Before You Begin: Understanding Your Pain and Symptoms

A few months after I sold my business, I was having a pain spell which I’ll talk more about in the future lessons.  The trigeminal nerve pain had come back, and was intense.  Then my phone rang. It was my oldest daughter, Hannah.

I answered, and we talked for a few minutes. Nothing dramatic. Just a normal phone call between a mother and her grown daughter. But somewhere in the middle of that call, I noticed something. The pain was gone. Not better. Gone.

I sat there a little stunned after we hung up. The pain had been intense before she called. Within about a minute and a half of hearing her voice, it had melted away. I thought maybe it was a coincidence. So over the next several days, every time another pain spell came on, I tested it. I would call her. Or pull up a video I had of her speaking.

Every single time, within a minute or two, the pain would ease.

That was the moment something clicked for me. My pain was real, but I began to believe it was no longer coming from damaged tissue or an injured nerve. I believed my brain had learned a pattern, and that pattern could be interrupted. That is not to say there hadn’t been an injury or physical condition causing the pain before that point. But in that moment, I truly believed my body had healed and my brain was still trying to protect me through pain. It was stuck in a loop.

I needed to understand why. So I sat down and started asking questions, talking it through, trying to make sense of what was happening. One thought that surfaced was that Hannah’s voice might represent something deeper to me. That she might represent breakthrough.

Hannah’s Story

I got married at seventeen. A few months in, I went to a routine doctor’s appointment, and the doctor noticed something but brushed it off. A short while later, I was in a car accident, and they discovered a cyst on my ovary the size of a grapefruit. I had surgery. They had to remove the ovary along with the cyst, and a piece of the other ovary too. The doctor told me I would have a hard time having children.

When my husband and I felt ready to start a family, we tried for about a year. Nothing happened. We were starting to lose hope. That December, we went forward for prayer at church. His dad, a pastor, asked us, “Are you sure you want to have a baby?” We were young. We said yes.

We never had to do another test. Forty weeks later, Hannah was born.

Hannah was, in the most literal sense, our breakthrough. She was the answer to a prayer the doctors said could not be answered.

So when I sat there years later, driving down the highway, I was thinking about how those past few weeks Hannah’s voice had been the thing easing my trigeminal pain, it hit me like a ton of bricks. It wasn’t just neuroscience. It was not just a clever brain trick. It was God using the voice of my breakthrough child to remind me of something I had forgotten.

And then I felt Him speak. Not audibly, but as clearly as I have ever heard Him.

“It is not her voice making your pain better. It is Me. It is My voice reminding you that I am the Healer.”

That was the moment everything changed for me and I couldn’t unsee it.

What This Means for You

I am telling you this story before we begin the 28 days because I want you to understand something most people are never taught.

Your pain is real. Your symptoms are real. But the cause may not be what you have been told.

Several months after selling my business, I received my PRT Certification through Alan Gordon’s program, which is where most of the science you will learn in this course is coming from. What you are about to walk through is the result of integrating that training with the truth of God’s Word.

What This Is Not

I want to be clear about what I am not saying. I am not saying your pain is fake. It is real. I am not saying your symptoms are your fault. They are not. I am not saying you should ignore new or worsening symptoms. You should always tell your doctor. I am not saying medical care does not matter. It does. This approach works alongside good medical care, not instead of it.

And I am not saying every symptom is mind-body. Some pain is structural and needs medical treatment. The wisdom is in learning to tell the difference and bringing both medical care and nervous system care into your healing.

Where Faith Fits

The God who designed your body designed your nervous system to learn, adapt, and heal.

And the same God who used Hannah’s voice to remind me that He is the Healer is still healing today. Sometimes instantly. Often as a process. Always with love. As I learned about Pain Reprocessing Therapy through Alan Gordon’s program, I began to see connections with what Scripture teaches us. Three of those connections are foundations for this course:

1. Hope that recovery and change are possible
2. Recognizing and renewing our thoughts
3. Gratitude

We are going to practice holding on to hope when the future feels uncertain, paying attention to what we are telling ourselves and bringing those thoughts to God’s Word, and noticing His goodness in everyday life. You can thank God for what is good while being honest about what still hurts. We will return to these three practices throughout the 28 days, and my prayer is that you will carry them into your daily life. You do not have to feel perfectly hopeful or grateful to begin, and ongoing symptoms do not mean you have failed in faith.

If You Are Not Safe Yet

Before you start Day 1, I want to say something directly to a specific person reading this.

