Check out For Grace's August Story of the Month as we feature a speaker at our upcoming 11th Annual Women In Pain Conference that will probe the connection between trauma and chronic pain! Author Diana Whitney was diagnosed with Interstitial Cystisis in 2003 after a year of excruciating pelvic pain.  She enlisted the assistance of bodyworkers and holistic healers who explored previous pelvic-region trauma as her pain's root. Now pain-free, Diana is "determined to be honest and open, to model self-love and resilience, and to see myself as a survivor, not a victim."

For Grace's 11th Annual Women In Pain Conference, that will probe the connection between trauma and chronic pain, is slated for November 17th. 2023. This virtual event will bring together leading experts who will discuss the basics of trauma, illuminate how trauma is a leading indicator for persistent pain,  share effective trauma release methods, and tout the process and power of post-traumatic growth. Please check back at forgrace.org as details develop for this first-of-its-kind day, one that will bring to light an essential piece of the chronic pain experience puzzle.

Check out For Grace founder Cynthia Toussaint’s latest column on Pain News Network. Cynthia takes a deep look at the recent Netflix documentary, “Take Care of Maya”, and how so much of this eye-opening exposé pierced her heart. The deepest cut was Maya’s mother’s Herculean, yet ultimately tragic, effort to save her daughter. Cynthia recalls her own mother's decent into a chronic pain nightmare - and how that intersection between chaos and heartbreak almost cost them everything. Link HERE to read "Take Care of Maya: The High Cost of a Mother's Love."  

22 years ago, the landmark report "The Girl Who Cried Pain" spotlighted the gender bias toward women in the treatment of their pain and was a catalyst for expanding the mission at For Grace. A  recent follow-up to that report, "The Woman Who Cried Pain: Do Sex-Based Disparities Still Exist in the Experience and Treatment of Pain?" took a retrospective look at how much better, if at all, women in pain are faring. The report concluded, that while some progress has been made, there remains a significant shortage in research about how and why men and women experience pain differently and that there is a nagging implicit bias among healthcare professionals that impedes equitable pain care. For Grace founder Cynthia Toussaint was a key advisor on the report.