Mission
As chronic pain patient I have been in disappointing situations in which I felt like a helpless victim of both chronic pain and the healthcare system. But a helpless victim can't change the future. So I want to help chronic pain patients to become the director of their own health and take pain reduction into their own hands. It is my mission to give every chronic pain patient access to easy do-it-at-home pain reduction tools.
Vision
When every chronic pain patient without a clear diagnosis (SUC=somatic unexplained condition) becomes the director of his or her own healing process and has enough tools to reduce his or her chronic pain, than more chronic pain patients are able to improve the quality of their lives and leave chronic pain behind them. When this happens the waiting lists for specialized pain-treatment will reduce.
My Story
‘Only those people who have suffered from chronic pain truly understand its impact on ones life’, says chronic pain expert, Caroline Hoogerwerf. As the result of a back injury, she has been a chronic pain patient for over 9 years. During this time she has been on a waiting list for treatment for more than one and a half years. Caroline has been sent from pillar to post, discovering mistakes in her file and many other issues along the way. She has tried countless therapies to overcome her pain; and through her efforts, discovered remedies she could take into her own hands—tips she wishes to share with others. Caroline has a degree in biology and works as sports massage therapist, sensi-therapist, and breathing coach, which has allowed her to regard chronic pain through the lens of both patient and therapist. Through her work, she bridges the communication gap between a doctor and a patient. What questions does your doctor ask you? What should you tell your doctor and what shouldn’t you tell him or her? How can you prevent mistakes in your health records? And how do you own your pain and take the control of your healing process into your own hands? Because of her experience as a chronic pain patient and through the experiences of other chronic pain patients, Caroline puts her finger on the weak spots and offers healing solutions.
It is Caroline’s mission to help chronic pain patients to become the director of their own health and take pain reduction into their own hands.
My Future
With my biology background, my therapeutical expertise and my experience as chronic pain patient I have the ideal position to transfer my knowledge to other chronic pain patients.
Every type of chronic pain is different. Every chronic pain patient is unique and every situation stands alone. So what works for one chronic pain patient, may not work for another.
However chronic pain is a systemic disease. It does show a lot of symptoms that are the same for each chronic pain patient. Even though I blog about different do-it-at-home tips, my book and education program focusses on the way the chronic pain system works, in each client. It teaches how you can adjust the knowledge of this general chronic pain system into your personal situation and your personal type of pain. Every therapy to reduce pain is a solution for a chronic pain patient, you just need to find out what resonates with you, your body and your personal circumstances.
My book (The Pain Dance; how to deal with chronic pain and move beyond victimhood) is published in December 2016 as a bestseller. Look at my official author page with Black Card Books.
My goal in life is to help chronic pain patients overcome their victimhood, teach them how they can reduce their pain with simple do-it-at-home techniques and help them to change their life.
I do this with my new Illuminating Pain Online Program (IPOP) and through the Illuminating Pain Academy for therapists who want to learn how to help chronic pain patients and work with IPOP.
Quotes
“If there is a passion, there is a way. If there is no way, let's build it.”
“If the problem is in our head, fix in in our head.”
“Stop willing, start doing” (in connection with pain dance workshop)