6-Week Remote Group · Persistent Illness & Pain
Befriending the Body
The emotional side of persistent illness and pain. A group for people ready to stop fighting their body and start listening to it.
Remote, six weeks. 75-minute weekly sessions with Laurie Buehler, MFT. Wednesdays, October 14 to November 18, 2026. Emotional processing, expressive writing, and nervous-system awareness in a small group.
A doorway into Living with Chronic Illness & Pain
Chronic pain is a threshold. It changes who you are.
Persistent pain does not just hurt. It rearranges your relationship to your body, your future, your sense of self. People stop asking how you are because the honest answer is too long. The life you had before pain begins to feel like it belonged to someone else.
This group is not a course in pain management. It is a small circle for the quiet, threshold work of moving from fighting your body to listening to it. Befriending what is not going away. Becoming someone new on the other side of that turn.
Chronic pain changes everything. And nobody really gets it.
“I can’t relax or feel comfortable.”
The tension never fully releases. You brace for pain before it comes, and your body has forgotten what ease feels like. Sleep is a negotiation.
“I can’t do what I want.”
Plans cancelled. Activities abandoned. The life you had before feels like it belongs to someone else. Frustration turns into depression and anxiety.
“I feel alone when I’m in pain or fatigued.”
People say they understand, but they don’t. You’ve stopped talking about it because the blank stares hurt almost as much as the pain and exhaustion themselves.
If any of this sounds familiar, you're not broken. You're in pain, and you deserve more than being told to “manage it.”
The Program
6 weeks of learning to live with your body, not against it.
My approach balances structure and flexibility. Each 75-minute remote session teaches practical skills and builds shared understanding. Over six weeks, we build connections, transform old beliefs, and invite new possibilities, shifting focus from pain's burden toward inspiration.
Arriving
Orientation to the group. Establishing safety. Beginning to notice what your body is actually telling you.
Listening
Body scanning and awareness techniques. Learning to be with sensation without bracing against it.
Softening
Guided imagery and breath work. Finding the places where your body can still release.
Moving
Gentle somatic practices. Exploring what movement is available to you right now, without judgment.
Connecting
The relationship between emotions and pain. Processing grief, anger, and fear held in the body.
Rebuilding
Reclaiming activities and identity. Developing a personal body-mind practice for daily life.
The Daily Practice
An active tool called Journal Speak.
Each day, you will spend 20 minutes writing privately about recurring negative thoughts, unresolved traumas, shame, or deep truths you have not expressed. The goal is to unload that emotional burden, either by writing or by speaking it aloud, and then delete it. The point is the process, not keeping a record.
You will then spend 10 minutes in silent meditation or self-soothing. This practice is active and process-oriented, and it can evoke strong emotional responses, so it is held with my support to keep it safe.
Journal Speak was created by Nicole Sachs, LCSW, and was inspired by the work of John Sarno, MD, author of Healing Back Pain (1991).
Group Details
What the program includes.
The program begins with a one-on-one assessment session to make sure the group is the right fit for you and to understand your unique experience.
- Dates
- Wednesdays, October 14 to November 18, 2026
- Time
- 7 PM ET / 6 PM CT / 5 PM MT / 4 PM PT. 75-minute remote sessions.
- Group size
- Limited to 8 participants
- Commitment
- A 30-minute daily practice for the six weeks, to receive the full benefit of the group.
1:1 Assessment Session
A one-on-one meeting to discuss your history, goals, and whether the group is the right next step for you.
6-Week Remote Group Series
Six 75-minute weekly sessions. Emotional processing, expressive writing, and nervous-system awareness in a small group.
Includes the 1:1 assessment session and all six group sessions. Payment plans available upon request.
This group is for you if you are ready to stop fighting your body and start befriending it.
This program may be right for you if:
- You live with persistent pain, illness, or fatigue, and it is shaping your days
- You are still working, raising children, or both, and are not ready to be defined as sick or disabled
- You feel isolated by your symptoms and want people who truly understand
- You are curious about the connection between your emotions and your physical symptoms
- You want an active, process-oriented practice, not just talk
- You are ready to move toward self-compassion, empowerment, and a fuller quality of life
This program is not designed for:
- You are currently in acute medical crisis (please consult your physician first)
- You are looking for a purely medical or pharmacological approach
- You are not able to commit to the 30-minute daily practice for the six weeks
Not sure? Reach out, and we'll figure out together whether this is your right next step.
What We Work Toward
Goals for our six weeks together.
