Pilgrimage meets a deep need for individuals seeking to understand pain and regain control of their healing process. By distilling theoretical knowledge and applied experience, Michael Stahl presents an accessible framework that will help individuals navigate their own journey of pain, healing and recovery. Using the framework presented in this book can help individuals:
- deepen their understanding of pain and its role in the healing process
- improve their body-awareness
- develop self-care tools to help engage with their pain and facilitate their own healing
- create the opportunity for deep healing and transformative growth.
Editorial Reviews and Praise for Pilgrimage
"For the millions suffering from chronic pain, the search for effective treatment options seems like a minefield. There are so many different opinions, so many different types of providers, so many "quick-fix" promises ...and yet it all still ends up confusing, inaccessible, or out-of-reach for all involved. Frustrated patients and providers desperately need a framework to understand and navigate this complex experience of healing from both sides. I am a board-certified anesthesiologist and pain physician, having trained and worked at some of the most reputable institutions in the country; I have gotten additional certification in acupuncture and yoga; I have lectured to providers and listened to patients both here and abroad; I have started holistic retreats and non-profit organizations to better advocate for integrate pain management. Yet "Pilgrimage" is the first book I've read that truly captures both the essence AND practicality of what it really takes for true healing. Michael Stahl combines neuroscience and common sense, anecdote and reference, theory and practice, for provider and patient. He takes his personal and professional background with chronic pain and translates it - simply and elegantly - into a universal tool every single person can use. Importantly, it doesn't promote any one type of treatment paradigm or focus on any one type of pain; his message is applicable to all of us, no matter our place in our own pilgrimage. A must read."- Tracy Jackson, MD Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Vanderbilt University; CEO, Relief Retreats; Founder, camPAIN.org
"Being a witness to someone's journey and being trusted to be present with them on that journey is a tremendous privilege and honor. Michael has given me that privilege. Within these pages, he has captured what I have seen change lives over and over again. His ability to assimilate multiple layers of information and perspective into a clear, understandable picture is part of his genius. As you walk this pilgrimage, know you are following a path that Michael not only understands but has also walked himself. A gift he offers is for you to traverse your own pilgrimage into your own life and body, finding a way amongst the valleys and the vistas."- Mindy Oldham, RN, LMT Director of Clinical Education, Instructor of Integrative Therapy at Cumberland Institute of Holistic Therapies
About the Author:
Michael Stahl is a licensed massage therapist (LMT), an educator who teaches health practitioners how to work effectively with injury and trauma, and the owner of the Peregrine Center, a holistic bodywork center in Nashville that provides therapeutic, integrative bodywork to clients of all ages and physical abilities. He has trained in multiple soft tissue techniques, including neuromuscular therapy (Trigger Point), acupressure, myofascial work like Active Release Therapy, and Swedish massage. His current teaching schedule includes professional education classes and client workshops such as: "Holistic Bodywork for Injury and Trauma" and "Anatomy, Physiology and Kinesiology for Level 1 and 2 Iyengar Yoga Teacher Training".
He's also a lawyer, having earned his law degree from Stanford University and his undergraduate degree at Georgetown University. Prior to pursuing law, he also earned a Master's Degree at Vanderbilt University as a Graduate Fellow.
While not the usual career path, the decisions and direction of Michael's career have been guided by a natural curiosity, passion for learning and growth, and a simple question, "What's possible?" Michael's passion to discover what is possible regarding pain and healing began when, at the age of 15, he fractured his spine, which resulted in serious nerve damage and led to subsequent injuries and multiple surgeries. Michael immersed himself in anatomy, physiology, physical therapy and anything else that might help him recover. Through this experience, he began to ask himself and others "What's possible" with respect to pain and the healing process. You can learn more about Michael's journey here: http: //www.peregrinecenter.com/staff/
That question-asking himself and his clients what is possible in their lives-has shaped Michael Stahl's career path and the clients he's helped serve.
When you ask yourself what's possible, your natural curiosity about yourself and your challenges becomes clear, and that's when healing and transformative growth can begin.
