Who is Amber Kyliuk?
Hello and welcome! If you are wondering how to pronounce my last name… Think good luck, bad luck, Kyliuk. ;)
I’ve been living with persistent back pain since 2012. The ironic part was that when my back pain started I was a yoga teacher teaching Yoga 4 Backs! I was helping other people with their back pain, but I couldn’t for the life of me get rid of my pain.
I remember asking my teacher, Gert van Leeuwen, about this and he sent me the book: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk (2015). Today I recognize that this is an amazing book to help you understand the bigger picture of pain, however at the time (and I fully understand when clients I work with are not ready for this yet either) it was too intense for me to read. I just couldn’t understand how it related to me.
Now I know. Oh boy, do I know.
Luckily, I had a very wise friend, Laura, who pointed me in the direction of Explain Pain (2013, but I didn’t read it until 2016). This suited my Kinesiologist brain and was the first solid stepping stone on to my path back to wellness.
My next step was working with the app: Curable. I highly recommend this app! This took me step by step toward understanding what I wasn’t ready for when I was given the first book: The Body Keeps the Score.
Now I wanted to learn more, and it wasn’t just me that I wanted to help. So I joined a Pain Mentorship program with Cor-Kinetic in 2019. So much to learn!
Then in 2022 I read The Way Out by Alan Gordon & Alon Ziv. This book resonated with me so much that in 2023 I completed my Pain Reprocessing Therapy Certification.
I am committed to learning, and there is so much to learn. In the fall of 2024, I was fortunate to attend the Pain Science in Practice course with Lorimer Moseley. Apart from it being an amazing 2 day course, I knew at least 85% of the content already!
Pain is complex, and everyone who lives with daily pain has a unique journey. For me, this means that thinking in a box isn’t very effective. I feel that I have a solid background with enough tools in my belt now to create individual paths for each person that I work with.
So now what? Well, you are reading this, so congratulations on taking this big step forward!
But the reality is…
Millions (675 million +) are suffering from persistent pain.
The majority are still getting old, outdated, and bad advice.
Most are still convinced that their bodies are broken, worn out, with only pain in their future thinking the ONLY way out is a major surgery. And even here, I’ve worked with many who don’t believe the surgery will even help.
Looking at your pain from this big picture lens does require an open mind. IF this isn’t you, I completely understand. If you are willing to step forward with me there will be positive outcomes.
We all believe that our pain is so unique that no one can understand. That is why I start where you are, and we build from there.
Imagine, even if 50% of your pain levels are structural, that means 50% of your pain experience can be adjusted by learning. Is it worth learning a little and reducing your pain by 50%? I truly believe it is.
Here I am today, living life and enjoying the activities that I love (even though I’ve had a Dr. tell me to stop doing them). Mountain biking, road cycling, skiing, hiking, strength training, and playing outdoors!
I am not pain free, I do have a couple of advanced structural issues. But I know a few things that keep me in a healthy place and it feels amazing to be pain free most of my days, and when I do experience more sensations, it is not something I panic about, which in turn helps to control the levels of discomfort.
Why subscribe?
First, learning about pain, how it is supposed to protect, but ends up becoming one of those overprotective mothers… This learning has shown a direct line to being able to reduce, even eliminate your pain.
But the caveat here, you need to start with an open mind. IT isn’t easy, even for me at the beginning!
Then we build on that. All depending on where you are, what your goals are, where your obstacles are, and more.
I’ve been committed to helping people with pain for many years now and I know that many are not only geographically challenged by living in rural areas, but many are also challenged financially. Living with chronic pain often leads to taking time off work and that, in and of itself is mentally draining.
So, if you’d like to learn more, have access to bi-weekly Q&A with Amber, access to over 20 classes (always more loading), and more; think of subscribing. For $7/month (or less if you snag a yearly membership) you are helping support my goal of helping not only you, but more like you who are living with daily, exhausting pain.
Can’t afford anything right now? Head to the link below and start with the 5 Day Program: Change Your Pain. No cost. 20 min a day.
Pain is complex, even if 50% of your pain is changeable with learning more, just think, by this time next week you could have 50% less pain. That sounds pretty good doesn’t it?
You are not alone
Join a community of people who share the experience of living with daily pain, find the support.
(To find out more about the company that provides the tech for this newsletter, visit Substack.com.)