- Understanding the nervous system
- Making room for anger, grief, shame, fear, and helplessness
- Reducing internal suppression
- Cultivating self-compassion and empowerment
- Building community with others who understand life in an unpredictable body
Themes I have worked with for twenty years:
This group does not operate on the belief that emotions cause chronic illness. It emphasizes how emotional processing, expressive writing, and nervous-system awareness can help people living with chronic conditions carry the emotional burden that so often comes with them, building resilience, self-understanding, and sometimes a shift in their relationship with symptoms.
What Changes
People leave this program feeling different in their bodies.
Reduced Isolation
Connect with others who truly understand your experience. You will not have to explain or justify your pain here.
Increased Hope
Witness others making progress. Discover that change is possible, even when you have been told otherwise.
Decreased Suffering
Learn the difference between pain and suffering. Develop tools to reduce the emotional amplification of physical sensation.
Enhanced Body Comfort
Build a new relationship with your body through mindfulness, guided imagery, and somatic practices you can use daily.
Things you might discover about yourself.
“I realized how much rage I carry.”
“I noticed how much my inner critic is ruling my existence.”
“I remembered something important I had forgotten.”
“I cried for the first time in years.”
Why I Created This Program
I know what it feels like to live inside a body that hurts.
For over two years, I couldn't work. I couldn't move freely. Chronic pain had taken over my life. I saw specialist after specialist. I tried every treatment I could find. And for a long time, nothing changed.
What finally healed me was not one thing. It was an approach. Body-mind-spirit interventions that helped me stop fighting my body and start listening to it. Slowly, patiently, I was fully and completely healed.
That experience changed the course of my career. I couldn't un-know what I had learned: that chronic pain is not just a physical problem, and the path through it is not just a medical one.
I created Befriending the Body because the thing I needed most during those years, a room full of people who actually understood, guided by someone who had walked the same road, didn't exist. Now it does.
As your facilitator, I understand grief, trauma, chronic illness, and the existential challenge of living in a body that does not cooperate. And I bring a structured daily practice designed to help people process these emotions safely, with my support.
“The cure for pain lies in the pain.”
— RumiA Personal Note
I have lived with persistent illness and pain since my early twenties. Counseling, nutrition, and physical therapy deeply informed my understanding of healing. While I no longer identify with the label I was given then, daily discomfort remains part of my lived experience.
Over time, I have learned to stay within my window of tolerance, to read flare-ups as signals of imbalance, and to reduce pressure in favor of presence and kindness, toward myself and others. That has led to a better quality of life. Part of staying in balance has been a commitment to processing uncomfortable emotions and sensations in my body through a range of daily practices.
I hope you can, too. If you are ready to take the next step, I invite you to join us.
Questions
Everything you need to know before you decide.
How do I enroll in the program?
Start by booking a free 15-minute consultation. If the group seems like a good fit, we will schedule your 1:1 assessment session. Once that is complete, you are enrolled in the next 6-week series. The $550 total includes the assessment and all six group sessions.
What if I miss a session?
Life happens, especially when you live with chronic pain. If you miss a session, Laurie will provide a brief summary and any materials from that week. However, because the group builds on shared experience, consistent attendance is strongly encouraged.
Is this program covered by insurance?
The program is not billed through insurance directly. However, Laurie can provide a superbill (detailed receipt) that you can submit to your insurance for potential out-of-network reimbursement. Many clients receive partial reimbursement this way.
Do I need a referral from my doctor?
No referral is required. The 1:1 assessment session serves as our intake process. That said, we encourage you to keep your medical team informed about all aspects of your care.
What is the group size?
The group is intentionally kept small, limited to 8 participants, so everyone has space to be seen and heard.
Is the group remote or in person?
The group meets entirely online over secure video, six 75-minute sessions on Wednesdays at 7 PM ET (6 CT, 5 MT, 4 PT), from October 14 to November 18, 2026. You can join from New York, California, Colorado, and beyond.
What kind of illness or pain does this address?
The group is for any persistent condition, including but not limited to fibromyalgia, back pain, migraines, neuropathy, autoimmune-related pain, chronic fatigue, and medically unexplained symptoms. The work focuses on your relationship with your body, not the diagnosis.
Is there a payment plan available?
Yes. If the full cost is a barrier, please mention this during your consultation. We can discuss a payment arrangement that works for you.
Take the Next Step
Your body has been trying to tell you something. Let's listen together.
Book a free 15-minute consultation to see if Befriending the Body is your right next step.
Remote
Secure video. Your link is sent after enrollment.
Phone
(415) 944-8677
Schedule
75-minute remote sessions, Wednesdays 7 PM ET, Oct 14 to Nov 18, 2026
I respond within 48 business hours. Your information is kept strictly confidential.