Finding Calm and Clarity

Four years ago, Katie felt off. In the thick of nursing school, she balanced everyday student stress as she recovered from a concussion and a persistent bout of Long-COVID. Her symptoms, however, were hard to diagnose. She felt dizzy, her heart raced and even a walk down the block felt unmanageable on some days. 

As exhaustion took its toll, she lost the desire to eat and could no longer drive, let alone keep up with her studies. She met with doctor after doctor, nearly thirty in total she recalled, and each failed to fully explain her condition. Some felt it was depression and others anxiety. Eventually, Katie learned that she was suffering from an autonomic nervous system condition known as POTS. Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome meant her body failed to properly regulate internal systems like blood flow and heartrate. 

Without a clear path forward, Katie struggled until a family friend introduced her to Thrive Therapy. Elizabeth met with her and quickly assessed her history of a weakened immune system, and compounding stressors on her body that seemed to culminate with POTS. While her system was under duress, Katie’s fear paralysis took over with debilitating results. 

Elizabeth worked to integrate her defensive reflexes and after the first session, Katie’s mother noted a change in her posture and her gait. For the first time in a long time, she started to see her daughter return to her body. As someone who was studying medicine, the experience was nothing short of eye opening for Katie.

“Honestly, I think the rhythmic movement work was life changing. The perspective Elizabeth has on what the body can do is mind blowing, and that’s coming from someone who has been learning about the body for years,” she says. “I realized that all along, I’m not missing anything. The body knows what to do, but it’s almost as though you have to remind it that you’re safe. You have all the tools you need to succeed. It’s about really reconnecting with your body.”

Katie chose not to resume her nursing studies and instead, has been inspired to pursue occupational therapy, ideally with children, this fall. Over the past three years, her weekly sessions at Thrive have gradually helped her to rebuild her strength and body awareness. She’s also attended Elizabeth’s workshops to deepen her knowledge.