Eight million people in Canada live with chronic pain, a condition that can affect every aspect of a person’s life including physical and mental health, work, play, and relationships. More than 700 people attended for the second Putting the Pieces Together virtual conference in 2023 – watch or revisit all the sessions on our YouTube channel!
The conference name, Putting the Pieces Together, is inspired by Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold. We see ourselves like the re-imagined artworks - no longer in our original form but, instead, taking on a new beauty and strength, reinforced by our many connections.
Join us for the opening session of Pain Canada's Putting the Pieces Together conference, featuring remarks by the Honourable Ya’ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health. This session will set the stage for the conference's discussions on advancing care, peer support, research and chronic pain management.
The Honourable Ya’ara Saks was first elected as the Member of Parliament for York Centre in 2020. She currently serves as the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health. She has previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. She was also a member of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development and the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, as well as various parliamentary associations and interparliamentary groups. Minister Saks is a long-time community advocate and leader focused on promoting health and addressing inequalities in society. Before entering politics, she was a successful small business owner and the Director of Trauma Practice for Healthy Communities, a Toronto-based mental health charity working for better access to mental health services. Minister Saks brings a Canadian and global perspective to her community engagement work. She has held advisory roles in policy, communications, and project management, having worked in the Office of the Mayor of Jerusalem and on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Minister Saks holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Middle East Studies from McGill University and a Master of International Relations and Diplomacy from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is the mother of two daughters.
It's been three years since the launch of the Action Plan for Pain in Canada. What's changed? Prior conferences showcased new research funding, new guidelines and standards for pain care and expansion of some of Pain Canada's trainings for health professionals and support programs for people living with pain. Since the Action Plan was created, many provinces and territories have made gains in expanding access to pain care and in reducing inequities in access to pain management from coast to coast. There is still a lot to do! Join us to hear from leaders representing provincial pain initiatives in BC, Manitoba and Quebec. We'll explore the goals of these efforts and learn what difference these provincial strategies will make in the lives of people who live with pain.
Kris Juck is serving as the Executive Director for Pain Care BC and Cystic Fibrosis Care BC in PHSA. Before this, she served as the Director, Clinical Operations at Royal Columbian Hospital. Within her 10 years at Fraser Health, she led multiple programs in the areas of emergency, surgery, critical care and regional rehabilitation programs. Prior to that, Kris worked in senior leadership roles at BC Children’s and BC Women’s Hospitals in pediatric, surgical and complex pain care spaces.
Kris has a clinical doctorate in Audiology and a Master of Clinical Science degree. In addition to her past clinical and operational roles, she understands the importance of research and academia. She believes in the importance of enhancing existing services to meet the needs of the patients they serve. Kris is passionate about supporting patients to get the care they need. Right patient, right place, right time!
Lucie Beauregard is an advisor for the Chronic Pain Continuum at the Ministry of Health and Social Services. In the past, she has also worked as an advisor in Performance Improvement at the CIUSSS, and as a coordinator in Security and Confidentiality at the CUSM after many having spent a decade working as a clinical nurse specialist in the Chronic Pain field. Lucie has a Master's Degree in biomedical sciences from Université de Montréal and a DESS in process performance improvement for health and social services from HEC in Montreal.
Craig Hillier is a registered respiratory therapist and a fellow of The Canadian Society Of Respiratory Therapists. He has worked in a variety of organizations in both the private and public sectors within several Canadian provinces, including Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan and is currently Director of Health Services for the Manitoba Pain Care Program at Shared Health, Manitoba’s provincial health authority. Craig is involved in his community as a coach, and is a surveyor with the EQual program for respiratory therapy education accreditation.
Chronic pain, illness, and disability are experiences that can lead us to feeling disconnected from our bodies, but that doesn’t necessarily have to be the only outcome. Our bodies are inherent sources of wisdom and creativity. When we learn to listen closely, honour our realities, and prioritize self-compassion and self-expression, we may find that it is possible to hold two truths simultaneously: that we can experience persistent pain AND we can also find intentional ways to cultivate presence, connection and joy.
