Welcome back to the Dr. Kinney Show!

In this episode, I’m joined by Amy Kurtz, health coach, patient advocate, and author of But You Look Fine: Trapped in the Hell Between Sick and Well and How to Break Free.

Amy shares her decades-long journey with chronic illness, misdiagnosis, and eventually receiving a diagnosis of late stage neurological Lyme disease and co-infections after seeing 36 doctors. But even after her physical health improved, she realized another part of healing had been overlooked: her brain and nervous system were still acting as if she were in danger.

That experience led Amy to develop the term Medical Trauma Brain, which describes the emotional and psychological aftermath that can remain after living through debilitating chronic or acute illness.

In this episode, we discuss:

- Amy’s journey with chronic symptoms beginning at age 14

- What it was like to spend years searching for answers and being told her tests looked normal

- The emotional, financial, and physical toll of seeing doctor after doctor

- Finally receiving a diagnosis of late stage neurological Lyme disease and co-infections

- Why getting the right diagnosis can bring both relief and grief

- What Amy means by Medical Trauma Brain

- Why the body can heal while the mind and nervous system remain stuck in survival mode

- The hypervigilance and fear that can remain after years of illness

- Why even a small symptom can make someone fear that everything is coming back

- How medical gaslighting can cause patients to lose trust in their own bodies

- Why finding a provider who listens and makes you feel safe is so important

- The difference between being physically better and truly feeling like yourself again

- Why healing from illness can include grieving the life you thought you were going to have

- How chronic illness can make it difficult to stay present even after the physical crisis has passed

- Why nervous system regulation can be an important part of the recovery process

- The importance of learning to feel safe in your body again

- Why rest, boundaries, support, and self-advocacy matter during recovery

- Simple practices Amy and I use to help calm the nervous system

- Why consistency matters more than finding one perfect regulation technique

One of the most powerful ideas in this conversation is that healing does not always end when the illness does.

You can be grateful that your body is doing better and still grieve what you went through. You can physically recover and still feel anxious, hypervigilant, or disconnected from yourself. Those experiences do not cancel each other out.

If you have ever felt like everyone around you thinks you should be “fine” because your illness is over, this conversation is a reminder that the aftermath deserves care too.

Guided Meditation Resource

I mention BrainTap by Dr. Patrick Porter and a guided meditation called “I Am a Personal Success Magnet,” which I have used consistently for years. Because I’ve trained my brain to associate that meditation with relaxation, even listening to the beginning of it can help signal to my nervous system that it is time to calm down.

Search for BrainTap by Dr. Patrick Porter and “I Am a Personal Success Magnet” to explore the meditation mentioned in this episode.

Connect with Amy Kurtz

Visit https://www.amykurtz.com/ to learn more about Amy, take her Patient Persona Quiz, and explore her work.

Follow Amy on Instagram at @_amykurtz.

But You Look Fine: Trapped in the Hell Between Sick and Well and How to Break Free is available wherever books are sold.

Connect with Dr. Kinney

Explore resources, tools, and more from Dr. Erin Kinney:

https://www.drerinkinney.com/

Take the free Cortisol Debt Score and discover where you stand:

https://www.drerinkinney.com/the-cortisol-debt-score

Learn more about my latest book, The Cortisol Cure:

https://www.drerinkinney.com/the-cortisol-cure

Join The Cortisol Cure Community

https://www.drerinkinney.com/cortisol-cure-community

Welcome back to the Dr. Kinney Show!

In this solo episode, I’m talking about the stories we tell ourselves and how the language we use about our bodies, our health, and our lives can keep us stuck in patterns we may no longer want.

Whether it is saying “I’m so busy,” “I’m always tired,” “I can’t lose weight,” or “my body hates me,” those phrases can become part of the way we experience ourselves. This does not mean ignoring real symptoms or pretending everything is fine. Instead, it is about becoming aware of the story you are repeating and finding a more supportive way to respond to what your body is trying to tell you.

In this episode, I discuss:

• Why your body is always listening to the way you speak about yourself
• How long-term symptoms can become part of the story you expect to keep living
• Why changing your language does not mean ignoring or dismissing real symptoms
• How I realized I was constantly reinforcing the story that I was tired
• Why curiosity can be more helpful than fear when a symptom appears
• How to ask what your body may need instead of immediately assuming the worst
• Why every person’s body has its own language
• The importance of slowing down enough to check in with yourself
• How negative self-talk around weight, fatigue, stress, and chronic illness can become deeply ingrained
• Why recognizing your patterns is the first step toward changing them
• How shifting “busy” to “full” can change the way you experience your life
• Why finding joy, connection, hobbies, and things you love can change the way you feel
• How repeatedly reliving an old trauma can keep it feeling present
• Why healing can include processing what happened while also beginning to create a new story
• A simple exercise for identifying the story you are currently telling and the one you want to live instead

If you have been struggling with chronic symptoms, health anxiety, stress, or a feeling that your body is working against you, I want you to start with curiosity and compassion.

Ask yourself: What story am I telling about my body or my life that may no longer be serving me? Then think about the story you actually want to be living.

Your body is not your enemy. Instead of fighting it, begin listening to it, supporting it, and becoming intentional about the language you use every day.

Your homework this week is to notice the stories you repeat about yourself, your health, and your life, and begin building a bridge toward a story that feels more supportive, hopeful, and aligned with how you want to feel.

Connect with Dr. Kinney

Explore resources, tools, and more from Dr. Erin Kinney:

https://www.drerinkinney.com/

Take the free Cortisol Debt Score and discover where you stand:

https://www.drerinkinney.com/the-cortisol-debt-score

Learn more about my latest book, The Cortisol Cure:

https://www.drerinkinney.com/the-cortisol-cure

Join The Cortisol Cure Community

https://www.drerinkinney.com/cortisol-cure-community

Today is a very special day: The Cortisol Cure is officially out in the world!

To celebrate, I’m sharing something a little different on the podcast, an exclusive excerpt from the audiobook, read by me.

In this episode, you’ll hear the introduction to The Cortisol Cure and the story behind a message I’ve spent years teaching my patients: cortisol is not the enemy.

Cortisol is one of the hormones your body relies on to create energy, respond to stress, heal, and keep you functioning. The problem begins when we continually ask our bodies to spend more than they have the opportunity to earn back.

That’s the idea behind what I call your Cortisol Bank Account, and it completely changes the way we think about stress, burnout, and many of the symptoms we’ve been told we simply have to live with.

If you’ve ever wondered why you’re exhausted even though you’re doing “all the right things,” why your body suddenly seems less resilient to stress, or why you just don’t feel like yourself anymore, this is where I want you to begin.

Press play for a special listen to the opening of The Cortisol Cure.

The Cortisol Cure: The Secret to Resetting Your Stress Response, Boosting Energy & Feeling Better Than Ever is available NOW in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook wherever books are sold.

Get your copy here: https://www.drerinkinney.com/the-cortisol-cure