is that they lack empathy for their children and only care about their own needs, feelings and desires. HELLO GUILT TRIPS!

Stay Tuned for Part Three of What It’s Like Being Raised by a Narcissistic Mother. *HINT: EXHAUSTING

I’ll provide examples galore of her subtle manipulation.

My hope is for others to heal by sharing my story. You deserve peace. You are worthy.

What It’s Like Being Raised by a Narcissistic Mother: Part One
Dr. Les Aria
mental health, podcast

episode 34: the polyvagal (How to Heal Chronic Pain with Dr. Les Aria, part TWO)

Christine Zethraus, PMHNP
Dr. Les Aria

Summary

Do you have Chronic Pain? Ready for Pain Recovery? This episode is for YOU!

We have a special guest today—Dr. Les Aria, a Pain Psychologist & Co-founder of Menda.Health, who specializes in helping people recover from chronic pain. Today, he’ll explain what polyvagal theory is and how it can help you feel safe when you’re dealing with chronic pain.

This week’s episode, Part TWO, on polyvagal theory and its application to chronic pain therapy. Polyvagal theory is the science of feeling safe, and it’s based on decades of research by Dr. Stephen Porges, who pioneered research into the autonomic nervous system and its relationship with emotions.

Check out Dr. Les Aria’s Pain Recovery App: https://www.menda.health/

Topics Covered:

  • The only question you brain is trying to answer
  • 3 worlds our body & brain responds to
  • Easy ways to recognize nervous system dysregulation
  • 90 seconds to correct your emotional experience  
  • Why intense attraction can’t be trusted
  • Why we are attracted to people who dysregulate our nervous system 
  • Our brain is reacting to past while in the present
  • What we need to experience to believe we can heal ourself 
  • Practice is the drive changer of your nervous system 
  • Co-regulation 

Connect with Dr. Les Aria: 

Website: https://lesariaphd.com/| Youtube: Myndfulness here| Dynamic Healing Podcast |Instagram @drlesaria

Connect with Christine: 

 Twitter | Instagram | website | Youtube | FB 

Disclaimer: The information and recommendations in this Podcast are only opinions of the host and guests of How Coronavirus Saved My Life Podcast — Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/howcoronavirussavedmylife/message