Join us for an adaptive yoga session for all bodies and levels of experience. Together we’ll explore a gentle movement practice designed to support you in finding safe, supportive ways to experience self-connection. You are invited to participate to whatever degree is most suitable and accessible for you - bed, mat, chair, wheelchair - all are welcome!
Katie Blecker (she/her) is a yoga teacher (RYT-500), disability advocate, and visual artist. Her work as a trauma-informed and adaptive yoga facilitator centers supporting folks who live with chronic illness, pain, disability, and chronic stress using tools such as therapeutic-style asana, pranayama, and meditation. As a queer, disabled, and multiply-chronically ill person, Katie’s lived experiences inform her approach to yoga facilitation, wherein she seeks to offer a no-pressure environment that invites you to show up just as you are on any given day. Katie runs her own online yoga studio and leads a weekly class with the Cerebral Palsy Association of BC. She’s also a faculty member in the yoga teacher training programs at The Vancouver School of Healing Arts, offering curricula based on Accessibility in Yoga.
Indigenous contemplative practices and teachings have enabled Indigenous Peoples to develop an important paradigm of healing that has important implications for western medicine and health care providers who work with Indigenous Peoples. In this presentation, Dr. Michael Yellow Bird uses the Medicine Wheel, Indigenous wisdom and western science to show how Indigenous contemplative approaches can create important changes in the brain and body and can prevent, heal, and cure, many emotional and physical diseases brought about by colonization of current Western industrial lifestyle.
Michael Yellow Bird, PhD, is a Professor and Former Dean of the Faculty of Social Work, University of Manitoba. He is a member of the MHA Nation (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara) in North Dakota, USA. He is a certified, internationally trained mindfulness meditation teacher, professional, and scholar and has been practicing mindfulness meditation since 1975. He is a mindfulness consultant and trainer to many organizations, programs, and communities, and serves as a Decolonial Contemplative Mentor and Scholar.
He is the Co-President of the Mindfulness Council of Canada Board of Directors, a Member of the Global Compassion Coalition Board of Directors, the Brown University Mindfulness Center External Advisory Board, and the Council of Elders for Indigenous Mindfulness Practices. His mindfulness and contemplative work and research have been featured on numerous podcasts, websites, magazines, newspapers, and scholarly publications.
This session will cover the latest research investigating the impact of peer support on people living with pain, with a focus on online support.
Dr. Susan Holtzman is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus. She is a registered psychologist and offers clinical training in the psychological assessment and treatment of chronic pain. Dr. Holtzman’s research aims to understand the connection between social relationships and wellbeing. She is particularly interested in the power of online spaces to improve access to social support for those living with chronic health conditions, such as chronic pain.
Paul Gill lives with pain and is a volunteer peer facilitator in Pain BC ‘s Pain Support and Wellness Groups. He has been working as a longshoreman since 2014 and is currently applying to graduate school to pursue his master’s degree in counselling psychology.
Janet experienced two work injuries that resulted in permanent disability that affected most aspects of her life and occurred in her earlier work life. Her major focus was what to do to be the best she could be and she quickly learned the value of peer support when meeting with others who share common issues, such as work injury and managing pain.
She started attending Pain BC's peer support meetings and found that it was a concept that was naturally embedded in. She then attended a formal peer support training program that was developed by the Canadian Injured Workers Alliance and was then brought on to peer helper training.
This workshop offers an accessible, gentle and creative approach to support those living with chronic pain. By immersing themselves in the sights and sounds of nature, engaging in guided meditation prompts, and expressing themselves creatively, participants can cultivate mindfulness, reconnect with themselves, and explore the potential for nature to enhance their well-being.
Instructions: Join us for this 20-minute virtual forest walk where participants can connect with nature through immersive binaural recordings of natural soundscapes. We will offer guided meditation prompts to cultivate active listening and mindfulness, as well as creative prompts to express ideas and emotions as we reflect on our own connection with nature.
