Healing Chronic Pain Through Mindful Writing and Body Awareness — with Lissa M. Cowan | BlissTalk Podcast

What if the key to healing chronic pain lies not in resisting it — but in listening to your body’s quietest whispers?

In this deeply moving episode of BlissTalk, author and embodiment guide Lissa M. Cowan shares how she transformed over 20 years of living with chronic pain by turning inward. Through practices like mindful writing, craniosacral therapy, yoga, and Jungian dreamwork, Lissa found a path back to peace, intuition, and self-trust.

Lissa reveals how chronic pain can be more than a limitation — it can be an invitation to slow down, feel deeply, and come home to your body. Her journey is one of profound healing, radical wholeness, and creative exploration — and she teaches others how to access this wisdom through the powerful fusion of writing and embodied awareness.

If you or someone you love is living with chronic pain, stress, or emotional disconnection, this conversation offers hope, practical insight, and a reminder that healing is not only possible — it’s your birthright.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why chronic pain isn’t just physical — and how to listen to the deeper messages it holds
• The healing power of mindful writing as a gateway to your true self
• How body-based practices like craniosacral therapy and yoga support deep emotional release
• The role of Jungian dreamwork in integrating your unconscious for wholeness
• What it means to "come home" to your body, even in moments of discomfort or fear
• How intuitive guidance and creative practices can restore inner peace and resilience

✅ Links & Resources:

Ready to explore deeper healing through writing, presence, and intuition?
If this episode resonated with you, take the next step on your journey to wholeness.

Dive into Lissa’s transformative course and learn how to gently shift your relationship with pain, reconnect with your body, and unlock the healing power of mindful self-expression.
👉 How to Overcome Chronic Pain and Live with Peace

Because peace isn't something you chase — it's something you remember, from within.

Transcript

Unknown Speaker 0:00
 Welcome to the Bliss Spot podcast series where we interview global well-being leaders to share ideas to invite more joy and happiness into your life.

Unknown Speaker 0:13
 Hello. Well, welcome to another episode of Bliss Talk, and today, I'm absolutely delighted to be here with Lissa M Cowan. Lissa has been a long-standing expert at Bliss Spot, and we are so delighted to have her. She does the most beautiful work. She walks her talk and has helped thousands of people on the planet

Unknown Speaker 0:35
 be authentic, real, connect to themselves, feel like themselves again, and to experience a greater sense of peace and calm, which I think is what we're all looking for at the end of the day. So in terms of Lissa's background, she holds an MA in English Studies from the University of Montreal in Canada,

Unknown Speaker 1:03
 and she has a postgraduate diploma in writing from the University of Victoria, along with teaching writing to calm courses online, which I know have been incredibly successful worldwide. And she also teaches in the Writing Program at Calgary University, Alberta in Canada. So we're absolutely delighted to have Lissa here today, and we're going to talk a little bit more about her story and about her latest offering that she has on Bliss Spot, which we've just launched late this year. We're very excited about that and eager to learn more. So Lissa, tell me you know about your background and how you actually got into this work. What was the catalyst for,

Unknown Speaker 1:51
 yeah, the path that you've taken?

Unknown Speaker 1:55
 Well, first of all, I just want to thank you for that beautiful introduction and just mention that it's, it's really a pleasure and an honor to be here with you and sharing, sharing my story with you and with all of the Bliss Spot viewers and listeners on the Bliss Spot platform.

Unknown Speaker 2:16
 So my story started, actually, when I became, I mean, I Well, obviously, I guess all of our stories start maybe even before we're born. But that's another discussion. But when I was diagnosed with endometriosis, actually, prior to that, I from the age of about 13, I was having constant pain during menstruation, during my cycle and, and, but I just would, you know, as I got, you know, older, and I was a teenager, and then into my 20s, I just kept, you know, pushing it down and denying or not listening to what my body was telling me. And I went into communications, and was in a really stressful, high-stress, just full on, you know, almost 24/7. I mean, sometimes I'd work, you know, 13 hours, 15-hour days, just go, go, go. And, you know, when you're when you're younger, when you're in your 20s, you can, you can do that. It's not necessarily good for you, but, but you have the stamina and, and, and I was very ambitious, and, and then at the age of 30, I was diagnosed with endometriosis. And

Unknown Speaker 3:36
 after that, I began a series of discoveries about who I was, about the connection between my body and my mind, and how it wasn't just about,

Unknown Speaker 3:51
 you know,

Unknown Speaker 3:54
 just about my thoughts and my, you know, what was going on in my head

Unknown Speaker 4:00
 As I was when I was in my teens and my 20s, I wrote, but it was always too, you know, there was always kind of an end to it. I had to kind of write in order to publish a book, or it was always related to that. It wasn't necessarily a process, and I didn't really see writing as being a spiritual practice, as I do now. And so, yeah, for me, the process of really discovering who I am came from that initial illness that I had, and then looking at ways of healing and how, you know, what are some ways, because Western medicine wasn't providing me with what I needed in order to get better, in order to heal myself, and so I began to dig deeper. And, you know, look at some Eastern modalities, look at acupuncture and mindfulness meditation techniques and yoga. And I

