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The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness

The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness

Deb Malkin

Deb Malkin, certified life coach, bodyworker, hypnotist and Pain Recovery Coach shares tips for rewiring persistent pain and emotional overwhelm. After experiencing their own overnight transformation of her chronic knee pain while 50, fat and with an x-ray showing degenerative osteoarthritis, she discovered pain wasn't only what her bodywork education or doctors were teaching. Using tools inspired by the work of Dr. Sarno, physician and author of Healing Back Pain and Mindbody Prescription she has added a blend of mindbody awareness, polyvagal theory, life coaching magic and a lot of health at every size rebelliousness to develop thier own special process that takes into consideration the affects of marginalization and stigma to teach the brain and body how to embody safety and unlearn pain. Deb is a long time bodyworker, movement enthusiast, former plus size clothing store owner and aging fat queer human with an irreverent sense of humor. She believes all bodies are born with inherent worth and value. Trained by Dr. Howard Schubiner, a renowned Mindbody Physician and Charlie Merrill, PT, the Pain Psychology Center and famed Hypnotist Melissa Tiers, Deb has successfully helped clients eliminate or reduce migraine, back pain, knee, foot and fibromyalgia pain and her clients have resumed creating lives full of richly desired physical activities without fear about chronic or persistent pain.
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Top 10 The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness - S2E39 The Comfort Scale, Tracking Made Better For You

S2E39 The Comfort Scale, Tracking Made Better For You

The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness

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11/13/24 • 18 min

Today's short and sweet podcast that's about flipping a pretty standard practice that many people in pain do on their own and/or are directed by their healthcare providers to do, Tracking Symptoms, to one that's one that will develop increased health + wellbeing.

There's research that shows that tracking symptoms has a dark side, increasing distress, anxiety and symptoms. And from my expereince, tracking can hamper healing and brain rewiring.

In the episode notes I'll link to articles and studies as well as the image of The Comfort Scale. But I want to encourage you sink into your creativity and develop a way of tracking comfort that feels best to you. As with anything in mindbody practices, letting yourself be in process and explore with curiosity.

Articles -
https://www.wired.com/story/why-tracking-your-symptoms-can-make-you-feel-worse/

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_overcome_your_brains_fixation_on_bad_things

https://medicalfuturist.com/the-dark-side-of-health-trackers/

Roger's version of The Comfort Scale
https://hypnosishealthinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Comfort-Scale.pdf

If you make your own version, I would love love love to see it!

Book a free half hour curiosity call with me - https://calendly.com/paincoachdeb

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pain.coach.deb/

Website - https://www.thecuriositycure.com

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The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness - S2E26 Self Healing The Mindbody Circus of Symptoms with Dani Fagan
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06/03/24 • 60 min

I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my favorite TMS educators and most kind and HILARIOUS colleagues....

Here's Dani in her own words, I specialise in the care of the chronic condition/mind-body medicine community, having healed from years of chronic pain and anxiety using mindbody tools myself. My approach to healing harnesses the power of the nervous by training the body-mind into a place of safety and out of survival mode. I teach gentle yoga, meditation and breathwork tailored to the self-healing community and coach in the form of online courses and masterclasses.

Please be sure to check out Dani's work and listen for clues to help you borrow belief that healing is possible for you and that this journey can be full of connection and compassion both with ourselves and with community.

Dani's website that has everything.
https://mytmsjourney.com

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/mytms_journey

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/mytmsjourney

Book a free half hour curiosity call with me - https://calendly.com/paincoachdeb

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pain.coach.deb/

Website - https://www.thecuriositycure.com

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The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness - S2E50 Transforming Avoidance Into Change

S2E50 Transforming Avoidance Into Change

The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness

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04/22/25 • 29 min

This episode was inspired by the conversation I had with therapist Caryn Sherbet, which will be my next podcast. They're a new PRT therapist and we chatted about the gifts of exposure response therapy for all kinds of situations we encounter that trigger our avoidance response.

In this episode, I take you through two experiences that are more aligned with emotional pain but hey you all know that can often be a trigger for physical pain, or go hand in hand with it (hey that's a great podcast idea). But I walk you through the avoidance/approach process that I used to help me transform two tender emotional experiences I was having that was causing me to avoid taking aligned actions. In the process I was able to further neutralize two stories that I've been carrying around for years, "I don't get things done" and "Being fat means I'm not worthy of love (and not currently being in a relationship is proof)."
Here's the link for a faster EFT technique - https://youtu.be/wpYjrdl7PMo?si=ida8WiV1uHo_QooE

As I say in the episode, I'm in a fierce transformation phase of my life, having finished the majority of heavy lifting of activities around my Dad's passing as well as the coming of Spring. As I get more friendly with what triggers avoidance, I'm able to gently use my tools of neuroplasticity and psychophysiological recoding processes to rewire those habitual responses from a place of self compassion and strength vs. secretly reinforcing my old belief systems. Having a self connecting intention is the key to this approach.

