TUESDAYS JANUARY 9TH — MARCH 19TH 2024
Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and anxiety symptoms are often a two-way street. That is, you can become nervous about your experience of GI symptoms, and, conversely, stress and anxiety can create and worsen GI symptoms.
THIS COMBINATION OF IBS AND ANXIETY CAN HIJACK LIVES.
You become afraid of experiencing GI discomfort and how it may affect your day, so you do all kinds of things to prevent it. For example, having a rigid morning routine, avoiding (likely lots) of foods, turning down invitations, canceling plans, avoiding the subway or declining to ride with others, always knowing where the bathroom is, and always carrying Imodium, to name a few.
But … our bodies in general, and our GI and bowel function specifically, are unpredictable. And, as much as you try to control all of the moving parts of a full life, all you really do with these patterns of behavior is create stress and anxiety for yourself (which ironically can make your GI symptoms worse! the exact thing you’re trying to prevent!) … and a small, risk-free, unsatisfying life.
That’s where Gut Feelings comes in …
INTRODUCING GUT FEELINGS
The purpose of “Gut Feelings,” a 10-module group coaching program, is to teach you how to go from feeling worried and stressed about your IBS symptoms, to empowered in your ability to confidently manage such symptoms and create your own calm.
By the end of this program, you will have begun to:
Discover the unique landscape of your own symptom patterns – how your triggers, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors fit into your own specific experiences of the combination of GI symptoms and of stress and worry
Identify how your own thoughts and behaviors play a part in your experience of stress and worry and regarding your GI symptoms … and what to do about them
Learn how to harness the power of mindfulness and visualization to place your attention where you’d like it to be, interrupting racing thoughts and all that planning and prevention for ‘what ifs’ that never happen
Practice skills and strategies to meet your mood and create your own calm
Challenge your efforts to control the uncontrollable that are keeping you stuck
Please note: this program cannot be appropriate for everyone. Please consider that this program will not be beneficial, and may even be counterproductive, for those experiencing:
- Inflammatory Bowel Diseases including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
- severe panic attacks or severe, debilitating anxiety
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- other severe mental health conditions including but not limited to severe depression, active suicidality or self-harming behaviors, eating disorders, and active symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Hello
MEET YOUR GUIDE
I’m Dr. Julia King. I’m a psychologist and a yoga teacher with an integrated mind-body approach to helping others remove the limits anxiety has placed on their lives.
I have an action-oriented, practical, skills-based approach. I provide education, which helps my clients to understand how their thoughts and behavior affect how they feel, and therefore why they feel the way they do.
Then, we can use that information to feel empowered. We feel less afraid — and more equipped to tackle challenges in our way — when we understand what is going on.
And, the tools and strategies I’ll provide for you in this program, to practice in the day-to-day reality of life, allow you to develop skills and confidence, so you can begin to believe you are strong enough for anything, and to achieve your biggest dreams.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
10 Live Group Coaching Sessions
You’ll have opportunities to discuss and explore the material in this program over the course of 10 group coaching sessions with Dr. King via Zoom. In these sessions, Dr. King will provide a wealth of information and serve as your guide through the program. You’ll have opportunities to ask questions, to get clarification, to receive additional education, strategies and next steps, to talk through your efforts to practice it, and to benefit from others’ stories and experiences as they walk the same path.
And, if you can’t attend live, you’ll have an opportunity to submit questions beforehand and the session will be recorded and made available for you to review it when it’s convenient for you.
Group Coaching Sessions:
- Tuesdays from 7 – 8:00pm EST from January 9 – March 19, 2024
A sidebar about the power of group interventions …
Just in case you’re thinking: “A group?!?! I hate groups!!! I don’t want to meet with a bunch of strangers to talk about my anxiety or my IBS symptoms!!!,” please consider this: Group interventions are an incredibly powerful way to access healing and support.
- It is enormously beneficial to hear other people tell a very similar story to your own. It allows you to no longer feel alone.
- It is incredibly freeing to talk about the things you’ve been hiding or feeling shameful about in a safe and supportive space.
- And, the creativity and energy generated by a group gathered around a shared problem is second to none. You may find that sharing your struggles with other people helps you find solutions you’d never have come up alone.
You’ll be provided with the same education and information on this specific topic that you’d get if you worked with Dr. King individually.
And, yes, there’s a trade-off: rather than working with Dr. King one-on-one, delving into your own individualized history and experience, you’ll be part of something larger than yourself, a rewarding experience of give and take, the opportunity to access and practice your own healing and growth, and to witness - and participate in - the healing and growth of others.
One 30-minute Individual Coaching Session
When you feel it’s appropriate, at any time during the program, you can reach out to Dr. King to schedule your 30-minute individual coaching session. In this session, you’ll have an opportunity to chat one-on-one with Dr. King about your experiences, or pose any questions you may have, and receive individualized guidance and support to personalize what you’ve been learning and practicing from the group sessions.
Office Hours
You’ll also have opportunities to pose additional questions for clarification directly to Dr. King during Office Hours.
Dr. King will be available for Office Hours:
- from 2:00pm to 4:00pm EDT/EST on Fridays from January 9th through March 15th
Correspondence will take place via text or e-mail, or if necessary briefly by phone, during this time block exclusively reserved for Gut Feelings participants.
Hello
FAQ
———
+ Sign me up! How do I register for Gut Feelings?
Because Gut Feelings cannot be appropriate for absolutely everyone, in order to register for the program, you’ll need to schedule an initial discovery – or screening – call with Dr. King.
Simply send her a message to get started! Either e-mail her directly or fill out the Contact form!
+ What are the dates for Gut Feelings?
