In episode thirteen, we are hearing from Jennifer Pond about her experiences in living with spondylolisthesis. Jennifer walks us through managing the dark times and creating the light times that are necessary for staying balanced when you’re dealing with persistent pain. From sharing your feelings to healing and dealing, Jennifer details her experiences with pain and relates it back to the thing that connects us all - being human. 

Jennifer starts by telling us about the difficulties of living with spondylolisthesis, including the progression of the disease. She details the difficulties of isolation, loneliness, and trying to manage pain by not sharing it with others. She also talks about how freeing and healing it was to “share your sh*t” by being visible and vocal about her pain so that people can know who she is and what she’s dealing with.

This episode is centered around how dealing with the challenges presented by pain is really about the human condition - being a functional member of society, being connected with others, and having people to support you. Jennifer also speaks about the importance of mindfulness and awareness, being present with your pain and the negative feelings that come along with them. She also talks about the importance of engaging with the higher level emotions of joy, gratitude, and excitement.

Ultimately, this episode highlights how important it is to be open about being human about pain, with all the messy details that journey will entail! If you’d like to connect with Jennifer, you can find her at jennifernicolepond@gmail.com


Additional Links and Resources
SaskPain Website
SaskPain Facebook

A thank you to our sponsors and supporters:
The Saskatchewan Pain Society
The Community Initiatives Fund
Our Editor, Chris Enns, of Lemon Productions

We happily welcome feedback on this podcast, and are always looking for guests to speak to! Contact us at info@saskpain.ca, or message us on our Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn pages if you would like more information or to get involved in the podcast.