@dciddio - Thanks so much for your willingness to share and help. By replying directly to my private message, and not on the community platform, only I can see your post. No worries though, I'm going to copy and paste your reply below and tag Kendra "@kendra75" so hopefully she will receive notification of the reply, or if her notifications aren't turned on, will check back in with conversations.

The lay of the land on Connect may be a little confusing at first. There are no mistakes, we all learn as we go. Feel free to ask for guidance if needed once you begin to navigate the site.

Below is your beautiful reply:

Greetings,
I wrote out a long message and somehow lost it so I’ll try again. The message I sent a few days ago has some more background and information.
Rachael asked if I would share how I felt supported at Mayo’s PRC program. I attended in Arizona back in 2018, so things may be different now.

While we didn’t discuss why we were there in detail, I felt close to the other participants. They helped me navigate the first few days and week and said you can actually see the weight lifted on the participants faces as time went on. They were right. The staff was always available to listen.

I was accommodated with some of my needs ( those determined not to be pain behaviors) like not sitting for long periods and standing instead. I brought a foot “ sling” to raise my feet of the ground. I didn’t need either one by the end of the 3 weeks.
The daily affirmations, schedule and goals were great and I had 3 weeks to get into the habit of that- I still utilize both. ( Maybe not daily…)

I believe I cried on my first day or so. Our director helped me to understand it was being really heard and among others who truly understood chronic pain. I felt as if I had “ come home”. And when I went home after the three weeks, I was a changed person.

Also helpful were the regular staff meetings with me to discuss my concerns and progress. I felt very much
“accompanied” in the journey by staff and residents. I was a long way from home, but it didn’t feel like it.

I was able to find accomodations at a local retreat center that provided meals as I needed them. I have stayed in touch with a woman who was also in residence there for a retreat. She loved hearing about all I learned from the lectures each day.

The testing and classroom exercises and lessons helped me to understand my emotional and psychological reactions to pain and conflict and what I needed in those situations. Learning about central sensitization was life changing.
It’s a very comprehensive and thorough program. I can not tell you how many times I have referred back to my notebook and notes since then.

I continue to travel to Mayo for various medical needs. My husband and I often say after my appointments “ Who ARE these people?” They all provide an exceptional level of care- PRC is the same.
I hope this helps. I can answer other questions if needed. 🙂