Helga Byrne on Dr. Aimie Apigian’s Podcast, The Biology of Trauma

FMHC's Helga Byrne joins Dr. Aimie Apigian on her Podcast, The Biology of Trauma, on episode 118 to discuss how practitioners can navigate their own chronic illness and healing journey. Helga shares her personal experience and insight.

Are you trying to work caring for others while navigating your own chronic health symptoms? In this episode, we’ll take a look at one woman's decade-long battle with a chronic illness and the actions she took to build and maintain her practice. 

Helga Byrne, worked years in corporate, but wanted a more meaningful life. Becoming a licensed therapist, she spent years struggling with a chronic health issue without having an answer. Eventually, it was discovered it was chronic Lyme disease, but that didn’t bring an overnight solution. 

How do we manage being a professional in the healing field when we have our own chronic health issues? What happens when our physical health issues get triggered by long days or difficult clients? 

In this conversation, Helga joins Dr. Aimie to share the struggles and strategies Helga implemented to effectively run her business while navigating brain fog and extreme fatigue. She’ll also share insights on common identity challenges, the challenge of finding practitioners who believed her symptoms, how to identify what gives you energy, and changes you can make to your life, relationships and work.

They’ll discuss:

• How trauma can be created by medical rejection

• How chronic illness can create isolation

• Using the "spoon theory" for managing energy 

• Creating different ways to earn income when you can't see clients full-time

• The healing power of accepting your illness instead of waiting to "get better someday"

• Why working with clients can be energizing even during chronic illness

• Why learning to say "no" can protect your limited time and energy

• How finding a supportive community can change your outlook on your illness

• How your own health struggles can help you better understand and connect with clients

• And more!

Whether you are a practitioner, parent or other caregiver, this episode will give you great insights into how you can structure your life, work and schedule around your body's needs while showing up for others effectively. Click here to listen.