Gut Feelings will be offered from Tuesday January 9th through Tuesday, March 19th.
+ How many participants will be accepted?
Gut Feelings is mindfully and intentionally limited to 25 participants, to allow for all participants’ questions to be answered and for an appropriate level of support to be provided.
+ Where will the coaching sessions take place?
Gut Feelings is an online coaching program, with all sessions and support being offered online.
However, and unfortunately, the location of the coaching participant matters, and is limited by where Dr. King is legally authorized to practice.
To participate in Gut Feelings, you must reside in:
- one of the states in which Dr. King is licensed: Ohio, Kentucky, New York, and New Jersey; or
- a PSYPACT Participating state, a state where PSYPACT legislation has been both enacted and effective (which, at this time, is, fortunately, overwhelmingly most states!)
+ When will the group coaching sessions take place?
- Tuesdays from 7 – 8:00pm EDT/EST from January 9th – March 19th, 2024
+ How will the group coaching calls be structured?
Coaching sessions will take place live, on video, via Zoom.
Dr. King will be on video. And video is also required for participants. Having your video off prevents you from being able to connect to the larger group, and also discourages other group members from sharing freely and prevents the creation of a safe and supportive space.
Group coaching sessions will typically include a presentation of information on the topic for the week by Dr. King, followed by the opportunity for Q&A and facilitated discussion.
+ What if I can’t attend live?
All sessions will be recorded and made available to all program participants.
+ How do Office Hours work?
Office Hours are, in addition to Group Coaching Sessions, an opportunity to pose questions and obtain clarification from Dr. King.
She will be available for Office Hours:
- from 2:00pm to 4:00pm EDT/EST on Fridays from January 9th through March 15th
Correspondence will take place via text or e-mail, or if necessary briefly by phone, during this time block exclusively reserved for Gut Feelings participants.
+ How much does Gut Feelings cost?
Gut Feelings can be purchased with a one-time payment of $1250. Two- or four- pay options are available as well.
+ Can I get a refund?
Gut Feelings is a closed session, meaning it is limited to only 25 people at a time, such that another participant cannot be added to take your place should you desire to leave the group during the program.
And while this program is a service that is delivered live over the course of 11 weeks, if you’re unable to attend live, the materials and session recordings will be provided to you, allowing you to benefit from the teachings and discussion.
As a result of these factors, once you’ve committed to this program as a participant, a refund is unavailable.
+ Who is Gut Feelings for?
This program is for adults who experience worry, stress, and anxiety about their experience of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, and who have also been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or who experience GI symptoms not attributable to an Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
+ Who is Gut Feelings not appropriate for?
No program can be right for absolutely everyone. And it’s important to note that Gut Feelings is not appropriate for every person struggling with a combination of gastrointestinal and anxiety symptoms.
Please consider that this program will not be beneficial, and may even be counterproductive, for those experiencing:
- Inflammatory Bowel Diseases including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
- severe panic attacks or severe, debilitating anxiety
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- other severe mental health conditions including but not limited to severe depression, active suicidality or self-harming behaviors, eating disorders, and active symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
If you are struggling from these conditions, help from a qualified mental health professional can be found via the Rome Foundation’s Gastropsych directory, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America’s therapist directory or the American Psychological Association’s directory.
+ Is Gut Feelings therapy?
No.
Gut Feelings provides education and facilitation of discussion and the opportunity to ask questions and get clarification. It also provides support through 10 Group Coaching sessions, one individual coaching session, and Office Hours (all as described above).
But, this program does not allow for the development of, or constitute the beginning of, a therapeutic relationship with Dr. King. It further does not involve the diagnosis or treatment of any medical or mental disorders and does not prevent, cure, or treat any mental disorder or medical disease. Further, this program is not a substitute for therapy, counseling, psychoanalysis, medical treatment, substance abuse treatment, or the advice or services of a medical professional.
+ When I enroll in Gut Feelings will I get access to all of the lessons and material immediately?
No. While you’ll receive a welcome e-mail and some additional information about the program upon registration, Gut Feelings will begin on January 9th, 2024, and the curriculum will be rolled out incrementally each week as you progress through the program.
Have a question that wasn’t answered here? Feel free to e-mail Dr. King!
LET'S DO THIS!
Because Gut Feelings cannot be appropriate for absolutely everyone, in order to register for the program, you’ll need to schedule an initial discovery — or screening — call with Dr. King.
Simply send her a message to get started! Either e-mail her directly or fill out the Contact form!
MY BIG WHY FOR MY STUDENTS
Learning and practicing the very lessons I’m going to teach you in Gut Feelings have changed the lives of so many of my clients.
It is truly my honor and privilege to guide my clients in the process of learning, practicing, growing, and thriving, and to see them blow the doors off what they thought was possible in their lives.
I want you to experience this transformation too. I want you to know how it feels to understand why you feel anxious, confidently believe you can handle it, and then, in that very moment, know what to do about it.
For you, I want calm, confident, strength, as well as the openness and freedom that comes from being able to take deep breaths.
You owe it to yourself to give yourself this chance. This chance to try living this life a new way.
It won’t be easy. The only way out is through. You will be invited to voluntarily choose discomfort. I will ask you to challenge thoughts and behaviors you believe are keeping you safe, and that provide a (false) sense of control — and you’ll learn that all they do is keep you trapped.
But you can do this. You need the information, the tools and strategies, and the framework to put it all together — I can give you all of those pieces.
But, there are other things you need, things I cannot give you. You must bring them with you. A willingness to try. The courage to challenge what you think is true and to do things a different way. And, a belief that your life can and will be different — because you will make it so.
Let’s do this thing!
