Nick Koutsos wakes up before the sun, practices a meditation and hits his favorite running trail, reveling in the scent of eucalyptus. The Australian man savors jogging through the parklands of Sydney in the early morning light. At 44, my former client says he feels better than ever.

“I’m really embracing feeling good!” Nick says. “I just start the day and say ‘How good is this? How good do I feel? I’m full of energy!” ⚡️🏃🏽

It wasn’t always like this. Nick lived with decades of chronic pain, fatigue and debilitating migraines that often left him homebound. Back episodes started as a  child. At various times in his adult life, he could barely function. 

Against the odds, Nick managed to build a successful business. But at times the pain was so excruciating, he’d sweat profusely. A family member would drive him to see clients. 

Over the years, pain and intense burning moved around his body—to his back, hips, knees, eyes and head. He also endured years of chronic fatigue syndrome, when he could barely get out of bed. 🛌

Doctors couldn’t help him. Nick lived with ice packs, failed treatments and broken dreams—until he discovered a book by John Sarno, a physician half-way around the world in America.

After reading “Healing Back Pain” Nick realized the root cause of his symptoms: his brain and nervous system. Sarno explained how the brain triggers real physical symptoms due to unresolved emotional stressors, even in the absence of tissue damage.🧠

After reading the book, Nick got a burst of energy and started gardening. He dove into the mind-body approach, coined Tension Myositis Syndrome or TMS, by Sarno. He studied, journaled and saw four TMS therapists. But Nick couldn’t resolve his most vexing issues: burning pain, migraines, vomiting, insomnia, irritable bowel and more.

When Nick reached out to me, it hurt just to bend over. He yearned to exercise again. Nick was diligent but wasn’t sure what to do next. Over about eight months, he made one of the most remarkable recoveries I’ve witnessed. ❤️‍🩹

“Everything is gone and something else has happened,” says Koutsos. “I just feel fantastic! I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like someone did a grease and oil change in my body.”

Nick says he no longer has any symptoms. None. Admittedly, this is rare. Nick has a hell and back story of epic proportions. 🦸🏽‍♂️

Healing is a mysterious force but I see pivotal elements in Nick’s recovery: he never wavered in this belief. Even when symptoms came in force—and they did—he knew there was nothing wrong with his body. He’d been checked by too many doctors to count. 

Even with symptoms, Nick kept moving in the direction of his dreams. As you can hear in the video, he even kept running through the pain. After nine days of that, it turned off. 🏃🏻‍♂️

Nick still had other symptoms but he’d just laugh at tricky brain. As Nick reconnected to his body each day, he noticed certain symptoms were associated with activities he dreaded. He made some life changes, including leaving a business that no longer filled him up.

Importantly, Nick stopped fighting his body completely. He started caring for it with loving attention. He gleaned the wisdom in his symptoms. That led to a before-and-after experience in which Nick’s symptoms vanished. 

3️⃣ Here’s Nick’s his top three keys to recovery:

🧘🏽‍♂️ Somatic Tracking 

Nick signed up for my free somatic tracking audio and started practicing it religiously. It’s a meditation designed to track body sensations with mindfulness and open curiosity. Like me, he found somatic meditations pivotal in retaining his brain to perceive that his body was safe. 

“When the pain would come on, I’d have a big smile across my face. I know what’s going on… After you’ve done these meditations for so long, you can flick a switch and you’re in that state.” 

🤗 Self-Compassion

Like many people, Nick had no trouble beating himself up. He would pressure and criticize himself for not being better already, which only keeps the brain’s danger signal active. We worked with Kristin Neff’s mindful self-compassion framework. Nick started treating himself like he would treat someone he loved, changing his self-talk to “You’ve got this, mate!” 

“My dialogue changed to full self-compassion. It had always been ‘don’t worry, don’t fret, you’re safe’. But it became ‘you’re awesome. You’re doing a wonderful job!’ It was like, don't focus on the pain. Focus on loving yourself.”

🌹 Being Present 

As Nick reconnected with a deeper part of himself, he noticed his mind was either 15 years behind or a few months ahead. The mind loops caused him angst, so he started taking mindful walks. He’d examine the shapes of leaves. He’d soak in the scent of pine needles and rose bushes. Even with strong sensations, he savored what he could. 🌲

“Learn to enjoy life, love life, love your surroundings and love you in spite of the pain,” Nick says “It’s so easy to go ‘woes me, here’s the pain again.’ For me it’s like I’ve got the pain. I have two options: stick my head in the sand. Life sucks. Or I’m just going to go on living.”

Nick also worked with emotions, labeling them as they’d arise. Instead of fixating physical symptoms, he’d acknowledge when he was feeling angry, scared or sad. As a musician, Nick picked up his guitar and let emotions flow through the chord progressions and melodies. 🎸

He still tends to emotions and somatic tracking everyday, even though his symptoms have resolved. Nick has come to understand that we’re emotional beings and must do inner work to be healthy. He’s still challenging himself physically, with running, push-ups and squats.

“I can’t stress what a miracle that is. A few times I tried to do squats and I was out of action for months,” Nick says about his past experience. “There were bulging things in my back. The pain was crazy. Now no problem, I do 100 squats a day!” 🏋🏻‍♂️

Nick says he sleeps deeply through the night. Brain fog is replaced by crystal clear clarity. But most importantly, he’s in the moment, loving himself and his life. 

If you’re still struggling with symptoms, Nick focused on three areas in his daily routine: studying the TMS knowledge, practicing somatic meditations, and challenging his body through movement. And he says, no matter what, don't give up hope. 🤞🏽

“I promise you there is hope,” says Nick. “If you’ve been to the doctors and been checked out and there’s nothing wrong structurally, this TMS stuff is real. Some people don’t have instant results. But I say ‘don’t give up mate. Don’t give up.’”

I share all the techniques and meditations I offered Nick in my upcoming course Be Your Own Medicine. Join us if you’re ready to jumpstart your recovery! 🤸🏽‍♀️🚀