We recommend having the following materials at hand to make the most out of this session:
- Headphones or earphones, to enjoy the immersive experience provided by the binaural recordings.
- Paper, pencil, pen, and/or markers to engage in creative prompts.
Maria Cecilia is a Peruvian-Canadian curator, creative facilitator, experience designer and life-long learner with over 10 years of experience working in arts & cultural programming, education and community engagement.
She holds a BA in Communications (2011) with a mention in Audiovisual Production, and an MA in Comparative Media Arts (2016). In 2015, she curated and produced the Andean Horror Film Fest. Since then, she has collaborated with the Reel 2 Real Film Festival for Youth, and the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival, among others. She also co-produces The Happy Listening Project, a podcast that aims to share the soothing sounds of nature to support wellbeing and raise environmental awareness.
She’s grateful to live, work, learn and play in the unceded, ancestral and stolen territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples.
Women report more chronic pain than men and are more likely to be prescribed and rely on opioids for pain management. Yet, women's experiences with prescription opioid use for chronic pain management, and how these experiences impact policy and practice in the context of healthcare are not well documented. This presentation will describe findings from a project that translated women’s experiences of chronic pain and prescription opioid use into resources for women, educators, policymakers, and health care providers. This session will provide an overview of the resources developed to respond to women’s need for healthcare providers and policymakers to have a better understanding of women’s experiences of chronic pain and the impacts of opioid use for women who live with chronic pain.
Lindsay Wolfson is a women’s health consultant and sex educator. She works as the Research Manager at the Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health and is pursuing a Master of Social Work from Wilfrid Laurier University. She holds a Master of Public Health, Social Inequities and Health, from Simon Fraser University. Lindsay is responsible for research and collaboration on projects relating to stigma reduction, and the integration of gender, trauma, culture, violence and equity-informed approaches into policy, research, and practice.
Lindsay has lived with pain for over 15 years, having experienced migraine and endometriosis. While on her own chronic pain journey, she led a project around women’s chronic pain and prescription opioid use. The project inspired her to return to school, to provide non-pharmacologic and relational care, that supports women on their pain management journeys.
This session will give an interactive walkthrough of the Power Over Pain portal for adults and youth by patient partners Lynn Cooper and Vina Mohabir who will also share their insights on pain self-management.
Jennifer Stinson is the Mary Jo Haddad Nursing Chair in Child Health and a Senior Scientist in the Child Health Evaluative Sciences (CHES) research program, within the Research Institute at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto. She is also a Nurse Practitioner in the Chronic Pain Program in the Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine at SickKids and a Professor in the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, Department of Pediatric Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. She leads the iOUCH lab which seeks to improve health outcomes in children and youth with painful chronic conditions using digital health therapeutics.
Dr. Patricia Poulin is a Clinical Health and Rehabilitation Psychologist at The Ottawa Hospital Pain Clinic, an Associate Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and Assistant Professor at in the Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine at The University of Ottawa. She engages in supervision, training, and mentoring in each of these roles. Dr. Poulin is also one of the principal applicants responsible for the Chronic Pain Network (CIHR Strategy for Patient Oriented Research Network in Chronic Diseases) and is the lead investigator for network research conducted at The Ottawa Hospital Pain Clinic.
Vina Mohabir is a patient partner involved in the co-design, development, implementation and evaluation of the Power Over Pain Youth Portal.
Lynn Cooper was formerly president of the Canadian Pain Coalition, which disbanded in 2017. She lives with pain and has spent more than 20 years volunteering with organizations that seek to better understand issues surrounding chronic pain, and furthering pain research and pain management.
Tune into the wisdom of winter as we begin to shift towards rest and renewal. For this 30-minute session, we will practice releasing tension in the body, while simultaneously cultivating stillness, self-awareness, and inner clarity through the embodied practice of yoga nidra.