I'm opening my doors for working with new clients. Please book a curiosity call and let's chat about how working together can help you feel more better more of the time. Or all of the time, don't let me create any limitations on how good it can get!
And if getting an astrology reading is something in your house of desire I highly recommend working with Miss Renee. She's been someone who has served as a touchstone for me over the years when I need just enough clarity to get me heading in the right direction. Her intentions are always to give someone back to themselves, to feel empowered in their deepest self love and connection - https://missreneehealing.com/

Book a free half hour curiosity call with me - https://calendly.com/paincoachdeb

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pain.coach.deb/

Website - https://www.thecuriositycure.com

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The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness - S2E52 Pelvic Pain Recovery Integrating the Physical, Emotional + Social Body
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05/16/25 • 58 min

This is a fun conversation about a not fun topic, healing from chronic pelvic pain. Rachel and I are mindbody besties, our work is deeply rooted in learning and teaching these skills of body trust and always believing the recovery is available for everyone in any body. I hope you listen with wide open ears, catching any themes that might resonate for you. And with any of my interviews, I invite you to imagine applying these concepts to you in your life. How can you start to view your symptoms and your life differently?

To me, Rachel is a hero of self determination, someone willing to step through fear, pain, discomfort and trauma with such passion and self compassion. It's not an easy path as you will discover, but she and I share the sentiment that once you understand neuroplastic pain it's hard to view our human experience through a different lens.

Rachel is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and pelvic pain coach who specializes in guiding women with chronic pelvic pain to heal through a holistic mind-body approach. Her own journey of healing from chronic pelvic pain inspired her to pursue this work, and she now dedicates her career to guiding and supporting others through their own paths to recovery. With years of experience in both clinical practice and coaching, Rachel empowers her clients to not only heal their pain but also to create full and empowered lives rooted in connection and intention as they heal. Her unique approach combines expert knowledge with compassionate coaching, providing women with the tools to feel safe in their bodies, live freely, and foster deeper, more meaningful connections with themselves and others as they heal.

If you’re ready to start healing TODAY and want a clear, flexible roadmap, Beyond Chronic Pelvic Pain: The Self-Paced Course is the place to begin. You’ll learn the core mind-body and nervous system tools she used to heal—and have helped dozens of clients do the same.
Click the link below to learn more! https://thepelvicpaincoach.com/course

https://thepelvicpaincoach.com/

https://www.instagram.com/thepelvicpaincoach/

Book a free half hour curiosity call with me - https://calendly.com/paincoachdeb

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pain.coach.deb/

Website - https://www.thecuriositycure.com

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The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness - S2E32 Permission To Be Human With Anna

S2E32 Permission To Be Human With Anna

The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness

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08/03/24 • 77 min

This episode is a peek into what two mindbody practitioners talk about. Hear bits of our own process of this work helping us find and revel in our humanness.

Anna Holtzman is a colleague, friend and leader in mindbody pain recovery. She is a licensed psychotherapist and mind-body coach who helps people find relief from chronic pain and other symptoms of a stressed-out nervous system. She came to this work through her own recovery from 10 years of migraine. In a prior career, Anna worked in reality TV as a video editor and she continues to use her love of storytelling through her blog and podcast, both titled From Chronic Pain to Passion. She lives in New York City with her partner, stepdaughter, and three orange cats.

I don't think I could write better than Anna to describe this episode, here's what she said about our conversation:

Deb and I are also part of a cohort of mind-body coaches who get together about twice a month and let it all hang out together, which has been so instrumental for my growth. And as we’ll talk about, it’s not always easy letting yourself be vulnerable, even in the most supportive of spaces. But what I find over and over again is that it’s so worth it, because the healing and growth that comes from allowing ourselves to connect with one another through our vulnerability and honesty is really the only gateway to joy in life, as far as I can tell.

