The Sage Practice, LLC: MindBody Empowerment for People in Pain

The Sage Practice, LLC: MindBody Empowerment for People in Pain Lara Birk, PhD, Founder of The Sage Practice. Empowering people in pain to thrive again (regardless of any ongoing “structural” conditions).

Coaching, groups, courses, somatic tracking recordings & more at thesagepractice.com ❤️

08/20/2026

I am giving a talk on Curable in an hour— yikes, gotta get ready!— and figured better late than never to let you know about it! (Note to self: remember to publicize talks sooner.) (Additional note to self: remember to publicize talks, period.)

It’s called “Why Feeling Unwell Can Feel So Unsafe.” 2pm ET today.

I was a sociologist first, before I came to this field. So yeah, you better believe I will talk about the *social* aspects of pain.

You can catch in the Replays section for a week (only).

If you’re not already a Curable app subscriber you can always check it out via a free 6 week trial.
https://www.curablehealth.com/connect-qr/4705227930599424

thesagepractice.com

Had a medical procedure yesterday that went south. Hopes dashed. Pain through the roof. In bed and a little dazed. S...
08/20/2026

Had a medical procedure yesterday that went south. Hopes dashed. Pain through the roof. In bed and a little dazed. Still had to set an alarm to teach a class in the morning on living with pain. (Yeah, I know.)

But last night? Last night, my husband brought me a whole unopened bag of my all time favorite snack and said— “here’s a snack clip, but I recognize you may not even need it.” Wink wink.

He *knew* I’d eat the whole bag, you guys. (That’s love right there?) And I did. I did eat the whole bag. 💪

My point? After a lot of years of not doing any of this, I gave myself permission to feel the feelings (and eat them too). To just be in this moment of profound disappointment. To just be disoriented and lost, and to have that be okay. To just be with myself even though I didn’t even know what to say or do. To just be.

In that moment, that snack bag, that little snack clip that I wouldn’t need — it was enough. A little bit of joy amidst the rest.

And sometimes, it’s the little things that help you get through. The littlest of things.

What little things have helped you get through a hard day?

thesagepractice.com

08/18/2026

I’ll just come right out and say it:

“Structural” vs “Neuroplastic” is a FALSE BINARY.

I have been passionately beating the drum on this since 2021, trying to help people see that this either/or approach actually disempowers them.

The field is thankfully truly starting to warm to the idea 😅 (Exhibit A: I have 5 invited talks in the next couple of months!) All kinds of chronic symptoms are often the result of a far more complex and nuanced combination of factors than simply structural or neuroplastic.

But this false binary is *still* being widely touted in so many mind body spaces.

Please don’t buy the hype.

This myth ends up *increasing not decreasing your suffering.*

Okay, so what is a more empowering approach?

Learn all about it in my Fall Sage Group starting September 29th 2-3:15pm for 10 Tuesdays. The group caters to those in the “messy middle.” We focus on healing and are not weighed down by the pressure that the concept of “recovery” puts on so many of us who are dealing with a complex mix of issues. Spots tend to go quickly, so contact me if you’re interested.

See thesagepractice.com for more info.

08/10/2026

So thrilled to share the full video with you on my YouTube channel.

I’ve been working **tirelessly** for 6 years to challenge the field of mindbody medicine to not only include but learn from those of us with structural issues and to show everyone that “Neuroplastic” vs “Structural” is a false binary!

Do you live with chronic pain or other symptoms?

You’ll be interested in my story of “coming out” to the mind body world as someone with *both* “neuroplastic,” psychological contributors to my chronic pain *and* a serious, disabling “structural” condition — i.e., my pain can be helped but it cannot simply be eradicated using mind body methods. (See also my episode with Christie Uipi on the Like Mind Like Body podcast, which Anna and I are referring to).

My conversation with Anna goes way beyond physical pain and the particularities of that ‘coming out’ story though.

We mine the wisdom that can come from struggling to be visible and authentic at the same time — and realizing that true belonging and connection with others is only possible when you allow yourself to be seen as who you really are.