For the session:
- Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing; you may opt to keep a light blanket nearby if you tend to run cold.
- Plan to practice from a yoga mat, chair, or wheelchair. Feel free to support yourself with bolsters/pillows, or a folded towel/blanket.
- Refrain from eating a heavy meal two hours prior to practice to avoid falling asleep during practice.
Accessibility:
There is optional slow movement used in this practice as well as a short closing practice; beyond that mobility is not required for this class. This practice is done laying down, but you are welcome to use a chair or wheelchair for this session."
Kendra Coupland (she/her) is a meditation teacher, yoga grandmaster and multi-disciplinary artist of mixed Caribbean and Romani heritage. As a survivor of violence, Kendra brings a compassionate, trauma-informed, and intersectional framework to her practice. Her work strives to create safer spaces for people who experience marginalization to practice self-liberation, and she is whole-heartedly dedicated to building communities of loving kindness and care.
Come meet and connect with other attendees and join a group conversation in English.
This session will be facilitated by trained peer support facilitators from Pain BC and the People in Pain Network (PIPN) who know firsthand what it’s like to live with pain.
These are social support groups, and not intended to replace professional medical or mental health care and advice. Registration is open to people who have lived or living experience of pain. Group size is limited to 20 participants. These group conversations will be available for one hour.
**Due to the limited number of participants who can attend each of these sessions, you will need to register separately on this page for the one specific group you wish to join. Registrations for these groups are also free and will open on October 1st.
Young adults
This year, Pain Canada is offering an affinity and identity-based peer support group for community members living with pain who are aged 18 -35. We recognize that many of us can belong to more than one affinity group and encourage attendees to participate in more than one peer supported social connection session, if they wish.
General discussion group
Pain Canada offers a community space for everyone who lives with pain to connect as a group. This is a peer-facilitated social connection space where participants are invited to share their experiences, learn from each other, and reduce isolation. We aim to create a supportive and welcoming online space where participants can show up fully as themselves.
LGBTQ2S
Pain Canada offers a community space for people living with pain who identify as LGBTQ2S to connect in community. This is a peer-facilitated social connections space where participants are invited to share their experiences, learn from each other, and reduce isolation. We aim to create a supportive and welcoming online space where participants can show up fully as themselves.
Alice is a member of the Association Québécoise de Douleur Chronique (AQDC) since 2018. She served as a facilitator for peer support groups starting in 2019 and joined the board of members in 2020. In June 2023, Alice was appointed as one of the Vice-President of AQDC.
In addition to her advocacy work within AQDC, Alice is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Biomedical Sciences. Her research focuses on pain neurophysiology, and she is a lecturer of neurophysiology at Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières since 2018.
Alice is driven by a deep-seated commitment to making scientific knowledge accessible to the broader public.
After a long struggle with her new reality of living with chronic pain as a young adult, Alvine realized the very first step to finding peace and a possibly long-lasting solution to her pain was acceptance. The moment she accepted this, she made up her mind not to shrink or give in. Rather, to adjust, adapt, learn, grow, and possibly be the reason someone sees HOPE in their own situation. Thanks to her interest in volunteering for studies, surveys and interviews on chronic pain, she came to know about Pain BC, Pain Canada, Power Over Pain Portal, Chronic Pain Network and others. Today, she is pleased to be a member of the Lived Experience Advisory Committee (LEAC) with the Power Over Pain Network, a co-facilitator with the People in Pain Network, a new member of the Steering Committee for Pain Canada's Putting The Pieces Together (PTPT) Conference, and also sits on the Chronic Pain Network’s Training and Capacity Building Committee. Alvine does not let her pain define who she is.
Virginia McIntyre is the President and Executive Director of the People In Pain Network (Society). Her dedication to improving pain management and raising awareness about chronic pain is evident in her active participation in numerous research projects and pain-related initiatives. She serves on several influential committees, including the Pain Canada National Advisory Committee and the US Association for the Study of Pain’s PWLE Committee. Additionally, she chairs the Canadian Pain Society’s Communication Committee and PWLE Committee.
