I recently gave a lecture to the Irish Kinesiology Conference in Athlone. Well, a lecture is what I had planned, but the event turned out a little differently! I had driven over on a Friday afternoon around 5pm, hitting the usual M50 traffic, made even worse by heavy rain and flooding. When I finally arrived I was delighted to be enveloped by the warmth of the conference room, and the friendly conference attendees – many of whom came up to introduce themselves to me, explaining that they had attended one of the Resolving Chronic Pain courses online.

My speaking spot was the following day, just before lunch. I was going to have to work hard to compete with rumbling stomachs! I had planned a formal lecture with detailed slides, but inspired by the warm welcome and relaxed atmosphere, as well as the timing of my slot, I decided to deliver something a bit more dynamic. I left my notes on the desk and spoke to the room about the importance of understanding pain neuroscience, and the role of safety and connection in promoting healing. Patients whose anxiety is exacerbated by PPD can find it difficult to be present and to feel safe, creating a barrier to progress. But when defences ease, less conscious emotions and traumatic material can start to emerge, becoming more accessible to explore, reflect on and potentially resolve. Responding to the interest from the audience, I used several anonymous case studies to illustrate my points.

Far too soon, the allotted time was up. There was just enough time to briefly talk through my lecture slides, and many of the audience members took pictures so they could look through the scientific evidence to back up these points at their leisure. We finished off with some brief movement and body-based work, to complement the discussion of safety and connection. And then it was time for lunch, and a fascinating remainder of the conference.