Ep. 58: Pain is a Stuck Emotion with Lyn Cole

When Lyn Cole looked up at a small whiteboard in a chiropractor’s office and read the words “Pain is an emotion,” everything shifted.After more than two decades of severe chronic pain that left her 90% immobile and using a walker, she realized that her body wasn’t failing her—it was holding onto emotions she had never been able to express.This is a story about what happens when we stop suppressing and start listening, when we trade fear for curiosity, and when we discover that the path to healing is not a protocol to follow but a self to become.Episode OverviewIn this conversation, I sit down with Lyn Cole, a longtime artist and teacher from Central Victoria, Australia, who has navigated health challenges her entire life—from severe childhood asthma to a 23-year journey with debilitating chronic lower back pain.Lyn walks us through her unique perspective, having been deeply immersed in both the conventional medical model and the world of natural healing since her late teens.We explore her discovery that “pain is a stuck emotion,” the tiny “sesame seed moments” that slowly built her hope, and how a gentle chiropractor using applied kinesiology became the catalyst for her healing.Together, we examine why the medical model’s early approach to “mindset” felt insulting, and how true healing requires us to process what we’ve pushed down—often through self-expression.Lyn shares how her lifelong love of art became not just a career but a container for others to heal, and why creativity—whether painting, baking, or gardening—can be the antidote to swallowed pain.🌿 What You’ll Discover* The profound realization that “pain is an emotion”—a stuck, unprocessed feeling we hold in the body.* Why fear-based choices keep us stuck in illness, and how to learn to trust intuition instead.* The difference between the medical model (which suppresses symptoms) and true healing (which addresses mind, body, and spirit).* How a tiny whiteboard quote became a light bulb moment after decades of suffering.* The power of “sesame seed moments”—tiny shifts that build hope and lead to transformation over time.* Why being forced into the medical model through insurance became an unexpected teacher.* How creativity and self-expression—through art, baking, gardening, or any hands-on activity—allow trapped emotions to surface and release.* The importance of safe spaces and being witnessed without judgment for healing to occur.* Why patience and baby steps are essential: Lyn was wheeled into a hydrotherapy pool for six months before she could walk again.* The simplest answer to “who has your illness invited you to become?” — Me.⏳ Timestamps00:00 - Lyn’s Opening Reflection: “Pain is an Emotion”01:00 - Introduction & The Big Question of the Podcast03:00 - Welcoming Lyn Cole from Central Victoria, Australia05:00 - The Early Years: Asthma, Allergies, and Questioning “Why Me?”10:00 - Leaving Home at 17 and Discovering Natural Healing15:00 - The Shift: Developing Severe Lumbar Pain as a Single Mom of Four20:00 - Being Forced into the Medical Model and Insurance System25:00 - The Insulting Early Days of “Mindset” Pain Management30:00 - The Chiropractor Who Listened: Applied Kinesiology as a Catalyst35:00 - The Whiteboard Moment: “Pain is an Emotion”40:00 - Pain as Stuck Emotion: The Sesame Seed Analogy45:00 - Art as Healing: Creating a Safe Container for Others50:00 - From Art Teacher to Trauma-Informed Guide55:00 - The Power of Baby Steps: Six Months Floating in a Pool01:00:00 - Who Has Her Illness Invited Her to Become?01:02:00 - Lyn’s Daily Doodles and What’s Coming Next💫 Guest Information & LinksConnect with Lyn Cole:* Instagram: @the_studio_handmade* Daily Doodles and Thoughts: Posted daily on Instagram—a sketch or painting with a matching thought* In-person studio classes in Central Victoria, Australia (re-launching March 2026—follow on Instagram for announcements)💫 Want to Go Deeper?→ Begin your Sacred Illness® Journey: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/communityUse coupon code PODCAST at checkout for 20% off your first month→ Want to learn how to do this work? Become a Sacred Illness® Practitioner. Join the waitlist here: https://www.aurorasomatic.com/practitioner-training→ Apply to be a podcast guest:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/podcast-guest→ Apply to be an Affiliate and help share this work:https://www.aurorasomatic.com/affiliate→ Follow Dr. Erin on Substack:🎶 Music by: “Instructions for Living a Life” by Savfkhttps://www.youtube.com/@SavfkMusic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sacredillness.substack.com/subscribe