Unknown Speaker 5:00
 found that there were a lot of things that I hadn't noticed, that I hadn't recognized about myself that so it was really just kind of almost a layering of just kind of, you know, taking off those layers and seeing, okay, so what's going on here, and why? You know, not necessarily asking the question, why I have this illness, but, but what, what do I want my life to be? And I wasn't healthy. Sometimes I would stay in bed, you know, till one in the afternoon because I couldn't get out of bed because I was in so much pain. So I really do see that illness as being a door to another way of being, another way of knowing. Yeah, I love that. And I know endometriosis is quite widespread. And, you know, I know a lot of people that have had it, how debilitating it can be, how often the answer to it in the West, the only answer that I know a lot of people that I've known that had it have come across is taking the contraceptive pill, which you know has other side effects, and for very young girls and things they might not necessarily want to go down that path. So the fact that you provide answers and other natural ways to a problem that is extremely debilitating and painful is, I think, very hopeful for people and a beautiful light that there is another way. I mean, there's just so much in that I wrote down a few notes as you were speaking. But you know, something that I really relate to is the body does not lie like it gives us clues all the time. We're designed to be in perfect health, but we ignore it. I when you were telling your story, I go, Oh my gosh, tick, tick, tick. I relate to all of that. I was in my 20s. I had a design agency, worked really hard, worked myself into the ground, got glandular fever, you know, I just wasn't listening. And then I had to study naturopathy, and then learn about the structure of the body eventually, and then go, that took me down into the mindfulness path. It was a doorway, as you say, but the body is so powerful in giving us clues and signals, and I guess through writing what you're saying that's helped deconstruct and take off the layers. And then I love the way you said too, which I thought was such a beautiful message that you focused it on what you want. You weren't laying in bed going,

Unknown Speaker 7:24
 you know, oh, thinking even about the endometriosis, necessarily. But you know, you were

Unknown Speaker 7:32
 setting your intentions, I guess, through your writing and accepting things at ease. And I just, I just love the way that you were talking about that? Well, thank you. Yeah, I saw it really early on, even though, you know, for years and years, I didn't know I'd heed the signs I saw. Saw it very much as my body showing me

Unknown Speaker 7:56
 that I was, I wasn't necessarily on the right path, or I wasn't,

Unknown Speaker 8:05
 you know, for instance, I was in a relationship that was dysfunctional and that, you know, oftentimes we get signs that we're not with the right person. Or this is, you know, this isn't a safe situation for us,

Unknown Speaker 8:18
 but especially as women, I find, you know, we second guess ourselves right. We think, you know, oh, my spidey sense is telling me this, but it must be wrong, that's right. Or we sometimes don't want it to be right. We want it to be the happy picture of the relationship we might have in our mind, even though really it's not, and our body's telling us not we can override it with our mind. Yeah, yeah. I think, you know, as humans, we do, we under, we undermine ourselves. We don't realize the capacity that we have

Unknown Speaker 8:54
 to be connected and to connect to, you know, each other and the rest of the world and all these signs are coming at us all the time. But, you know, oftentimes, the way that society is or maybe the work that we have, or, you know, the situation that we're in, it's not always easy, you know, in many cases, for us to listen to those signs or for us to follow them.

Unknown Speaker 9:22
 And that's why I think it's important to, you know, to do it gradually. Again. This isn't about, you know, shame, right? Saying, oh, you know you're supposed to follow the signs and you're not following the signs, yeah, that's right, becomes another reason to be down, rather than a positive. Yeah, exactly. And it's really not about that. It's about being gentle with yourself and being kind with yourself and really just, you know, baby steps. I mean, I find when I started meditating, I was I started meditating, not regularly, but the first time I meditated I was, I was either 13 or 14. I thought, What is this that I'm doing? I'm sitting in this room, and I, I thought that meant, you know, crossing my legs and being, you know, being all holy and spiritual and all the rest of it. I mean, it looks different, leads to different people, right? But that was my interpretation of, okay, I have to, you know, cross my leg. I have to be this way and put my hands this way. And then I'll, I'll experience enlightenment. And there are so many ways that that we can, we can grow into who we are. And one of them that I found has been mindful writing and it's not about, you know, sitting down for an hour and just writing and writing and writing, but it's about taking that time to ourselves and just and learning and growing and doing it incrementally. I find with anything, just, you know, doing something, doing a little bit each day, even if it's only two minutes or three minutes, we can expand on that and the more we do it,

Unknown Speaker 11:09
 or we add to it, the more our consciousness expands, and the more we grow into who we are and we end up somewhere else, maybe somewhere that we didn't know was possible for us, right? Well, exactly, and that almost leads into your course, but that's something I want to really dive into, but before we do that, because I think that's a very interesting point that you bring about the amount of time we need to devote to making positive change in our life, because I get it so often. People say, I don't have the time. I'm too busy to make the change. And it's only when they're in this massive crisis that they're forced to make those changes. And that's fine, you know, if that's the way it happens. But at Bliss Spot too, we really encourage people to be proactive and preventative if they can, and sort of get ahead, because there's a lot of things you can do to make change before the or to even avert a crisis. But before we get into that, I just wanted to maybe elaborate a little bit on the point.

