Mandy was diagnosed with severe scoliosis (a “S” shaped curved spine) aged 11. Four years, two spinal surgeries, a brace and some daggy corrective footwear later, she had a straight spine but for the next 30 years, has lived with chronic back pain. Attending a 3-week intensive pain management course in 2009 enabled her to come off all medications and start self-managing her pain. Now, while not without pain, she has an arsenal of techniques at her disposal and is closely in tune with her body and mind. She has recently completed a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher training with the Mindfulness Training Institute of Australia because she knows, through experience, how much a difference daily mindfulness has made in her pain journey. Mandy is passionate to share her experiences in the hope it will provide others suffering with chronic pain some hope and inspiration to take action. She has been sharing her experiences about self-managing chronic pain and being mindful for the past 10 years. Mandy has a PhD in Environmental Science, is writing her first novel in her spare time and lives in the foothills of the Dandenong’s with her family.