As a public presenter, advocate, and educator, Virginia emphasizes the importance of pain resources and peer support. Her ongoing work as an international presenter and advocate highlights her commitment to advancing the understanding and management of chronic pain.
Fern is a professional foodie working as a personal chef as well as a registered nutritionist. She has been managing her chronic pain for over 10 years and has recently joined Pain BC as a group facilitator. One of her favorite activities for taking care of her mind and body is climbing.
Maripier used to be a Registred Nurse after graduating from Université Laval in 2005. She has been on disability leave since 2015 for chronic pain to her arms mainly and is also a full time mom of two teenagers with special needs. Since the pandemic, she started working with AQDC.
People who live with complex pain are often told “movement is medicine” yet it’s natural to interpret pain as a signal to protect ourselves by not moving. This disconnect can lead those of us with pain to be fearful of movement, which can negatively impact overall well-being. Join us in conversation with Kat Dikeakos, an occupational therapist who specializes in supporting people who live with pain to re-engage in the activities they love. Kat will talk about the role of movement in complex pain management, explore the barriers to getting going and keeping it up, and share her experience with overcoming emotional and physical barriers to regain function.
Kat is a Vancouver-based occupational therapist, owner and Clinical Director of Are You Better Yet Therapy Services, and person living with chronic pain. Kat founded the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists’ (CAOT) Chronic Pain Practice Network in 2016 and is the CAOT-BC advisory committee representative for mental health and chronic pain. She has extensive experience in rheumatology, perinatal health and working with adults under 40 with chronic pain. Kat works with clients across Canada, has consulted for many pain management programs including the St. Paul’s Complex Pain Centre in Vancouver, and mentors OTs globally.
Therese Lane has lived with pain and arthritis since her mid-teens. She is currently a volunteer with the Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance and is actively involved in CreakyJoints’ Canada-based efforts. She is a patient partner with a number of different research projects and initiatives including the Chronic Pain Network and the Canadian Pain Society’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Her experiences with living with pain and arthritis have led to her helping others understand and see how pain treatment is not always reaching the people who need it most (such as those who are marginalized, live in poverty, and women). Her own past history of active addiction and untreated mental health issues have made her all too aware of the stigma, judgment, and barriers faced by those who wish to access appropriate treatment for pain. Like many individuals with lived experience, Therese brings her perspectives to the table in hopes of helping others.
We are the land and the land is us. Despite all we have been through, we all are beings that hold our own medicine to guide our wellness.
This session will be a guided body-based check-in that will seek to assist the participant in connecting to their own medicine for wellness.
Please note we will begin this session with a smudge and prayer (within the first 5 minutes of the session).
To enhance your experience:
- find a quiet spot with no distractions
- have a pen and paper handy for afterwards
- sit in a chair with feet on the floor or sit on the floor (you can be indoors or outdoors)
Okimawapiw Iskwew nitisiyihkâson
Lisa L’Hirondelle’s Cree name means Boss Lady SittingWoman. Her Metis Cree/French descendance comes from of her father's family on BuffaloLake Metis Settlement and her mother's in Lac La Nonne area and EnfranchisedPapaschase First Nation. She was born in Treaty 6 territory and now resides inTreaty 7 territory as a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta. She is a wife,mother and kokum, as well as a Clinical Social Worker, Family Counsellor,Indigenous Hospital Liaison, Artisan and a recognized Kairos Blanket ExerciseFacilitator.
Lisa values all aspects of wellness along withrelationality, cultural continuity of care and her gifts as a helper. Sheconnects in culturally relevant, safe, and meaningful ways to provide pathwaysfor healing alongside her Indigenous relations.
The use of opioids and cannabis for chronic pain remains controversial. This session will present updated recommendations for opioids and cannabis for chronic pain from clinical practice guidelines that considered evidence for harms and benefits, as well as patients' values and preferences.