So, here’s me and Deb getting real with each other — and with you — about what it’s like to be a beautifully messy human being who helps other beautifully messy human beings. And I hope this conversation serves as a permission slip to let your own beautiful messiness shine through.
Where you can find Anna...
website: https://www.annaholtzman.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_holtzman/

Book a free half hour curiosity call with me - https://calendly.com/paincoachdeb

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pain.coach.deb/

Website - https://www.thecuriositycure.com

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The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness - S2E20 Drama Club vs Debate Club A Strategic Metaphor

S2E20 Drama Club vs Debate Club A Strategic Metaphor

The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness

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03/28/24 • 32 min

I LOVE A METAPHOR!
They're some of the best ways for us to convey meaning and embody understanding without a lot of confusion.
Enter my own Drama Club vs. Debate Club as a way to help our mindbody navigate the metabolically taxing and cognitive overload of uncertainty.
We all have survival strategies, habituated ways of relating to our internal and external sensory world. Our brain has a meaning making mandate which it pursues through the nervous system and cognition to understand the world around it, after all it's encased in a skull, and senses are storytellers of sensemaking.
So I've developed a simple and hopefully fun construct of drama club vs. debate club to help you step outside of the endless suffering of overthinking and sensory + emotional avoidance, as well as how to use logic and cognition to help you decrease the stress response that comes with uncertainty, confusion and fear.
If we learn to know and love our meta cognitive strategies we can create a welcome foundation for change. Enjoy!
Articles about The Neural Story Net and the Meaning Making Mandate in our brains.
https://mediax.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Haven.pdf
https://storyhow.com/blog/why-you-need-to-know-about-the-neural-story-net/
Uncertainty + The Mind
https://nesslabs.com/uncertain-mind

Uncertainty and stress: Why it causes diseases and how it is mastered by the brain.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301008217300369
Articles about Interoception:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/aug/15/the-hidden-sense-shaping-your-wellbeing-interoception

Interoception and Emotion
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28950976/

Book a free half hour curiosity call with me - https://calendly.com/paincoachdeb

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pain.coach.deb/

Website - https://www.thecuriositycure.com

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The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness - S2E9 It's Hard To Read The Label From Inside The Jar

S2E9 It's Hard To Read The Label From Inside The Jar

The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness

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01/10/24 • 46 min

Enjoy a delightful chatty conversation between myself and Joan and I think maybe you will find her saying things that you've said to yourself or thought that my problems aren't big enough to work through or bring to coaching. What's the point if we're not working on giant things. But as Joan says, coaching is about having someone to help you read the label when you're inside the jar.
She speaks about her original skeptism of coaching, the same kind that I had. How we came to the practice of self coaching through Kara Lowentheil's podcast Unf*ck Your Brain and her coaching community The Clutch (now The Feminist Self-Help Society).
Find out about Kara's work here -

Website
https://schoolofnewfeministthought.com/
Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unf-ck-your-brain/id1229434818
I forgot to mention on the podcast that I'm certified as a Feminist Coach in Kara's advanced coaching certification which helps bring the lens of socialization insdie the coaching container. We understand our thoughts are not just ours, born entirely of our own making. No we've learned them from a patriarchal society that has deeply sexist embedded ideas of who women are.
Which is why the coaching we did on Joan's hair wasn't just about hair, it was about agency, ageism, and saying f.u. to the Patriarchy's opinions about what's right for women to choose around their hair and what they buy and their appearance in general.
If you are craving a coaching container that's not just about SMART goals and getting stuff done but how we can pair action and deprogramming unhelpful subconscious beliefs, let's chat!
I've got spaces available for individual clients working one on one. I'm looking forward to connecing with you!

Book a free half hour curiosity call with me - https://calendly.com/paincoachdeb

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pain.coach.deb/

Website - https://www.thecuriositycure.com

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The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness - Move With Deb, Episode 67, My Mindbody Strategy While Recovering from Covid
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06/26/23 • 35 min

I share with you my recent experience of having Covid and the mindbody medicine informed methods I used to help me decrease fear and recover without lingering symptoms. I share other recovery stories and first person information about people who have recovered from lingering symptoms colloquially known as "long covid". I hope that my process is helpful for you.

If you would like to chat with me - here's a link to book a free Curiosity Call -
https://calendly.com/paincoachdeb

RESOURCES

What different people across the mindbody medicine field are discovering are the similarities between Covid symptoms and other long term chronic pain/illness symptoms and how the pain-fear-pain cycle plays into the perpetuation of symptoms after the body has recovered. So using this same approach they're seeing good responses.
Here's some resources that I've both listened to or read directly or have been told about through my colleagues.
https://www.positivelycovid.org/
https://www.longcovidcured.com/ - this has some great recovery stories - including Paul Garner, infectious disease Dr.
https://www.longcovidcured.com/about - this is a lovely list of various resources. I can offer people 6 weeks free of the Curable app if anyone wants to try that.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/10/long-covid-hope-recovery-symptoms - Dr. Garner's story of recovery
https://www.recoverynorway.org/2023/01/23/long-covid-recovery-gary/ - I like how Gary describes his understanding of the mindbody recovery process.
https://www.thismighthurtfilm.com/long-covid - Neuroplastic pain recovery resources from the team at This Might Hurt documentary
https://youtu.be/4vF0XNBTv9A - Interview with Dr. Schubiner, explaining the mindbody process to address Long Covid
This is probably MORE than enough.

