During my “How to Heal From Autoimmune Diseases Without Meds!” Summit Series, I asked for your stories of healing. Here’s one that is certain to encourage your journey to wellness.

I am a 52-year-old woman who has known chronic and acute illness her whole life. I have had two major healing lessons that taught me how to harness the power of my own inner healing and resilience on a very deep cellular, physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual level.

At the age of 39 in Feb. 2006, I had a Near Death Experience from a staph infection in both my lungs and sinuses from two sinus surgeries done improperly. To recover from this first major catastrophic illness, I underwent an 8-hour revision sinus surgery and oral facial surgery that rebuilt the bones in my septum that had been eaten away by the staph infection. Bone grafts from a cadaver were used to rebuild my septum. I spent that entire year in hospitals, in a subacute rehab facility and ultimately quarantined in my home because I was on an IV PICC line for about eight months learning how to function again. During this whole time, I discovered the work of Louise Hay and many of the other Hay House authors. I started to study with Christel Nani, a medical intuitive and really started to learn about the unconscious beliefs that had created dis-ease in my body. I then became a yoga teacher and energy practitioner myself since I started to use these practices daily that were healing me holistically from the inside out.

In 2013, I then used these integrative practices in my profession as a pediatric speech-language pathologist and created an integrative therapy program that was piloted and implemented at a Creative Arts Therapy Center in northern New Jersey. This program was so successful for many children with special needs that I co-authored a book about it. The book was published in 2016. However, my body was screaming at me not to promote this work and the book with my business partner at that time. I was forced to dissolve that business partnership and give up my rights to the work that I had created.

This experience created chronic debilitating physical pain in both feet and lower back. I was unable to move at all without debilitating pain. I was literally and figuratively paralyzed.

This pain would continue for almost four years until the present, at which time I can finally say that I am on the road to a complete healing with a full recovery of strength and function in my mobility. I tried all conventional and alternative treatments for healing this: steroid injections, surgical consultations, Physical Therapy, Acupuncture, Diet, Supplements, Meditation, Positive Affirmations, Tai Chi, Qigong, Yamuna body rolling, intuitive energy sessions with various energy healers, and Feldenkrais PT therapy. What I have discovered is that healing truly is an inside job and you have to release yourself from the “secondary gains” one may experience from being chronically ill. Once I worked to acknowledge and release my childhood wounds and negative belief patterns, I was able to heal and shift my energy into a more heart-centered place of love and gratitude that has actually helped my body to heal finally from this debilitating pain. This healing has forced me to release the job that was toxic and my home that was not serving my highest good. I am now in the midst of creating a whole new integrative therapy business that incorporates my gifts as a singer/songwriter and my husband and I are now looking to move to a new place that can support me in this next chapter of “perfect health.” I will be recording a music album for children with special needs, “Heartsongs of the Rainbow” with the Brothers Koren at the end of this February-beginning of March. If I hadn’t done all the inner healing work, I would never have met these creative and wonderfully talented musicians that are creating and producing this music album. I also met Bruce Cryer, one of your panelists, who inspired me with his story of resilience and tapping into the “creative mojo” that is in each and every one of us. Bruce has become a wonderful personal friend and mentor of mine. I am so grateful for my healing journey.

Thanks for reading my story.

Adrienne L Murphy MA CCC-SLP

Author(s)

  • Pirie Jones Grossman

    Executive Life Coach, M.A. Spiritual Psychology

    Pirie is a TedX speaker, author, and a Soul-Centered Life Coach. With over 20 years in front of the camera, Pirie Grossman understands the power of storytelling. After success in commercials and acting. Pirie spent 10 years reporting for E! Entertainment Television, Entertainment Tonight, also hosted ABC’s “Every Woman." Pirie’s work off-camera capitalizes on her strength, producing, bringing people together for unique experiences. Pirie produced a Children’s Day of Compassion during the Dalai Lama’s visit in Sun Valley, ID in 2005. 10,000 children attended, sharing ideas about compassion with His Holiness. From 2006-2009, Pirie Co-chaired the Special Olympics World Winter Games, in Idaho, welcoming 3,000 athletes from over 150 countries. Pirie founded Destiny Productions to create Wellness Festivals and is an Advisory Board member of the Sun Valley Wellness Board. In February 2017, Pirie produced, “Love is Louder," a Brain Health Summit, bringing in Kevin Hines, noted suicide survivor to Sun Valley who spoke to school kids about suicide. Sun Valley is in the top 5% highest suicide rate per capita in the Northwest, prompting a community initiative with St. Luke’s and other stakeholders, to begin healing. Pirie lives in Sun Valley with her two children, serves on the Board of Community School. She has her Master’s in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica and is a Soul-Centered Life Coach.