Does what we talk about here resonate with you?

Please drop a comment if so!

Follow me here, subscribe to my YouTube, & check out thesagepractice.com for more ❤️

Thank you, Anna Holtzman, for having me on your podcast, How to Trust Yourself, and for such an exhilarating conversatio...
08/07/2026

Thank you, Anna Holtzman, for having me on your podcast, How to Trust Yourself, and for such an exhilarating conversation on authenticity, visibility, and connection.

It was incredibly freeing to talk explicitly about my “coming out,” so to speak, in the mind body world as someone who has *both* neuroplastic, psychological contributors to my chronic pain and structural, medical issues that cannot simply be willed away using mind body methods.

Our conversation goes way beyond those particularities though. We mine the wisdom that can come from struggling to be visible and authentic at the same time— and realizing that true belonging and connection with others is *only* possible when you allow yourself to be seen as who you really are.

Tell me, friends, does this resonate? ❤️

Nature is the best medicine ❤️‍🩹 Even if, like me, you use crutches or a wheelchair or are otherwise differently abled, ...
08/05/2026

Nature is the best medicine ❤️‍🩹

Even if, like me, you use crutches or a wheelchair or are otherwise differently abled, see if you can get yourself outside to a green spot. If it’s pretty, all the better.

I used to love hiking and biking and seeing everything I could see, loving where my body could take me. I can’t hike or bike right now, but I *can* go for a little crutch walk. It took me an embarrassing amount of time to realize this, too, is healing.

In nature, I feel I don’t have to carry the heavy world on my shoulders... I can just be.

And what a relief is that?

Any other nature lovers out there?

Follow me and check out thesagepractice.com where you can sign up for my next Sage Group or a schedule a 1-1.

08/04/2026

Is your brain telling you that you are going to fail or that things are going to get worse not better or that you can’t handle what comes?

The amygdala is a terrible fortune teller.

It does not actually know what is going to happen. But it has proven beneficial in human evolution to fill in uncertainty with negative narratives.

The brain not only doesn’t like uncertainty, it often codes it as a threat. What awaits us in the darkness, behind the bushes, around the bend? In the unknown, there *could* be a tiger. The amygdala commands us to prepare as if there *is* a tiger.

Suddenly, whether there is a real tiger or not doesn’t even matter because our bodies have already responded as if there is. The tiger has in this way become real.

When you live with chronic pain or other symptoms, and/or if you have endured significant trauma in your life, your brain is especially likely to respond to a lot of life like it’s a tiger.

The next time your brain tells you the worst case scenario is going to happen, see if you can step back and remind yourself:

*Fear is not a prophecy.*

Sometimes introducing even just a tiny bit of skepticism gives you enough distance from the scary narrative that your body doesn’t have to go into auto-pilot survival mode.

Pause. Breathe. Remember the future is unknown and unknowable.

As uncomfortable as this unknowability is, it also means that negative narrative running around in your head? It can be challenged and rewritten.

Does this resonate with you? What helps you resist the temptation to believe your worst fears?

Follow me or check out thesagepractice.com for more.

08/01/2026

What if your body is not the enemy?

What if it’s actually a guide? A wise, tender force with deep wisdom to share with you that is trying to lead you toward healing?

It is *so* easy to see your body as the enemy. When you live with pain or other chronic symptoms, it can even feel like your body is “betraying” you. You have to “conquer” the symptoms. You “fight” yourself.

I get it.

But what if your body is not the enemy here, and it’s actually just trying to communicate with you out of *love*?

Even for those of us with serious ‘structural’ conditions, symptoms get really loud sometimes so that you will *listen.*. Listen at a deeper level. Sure, it could be your body is saying you did a lot more x y z activity or movement than it’s used to or you didn’t get enough sleep last night. Of course.

But your body also talks with you at a deeper level.