Jason Busse is a Professor in the Departments of Anesthesia and Health, Evidence and Impact at McMaster University, Director of the National Pain Centre, and Associate Director of the Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Medicinal Cannabis Research. He holds a CIHR Canada Research Chair in the Prevention and Management of Chronic Pain.
Desmond Williams is a community healer and TRE (Tension, Stress & Trauma Release Exercise) practitioner, international pain advocate, Audio Engineer & Sound Designer, stand-up comedian and writer & orator whose work is grounded in the culture, music, dancing, laughter and storytelling of his upbringing with the traditions of the Nlaka’pamux First Nations and St. Vincent & the Grenadines.
Desmond’s work explores healing practices for People of the Global Majority, and how to foster the care and support needed to explore the depth of living this existence safely and effectively with others.
Alex is a qualitative researcher focused on digital health equity and service co-design. They have lived with chronic pain and fatigue since early childhood but did not receive a diagnosis until they were thirty. Half a decade later, their pain and fatigue are still poorly managed.
Since 2018, Alex has worked as a design and brand strategy consultant specializing in disability and LGBTQ2S+ inclusion. Alex’s research and design practice are informed by their lived experiences of invisibilized disability, queerness and housing instability, as well as their rural background.
Alex has a B.Sc. in Pathobiology from the University of Toronto, and an M.Des. from OCAD University in interdisciplinary art, media and design. They are currently on the steering committee of Pain Canada’s Putting the Pieces Together conference, and co-chair the Chronic Pain Network’s Knowledge Mobilization and Implementation Science committee.
Come meet and connect with other attendees and join a group conversation in English. This session will be facilitated by trained peer support facilitators from Pain BC and the People in Pain Network (PIPN) who know firsthand what it’s like to live with pain.
These are social support groups, and not intended to replace professional medical or mental health care and advice. Registration is open to people who have lived or living experience of pain. Group size is limited to 20 participants. These group conversations will be available for one hour.
**Due to the limited number of participants who can attend each of these sessions, you will need to registers separately on this page for the one specific group you wish to join. Registrations for these groups are also free and will open on October 1, 2024.
BIPOC
Pain Canada offers a community space for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color who live with pain to connect as a group. This is a peer-facilitated social connections space where participants are invited to share their experiences, learn from each other, and reduce isolation. We aim to create a supportive and welcoming online space where participants can show up fully as themselves.
General discussion group
Pain Canada offers a community space for everyone who lives with pain to connect as a group. This is a peer-facilitated social connection space where participants are invited to share their experiences, learn from each other, and reduce isolation. We aim to create a supportive and welcoming online space where participants can show up fully as themselves.
*There will be two General discussion groups open on that day.
Virginia McIntyre is the President and Executive Director of the People In Pain Network (Society). Her dedication to improving pain management and raising awareness about chronic pain is evident in her active participation in numerous research projects and pain-related initiatives. She serves on several influential committees, including the Pain Canada National Advisory Committee and the US Association for the Study of Pain’s PWLE Committee. Additionally, she chairs the Canadian Pain Society’s Communication Committee and PWLE Committee.
As a public presenter, advocate, and educator, Virginia emphasizes the importance of pain resources and peer support. Her ongoing work as an international presenter and advocate highlights her commitment to advancing the understanding and management of chronic pain.
Fern is a professional foodie working as a personal chef as well as a registered nutritionist. She has been managing her chronic pain for over 10 years and has recently joined Pain BC as a group facilitator. One of her favorite activities for taking care of her mind and body is climbing.
Alice is a member of the Association Québécoise de Douleur Chronique (AQDC) since 2018. She served as a facilitator for peer support groups starting in 2019 and joined the board of members in 2020. In June 2023, Alice was appointed as one of the Vice-President of AQDC.
In addition to her advocacy work within AQDC, Alice is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Biomedical Sciences. Her research focuses on pain neurophysiology, and she is a lecturer of neurophysiology at Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières since 2018.