It's all pretty much the same content (how to change the body experience, through retraining the brain) just through different lenses.
Happy to share more. I think just learning that recovery is possible even begins the change due to predictive processing.

Book a free half hour curiosity call with me - https://calendly.com/paincoachdeb

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pain.coach.deb/

Website - https://www.thecuriositycure.com

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The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness - Move With Deb - Episode 9, Fear Brain + Podcasting

Move With Deb - Episode 9, Fear Brain + Podcasting

The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness

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04/10/21 • 21 min

(first off, I totally apologize for all the extra noise in the beginning of the podcast, apparently I was shuffling things around and wasn't away how freaking loud that was going to be. I know now, and will adjust for next time)
Fear

Maybe even reading that word your body gave you a reaction....

In this podcast I discuss the embodiment of fear & avoidance and how to the messy path forward changes your embodied experience which changes your brain and your pain!
I discuss the idea of The Window of Tolerance - here's a great post that explains the concept. https://www.attachment-and-trauma-treatment-centre-for-healing.com/blogs/understanding-and-working-with-the-window-of-tolerance
If you want I'm sure there's mountains of writing you can read and fall into the research hole and leave your body behind.
But alas. It'll be there when you pick your head up again. :) Ask me how I know.
So I hope you enjoy listening to me discussing my process around moving through fear to flow and how I change my experience of showing up for the work I want to create for myself and my clients through teaching and learning of the new science around pain.
And as always you're invited to chat with me and learn more about how you can learn about pain and how to change your embodied experience of physical and emotional pain and overwhelm by training your mind.
http://debmalkin.com/
http://debmalkin.com/8-week-pain-recovery-program/

Book a free half hour curiosity call with me - https://calendly.com/paincoachdeb

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pain.coach.deb/

Website - https://www.thecuriositycure.com

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The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness - S2E45 Pain Recovery Therapy and Political Stress

S2E45 Pain Recovery Therapy and Political Stress

The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness

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02/21/25 • 46 min

In this episode Nyle and I talk about his pain recovery journey from Burning Mouth Syndrome. We talk about evidence that pain is correlated with marginalization and how we can apply mindbody work for our body sense of wellness especially for times like these. He shares his work with transgender + queer clients and his expansion to pain recovery and leads me through an activity.

Nyle Biondi, MS LMFT, is a therapist and coach, specializing in mind-body healing for chronic pain and trauma. With a deep commitment to the trans and queer communities, he helps clients break free from the physical and emotional toll of oppression, stress, and past wounds. His work integrates neuroplasticity, attachment healing, and nervous system regulation to support lasting transformation. Through therapy, workshops, and educational resources, he empowers people to reconnect with their bodies, reclaim their worth, and heal from chronic conditions at the root level.
https://www.instagram.com/healingwithinpsych

https://www.healingwithinpsychotherapy.com/

https://www.healingwithinpsychotherapy.com/blog

https://healyourchronicpain.thinkific.com/products/live_events/live-event-pain-free-pathway

https://www.healingwithinpsychotherapy.com/blog/reclaiming-your-worth-through-meditation
the meditation we discussed in the episode
Attached to the notes is also my friend Adrian's resistance poetry which is a wonderful example of self expression and self connection inspired by this political moment.
https://powerlesstoturnthetrees.substack.com/p/trans-people-were-made-to-fight-fascism

Book a free half hour curiosity call with me - https://calendly.com/paincoachdeb

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pain.coach.deb/

Website - https://www.thecuriositycure.com

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FAQ

How many episodes does The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness have?

The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness currently has 129 episodes available.

What topics does The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness cover?

The podcast is about Health & Fitness, Alternative Health, Mental Health, Body Positive, Chronic Pain, Podcasts and Hypnosis.

What is the most popular episode on The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness?

The episode title 'S2E30 Mindbody Approach to Bike Riding' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness?

The average episode length on The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness is 30 minutes.

How often are episodes of The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness released?

Episodes of The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness are typically released every 8 days, 1 hour.

When was the first episode of The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness?

The first episode of The Curiosity Cure - MindBody Wellness was released on Feb 12, 2021.

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