Some of you began this course while you are still inside the storm. The marriage or household is still unsafe. The person who hurts you is still under your roof, or still has access to you, or still controls something you depend on. The fear in your body is not a memory. It is happening right now.

This course is for you. I truly mean that. Healing is for you. Throughout these lessons, you will read me say things like, you are safe now, and remind your body that the moment is over. For most readers walking through this material, that language is going to be true in a very practical way. The events that wired the alarm into their bodies are in the past, and the rewiring work is the next step.

For you, that may not be true yet in the same way. The events are still happening. The room may still be unsafe. And I do not want you to read those words and start to wonder why you cannot make your body relax. There is a reason. Your body is not failing you. Your body is doing exactly what God designed it to do. It is reading the room correctly. The alarm is on because the danger is real. That is not MBS. That is your nervous system protecting you the way it was made to. You should not try to talk yourself out of it. Not yet.

There Are Two Kinds of Safety

But there is something very important I want to say, because I do not want to leave you stuck in a loop.

There is a safety that comes from your circumstances changing. The unsafe person leaves, or you leave. The job that was rattling your nerves is no longer a problem, etc.  The threat is removed. Your nervous system finally gets the message that the storm has passed.

And there is a deeper safety that does not wait on circumstances. It is the safety that comes from abiding in Christ. From knowing that you are seen, you are loved, you are not alone, and that the One who holds your soul cannot be reached by anyone else’s hands. Psalm 91 calls Him a refuge. Not because the storm is gone, but because He is the shelter inside it.

Both kinds of safety matter. The Bible holds both. Jesus walked toward the storm and slept in the boat, and He also walked away from crowds that tried to throw Him off a cliff. He knew when to stand still and when to move. He knew the difference between the peace of His Father’s presence and the wisdom of self-protection. And He never asked anyone to choose one and abandon the other.

You can be deeply safe in Christ right now, in this very moment, even if your circumstances have not changed. He is closer than your breath. He sees you. He has not left you alone in that house, in that pew, on that phone call. The peace that passes understanding is available to you right where you sit. That is real, and you do not have to wait for anything to access it.

Your body and your life still need the practical kind of safety too. Soul peace is not a substitute for getting away from harm. The same Father who holds you also gave you wisdom, gave you a body to protect, gave you people to call, and gave you the freedom to walk out of a room. Abiding in Christ often looks like trusting Him enough to take the next practical step, whatever that looks like for you.

I’m not saying to wait until everything is calm before God can meet you. He is meeting you right now. And I am not saying that abiding is enough by itself if your home is dangerous. The same God who is your refuge is also the God who told Joseph to take Mary and the baby and run to Egypt in the middle of the night.

Course Setup: Before Day 1

The Five Areas of Health

We are going to look at five connected areas of health throughout this course:

• Spiritual health: your relationship with God, your identity in Christ, Scripture, prayer, worship, surrender, and obedience.
• Mental health: the thoughts, beliefs, expectations, and patterns running through your mind.
• Emotional health: your ability to recognize, name, express, and bring emotions to God honestly.
• Relational health: the ways you connect, communicate, listen, set limits, forgive, repair, and love people.
• Physical health: the practical care of your body, including medical care, nourishment, hydration, sleep, movement, rest, and other needs.

These areas influence one another, but no single area automatically explains every symptom or struggle. A symptom is not proof that you sinned, failed to think positively, did not pray enough, or have hidden trauma. We remain open to the whole picture without forcing one explanation onto every person.

How to Use the 28-Day Reset

The course is designed around one lesson a day. Each lesson will include teaching, Scripture, journaling, a guided practice or exercise, a prayer, and one next step.

Plan for about 20 to 60 minutes, including reflection and prayer. Some lessons may take longer because something needs more attention. If you need to slow down, that’s fine. You do not have to finish in exactly 28 calendar days. Just don’t quit. Please, do not quit.

This is not another performance system. You are not trying to become the perfect participant. Honest practice matters more than perfect performance.

Set Up Two Notebooks

I want you to use two notebooks because your relationship with God is bigger than your symptom journal.

1. Time With God: Use this notebook for Scripture, prayer, worship, what you are learning about God, and what you believe the Lord may be showing you.
2. My Healing Journey: Use this notebook for course exercises, thoughts, triggers, emotions, symptom patterns, relationship patterns, practices, and what you notice changing.

You can use inexpensive notebooks. The value is not in what they look like. The value is that one day you will be able to look back and see where God brought you from.