Alice is driven by a deep-seated commitment to making scientific knowledge accessible to the broader public.
After a long struggle with her new reality of living with chronic pain as a young adult, Alvine realized the very first step to finding peace and a possibly long-lasting solution to her pain was acceptance. The moment she accepted this, she made up her mind not to shrink or give in. Rather, to adjust, adapt, learn, grow, and possibly be the reason someone sees HOPE in their own situation. Thanks to her interest in volunteering for studies, surveys and interviews on chronic pain, she came to know about Pain BC, Pain Canada, Power Over Pain Portal, Chronic Pain Network and others. Today, she is pleased to be a member of the Lived Experience Advisory Committee (LEAC) with the Power Over Pain Network, a co-facilitator with the People in Pain Network, a new member of the Steering Committee for Pain Canada's Putting The Pieces Together (PTPT) Conference, and also sits on the Chronic Pain Network’s Training and Capacity Building Committee. Alvine does not let her pain define who she is.
Maripier used to be a Registred Nurse after graduating from Université Laval in 2005. She has been on disability leave since 2015 for chronic pain to her arms mainly and is also a full time mom of two teenagers with special needs. Since the pandemic, she started working with AQDC.
Chronic pain, illness, and disability are experiences that can lead us to feeling disconnected from our bodies, but that doesn’t necessarily have to be the only outcome. Our bodies are inherent sources of wisdom and creativity. When we learn to listen closely, honour our realities, and prioritize self-compassion and self-expression, we may find that it is possible to hold two truths simultaneously: that we can experience persistent pain AND we can also find intentional ways to cultivate presence, connection and joy.
Join us for an adaptive yoga session for all bodies and levels of experience. Together we’ll explore a gentle movement practice designed to support you in finding safe, supportive ways to experience self-connection. You are invited to participate to whatever degree is most suitable and accessible for you - bed, mat, chair, wheelchair - all are welcome!
Katie Blecker (she/her) is a yoga teacher (RYT-500), disability advocate, and visual artist. Her work as a trauma-informed and adaptive yoga facilitator centers supporting folks who live with chronic illness, pain, disability, and chronic stress using tools such as therapeutic-style asana, pranayama, and meditation. As a queer, disabled, and multiply-chronically ill person, Katie’s lived experiences inform her approach to yoga facilitation, wherein she seeks to offer a no-pressure environment that invites you to show up just as you are on any given day. Katie runs her own online yoga studio and leads a weekly class with the Cerebral Palsy Association of BC. She’s also a faculty member in the yoga teacher training programs at The Vancouver School of Healing Arts, offering curricula based on Accessibility in Yoga.
This talk will emphasize the importance of a supportive community, where shared experiences foster compassion and a sense of belonging. By connecting with others who understand your journey, you can cultivate a "tribe" that supports your healing process. In this talk, we'll explore the transformative power of mindfulness tools and strategies in managing chronic pain, particularly focusing on migraine and headache disorders. We'll discuss the evidence supporting the mind-body connection, showing how mindfulness practices can reduce the frequency and intensity of migraine attacks. Finally, we'll include a live mindfulness practice tailored to those living with chronic pain, helping you experience the immediate benefits of these strategies.
Natanya is a multifaceted professional with a rich background in mindfulness, mental health, and community management. Currently, she serves as the Assistant Executive Director of Mindfulness Everyday and Migraine Coach at Natanya Coaching.
Her career is marked by significant roles such as Executive Director at the Mindfulness Council of Canada, Executive Officer at Community and Cultural Connections, Operations Manager at the National Children's and Youth Law Centre, and Manager at Carer Assist.
Natanya's educational journey includes training as a Mindfulness-Based Chronic Pain Management Facilitator, a Coach Leadership accreditation with CTI, and a Graduate Certificate in Management from UTS, Sydney. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, Psychology, and Administration from the University of Canberra and has completed Crisis Counselling with Lifeline Australia.