It could be communicating any number of things:

* you have some boundaries that need to be set
* you are being triggered into a fear state by something
* you are putting others first and forgetting to care for yourself
* you are not honoring your own needs
* you are carrying grief, anger, shame or even someone else’s pain
* you are pushing yourself too hard
*you are putting too much pressure on yourself
* you are trying to force something that is not for you
* you are out of alignment with yourself
* you are believing a story that makes you feel small or weak
* you are telling yourself you can’t handle it
* you are hurting and need some tenderness

Learning to *listen* instead of *fight* is a paradigm shift that can be profoundly healing.

Fighting comes from fear.

Listening comes from love. And love is what we need to heal at a deeper level.

Follow me for more or check out thesagepractice.com.

pain yourbodyisnottheenemy

07/29/2026

There is so much messaging out there that implies YOU are the problem. You need fixing.

Capitalism profits wildly from that messaging. Think of alllll the products that promise to make you gorgeous, uber-healthy, lean and strong, and age-proof!

But it’s out there in the mind body, self help world too. You could “optimize” your health, “regulate” your nervous system, “master” your emotions, “conquer” your illness, “eradicate” your pain and “achieve 100% recovery” if only you:

-worked harder
-read the right books
-did the right homework
-followed the right people
-did more somatic tracking / meditation / journaling
-and *believed* enough. Don’t get me started on that one.

You are not the problem. Do you sometimes unwittingly add to your own suffering? Of course! Join the club! That’s what we humans do best! Do we do it on purpose? No.

We are human, with mortal bodies, fallible brains, and fumbling hearts. Most likely, you are doing the best you can with whatever you are facing right now using the resources available to you at this time. You didn’t choose which circumstances you were born into, what long histories you were dropped into the middle of.
But here you are!

Life is messy. Of course we want to buy (into) things that sound simple and promise us our dreams.

But let’s be honest: Could any of us truly rid ourselves of all pain and struggle now and forevermore?

Spoiler alert: No.

In life, sometimes we are riding high, and sometimes we’re riding the struggle bus 🚌

Life is all of it — joy and pain, love and loss, sunsets and storms, the high and the struggle bus — woven into one big, messy tapestry.

If there is pain and suffering in your life, it doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong.

Don’t believe the hype.

You are not failing.

You are *alive*. And I’m glad. We need you, we need each other. We weren’t mean to do all this alone.

thesagepractice.com

07/27/2026

Have you ever had a gut feeling and cant tell if it is true intuition or coming from a place of fear?

Clients come in with this question all the time.

My trick:

The voice of fear speaks with urgency and intensity. It is loud and wants you to do something *now*! Often, it makes your body contract, tighten, freeze. You breathe shallowly. You feel you need to act, decide, respond, say something not just now, but yesterday!

The voice of true intuition is quieter, calmer, steadier, gentler. There is no rush. It does not demand you act right now. Sometimes you even feel some relief -- your body may feel freer, more expansive, less tense, less pressured.

Especially for those of you who've experienced a lot of trauma, your nervous system can be hair-trigger quick to try to protect you from further harm. If your amygdala senses any kind of threat, your body can go into fight or flight (or freeze or fawn). With the sympathetic nervous system response, the pre-frontal cortex (arguably, the smartest, most reasonable part of our brain!) goes offline. The amygdala’s “thinking” is simplistic, black or white, either/or. It loses all nuance. It prefers simple black or white thinking. It jumps to (worst case scenario) conclusions at the drop of a hat. 0-60 in no time.

So the next time you have a "gut feeling" -- use this little trick to suss out whether it is coming more from intuition or fear.

This happened to me yesterday, so I know it is NOT fun when the voice of fear masquerades as intuition! But you can take your power back.

PS: Top secret update! I'm working on a new self-paced course for people with mixed structural / neuroplastic conditions. Stay tuned!

Sending love ♥️

thesagepractice.com

Address

Boston, MA

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+16174688480

Website

, , ,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Sage Practice, LLC: MindBody Empowerment for People in Pain posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to The Sage Practice, LLC: MindBody Empowerment for People in Pain:

Shortcuts

Share

Category