Unknown Speaker 12:15
 I think the ingredient that people do need to make change is a little bit of courage, because sometimes it can

Unknown Speaker 12:25
 be a bit daunting to make change, or to look at yourself, or even when you're writing, maybe it can take you in directions you might expect, or it can dig up things that sometimes are a little bit painful or a little bit confronting, but yeah, maybe If we could just elaborate on that a little bit before we talk about the course

Unknown Speaker 12:46
 It's true, Deborah, I mean, it's not all, you know, rainbows and unicorns when you sit down to write, and sometimes what comes up is not

Unknown Speaker 12:57
comfortable, you know, is, is not something that you necessarily want to see. I've had a few students say to me, I don't want to do this. I thought this would be an interesting, you know, way to

Unknown Speaker 13:10
explore my emotions. And I'm finding it really challenging,

Unknown Speaker 13:16
 because this stuff has come up that I've put under the carpet, and I don't want to look at it,

Unknown Speaker 13:22
 and then those same students have come back to me and said, Well, you know, the next day, I was in a different frame of mind, and I was able to look at that, or I was able to go past it, or to integrate it. And so initially, it can sometimes be daunting. And I agree with you that we need that courage to take that step forward, right? I don't know what writer said that you know something about courage being just, just jumping off the cliff or whatever, and then hoping that a net will and that will be there. That's right, you know, I mean, it's it, you know, there's so many things in life that are like that, and then, and then you do, you know, take that step forward, and you don't know where you're going to go.

Unknown Speaker 14:14
 But in many cases,

Unknown Speaker 14:17
 it's, it ends up being something incredible. It ends up being an incredibly new experience and you learn more about yourself. So I think courage is definitely a really important part of it, and that bravery, it's worth you do get the rewards, or that's what I found on my journey as well. You know, initially, I found it hard, and I was, you know, discovering things I didn't even know that were there or feelings I was unaware of. But I guess the rewards you get are you feel expanded in your consciousness, and you feel more empowered and more authentic and more peaceful and calm. Like the rewards are

Unknown Speaker 14:55
 huge for taking those steps and going through the process, but also.

Unknown Speaker 15:00
 To do. Writing can be extremely enjoyable. So don't want to, you know it can be extremely enjoyable as well. Well. Now we might go talk a little bit about your latest course, which is called Easing to Calm. It is available on Bliss Spot. But I love the tagline we've got for this because it's a question, Can two minutes a day create a happier, healthier, longer life? And I know you've touched on this a little bit already, Lissa, but can you just expand on that? Because people think they don't have time. Now, how many of us do have two minutes? Like mostly we do have two minutes. We waste two minutes probably, you know, quite regularly throughout the day, on other things that my social media, or things that can be not life-enhancing. So I think, I believe, we can all afford two minutes to really make some quite radical and positive change in our life.

Unknown Speaker 15:57
 Absolutely and the two minutes. So the course is

Unknown Speaker 16:03
 that each lesson has a two-minute meditation, a three-minute meditation and a five-minute meditation. So you can dip into, say the first lesson and do the two minutes and see how that, you know, try it on for size and see how it feels. I mean, the reason why I start really, really small with two minutes is because

Unknown Speaker 16:25
 two minutes makes a difference. I mean, it's incredible how when I have very little time,

Unknown Speaker 16:35
 you know, I'll sit down in the morning, I'll maybe light a candle, maybe I'll put some, you know, essential oils into the diffuser and just kind of, you know, set the scene. Or I won't. I'll just sit down with a piece of paper and a pen, because I just have time for two minutes and just the magic of sitting there and writing. It's just, it's, it's unbelievable. I never,

Unknown Speaker 17:02
 I never know what's going to happen. I mean, my students have told me, you know, I didn't realize that I was a poet. And I have all these, you know, impressions coming out, and I'm putting them down on the page.

Unknown Speaker 17:18
 So it's about, it's, it's not about the output of the writing. It's about the process. It's about being present

Unknown Speaker 17:26
 and really, really feeling what's going on around you in a, in a, in a, in a sensorial way. So being present in your body, and being present to what's going on and being present to, for instance, the sound of the pen going across the page, or, you know, it's and that two minutes is pretty profound. So I think when people experience that in just a very short amount of time, and then they go to three minutes, or they go to five minutes, then they realize that, you know, this is actually a practice that is, that is quite, quite expansive and quite, quite magical.