January Blog | The 12 Stage of Healing – Stage 1 |Dr. Codi Osborne, Innately Yours Chiropractic Studio

When we first begin a healing journey, we often meet it not with excitement, but with discomfort. For many of us, Stage One begins long before we even step foot in the office. It shows up as tension, disconnection, overwhelm, or pain—physically, emotionally, or even spiritually. This is the stage Dr. Donald Epstein calls Suffering.

I see this stage daily in the studio. It might look like a mom with chronic back pain who hasn’t taken a deep breath in months. A teacher with migraines who feels like they’ve tried everything. A child struggling to sleep, who’s been dismissed by every provider so far. And yes, I’ve lived it too.

💬 My Personal Experience With Stage One

When I moved to Colorado Springs, I carried the weight of starting over – professionally, personally, and emotionally. Even as a chiropractor trained in the very work I now practice, I felt a subtle, gnawing disconnect from my own body. I was “doing all the right things” but I wasn’t fully present in my own nervous system. That’s Stage One: when something inside us says, “This isn’t sustainable.”

What I’ve learned through NetworkSpinal is that suffering is not the end, it’s the beginning.

🧠 How Stage One Shows Up in the Nervous System

In Stage One, the nervous system often locks down. The body may be stuck in a fight, flight, or freeze pattern, and resources for healing become limited. Our muscles tighten. Breath becomes shallow. Our awareness narrows to survival mode.

NetworkSpinal doesn’t fight this state, it meets it gently. With light touches and precision, we begin to awaken the spine, helping the nervous system shift from “stuck” into “aware.”

And once you’re aware, the real healing begins.

✨ A New Way to Relate to Suffering

Stage One invites us to ask:

• What am I noticing in my body right now?
• What have I been trying to ignore, suppress, or power through?
• Can I allow myself to feel this… even a little?

This stage isn’t about fixing or escaping suffering… it’s about recognizing it, breathing into it, and becoming present with it.

Healing begins in presence. That’s why NetworkSpinal doesn’t start with force, it starts with awareness.

🛠️ Practices for Stage One

If you recognize yourself in this stage, here are some gentle ways to begin connecting to your body:

• Body Scan: Take 2–5 minutes daily to notice where you hold tension. Don’t judge it—just observe.
• Simple Breathwork: Try breathing in for 4 seconds and out for 6. Repeat gently for a few minutes.
• Journaling Prompt: “Right now, I feel ___ in my body.” Write without editing. Let truth arise.

Even tiny moments of presence begin to unwind years of tension. Your body is listening.

🤍 Let’s Connect

If you’ve felt stuck, disconnected, or overwhelmed, you’re not alone. Stage One is part of the journey, and it’s where every healing story begins.

Ask us how this stage might relate to your care journey. We’re here to walk with you, every step of the way.

With love,
Dr. Codi