Your Beginning Baseline

Before Day 1, take an honest snapshot of where you are today. This is not a grade, a diagnosis, or a way to predict your outcome. It simply gives you something to look back on.

Rate each area from 1 to 10. A 1 means, “This area feels deeply disconnected, difficult, or neglected right now.” A 10 means, “This area feels strong, supported, and healthy right now.”

Open your My Healing Journey notebook. Write the five areas below and give each one a rating from 1 to 10. Beside each rating, add one sentence about what feels strongest or most in need of care right now.

• Spiritual health
• Mental health
• Emotional health
• Relational health
• Physical health

What I Hope Is Different 28 Days From Now

In your My Healing Journey notebook, describe what you hope will be different by the end of this course. Include more than symptoms. Consider your relationship with God, thought life, emotions, relationships, and care of your body.

Symptom Fear and Preoccupation

If you are living with pain or symptoms, rate the statements below from 0 to 10. A 0 means “not at all,” and a 10 means “almost constantly.” If physical symptoms are not part of your journey, you may skip this section.

In your notebook, give each statement a rating from 0 to 10:

• I monitor, check, or think about my symptoms throughout the day.
• A familiar symptom quickly makes me afraid something is seriously wrong.
• My mood or decisions are controlled by what my body is doing.

For hope, use a separate rating from 0 to 10: “I feel hopeful that I can learn a different response.” Here, 0 means “not at all hopeful,” and 10 means “very hopeful.” Keep these ratings separate rather than adding them into a total.

Current Patterns I Recognize

This is not a list of what is wrong with you. It is simply a place to begin noticing.

Read the patterns below. In your notebook, list only the ones you recognize right now. You may add another pattern that is not listed.

• Fear or expecting the worst
• Pressure to hold everything together
• Harsh self-criticism or perfectionism
• People pleasing or over-functioning
• Trying to control outcomes or people
• Comparing yourself with others
• Avoiding difficult emotions
• Repeatedly researching or checking for reassurance
• Withdrawing, shutting down, or numbing
• Resentment or difficulty expressing needs
• Relationship conflict or mind reading
• Feeling distant from God or trapped in religious performance
• Neglecting basic physical care

One Sentence About Where I Am Today

Finish this sentence in your My Healing Journey notebook: Today, as I begin the 28-Day Reset, I feel…

A Few Important Reminders

This course is educational, faith-based coaching. It is not medical treatment, psychotherapy, crisis care, or a diagnosis. It does not create a medical, counseling, or therapeutic relationship.

Please do not stop medication, cancel medical care, or change a treatment plan because of something you read here. PRT-specific practices are intended for familiar pain or symptoms that have been appropriately evaluated and where learned or neuroplastic mechanisms may reasonably be part of the picture.

New, severe, rapidly changing, or concerning symptoms deserve appropriate medical evaluation. Wisdom is not fear, and seeking care is not a lack of faith.

Some lessons will invite you to explore emotions, childhood experiences, grief, relationship patterns, or painful memories. You are allowed to slow down, pause, skip an exercise, or seek support from a qualified professional if something becomes overwhelming. You do not have to force disclosure or relive trauma to complete this course.

Forgiveness never requires remaining in danger, immediate reconciliation, restored access, or silence about abuse.

Jessica’s Healing Journey Playlist

The optional songs selected for this course are also available in Jessica’s Healing Journey playlist on Spotify (opens Spotify in a new tab).

Technical Support

Need help accessing the course or navigating a lesson? Email connect@fight4ourhealth.com.

What Comes Next

If you’re previewing this lesson before buying the course, then you’ll start the Introduction lesson first. Then, you’ll start Day 1.  You will start where healing begins, with awareness. You will learn to identify the thoughts that have been running in the background of your life, shaping your emotions, your nervous system, and your body without your knowing.

Hold this lesson close as you go. Return to it when you need to remember why this work matters. Your pain is real. Your symptoms are real. And so is the possibility that your brain and body, by God’s design, can learn a new way of being.

Optional Worship

While you may be facing a real, physical battle, I want to remind you that there is a spiritual battle too.  This song reminds us that even when our own strength runs out, God remains faithful, and we can call on Him for help.  Through this journey, find a place that can be your intimate space with the Most High.  He’ll meet you where you are. This battle isn’t yours to fight.

*Even just reading through the comments on this song as you pull it up on YouTube can increase your faith today.

Watched Outnumbered on Youtube