Episode 147| Dr. Sula Windgassen|Your Body Is Not the Enemy| Making making peace with chronic illness
Living with chronic pain or fatigue or any chronic health condition can feel like being stuck in a body you can't trust. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Sula Windgassen, a health psychologist and author of It's All in Your Body, about what changes when you stop fighting your symptoms and start relating to your body with guidance and care. Sula shares her own path: recurring urinary symptoms that doctors couldn't explain, the toll on her work and mood, and how mindfulness, introduced gently by her father, opened a different way of being with the experience. You'll hear her patient story about pelvic pain and fatigue, and her analogy of the body as a frightened toddler who needs guidance rather than punishment. You'll come away with a practical reframe, a sense of why pain and stress responses are linked through the nervous system, and a hopeful message: even tiny, curious choices matter. We also discuss the Endometriosis Foundation, this episode's charity, and its work on tailored psychotherapy and peer support. A compassionate listen for anyone with chronic illness and the people who care for them
Key takeaways:
• Fatigue and pain are often tangled together, and withdrawing and guarding can deepen the feeling of being trapped in your body.
• Try relating to your body like a frightened toddler: it needs guidance and care, not punishment.
• Mindfulness doesn't require being a perfect or devout meditator; practicing with support helps you reflect and get unstuck.
• Psychological experiences can influence the body through the nervous system, offering real potential for change.
• Hearing 'it's stress' without support can feel dismissive; understanding the science makes the approach more credible and useful.
• You don't need big changes. Small, curious choices, even ones that feel inconsequential, are how things shift.
• Peer support and tailored psychotherapy matter for conditions like endometriosis, which can be very isolating.
About Dr. Windgassen:
Dr Sula Windgassen PhD MSc is a leading health psychologist who has
dedicated her career to understanding the intersection between physical
and mental health. An internationally recognised researcher with over 30
published academic papers, she regularly collaborates with institutions
worldwide. She has been published in Women's Health,
Psychologies magazine, Red magazine, The Guardian, The Independent, The
Telegraph and the BBC. Her debut non-fiction book, It’s All In Your Body
challenges the stigmatising narrative of ‘it’s all in your head’, providing a
practical roadmap for healing using the mind-body connection.
Dr Sula is director of specialist health psychology clinic, Mind Body
Blossom, founder of the online community Body Mind Connect and Trustee
of the Endometriosis Foundation. Sula is a visiting lecturer at UCL and is
currently undertaking research work at both King’s College London and
University College London. Sula holds five degrees and has a growing
online community on Instagram (@the_health_psychologist_) and
through her newsletter.
Resources mentioned:
• It's All in Your Body by Dr. Sula Windgassen
• Mindfulness practice
• Healing and the Mind (Bill Moyers documentary featuring Jon Kabat-Zinn)
• Jon Kabat-Zinn
• Endometriosis Foundation
Links mentioned:
• It's All in Your Body by Dr. Sula Windgassen
• Healing and the Mind (Bill Moyers documentary)
About The One Thing Podcast with Dr. Adam Rinde
Host Dr. Adam Rinde, ND brings together leaders in functional and naturopathic medicine for actionable conversations on gut health, brain health, metabolism, and longevity. Subscribe and share at https://onethingpod.com.
For education only — not a substitute for medical advice.
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