The Cure for Chronic Pain with Nicole Sachs, LCSW

REAL TIME HEAL: Long COVID, Fear, and the Nervous System with Marisa Renee Lee

Apr 17, 2026
Guest
Marisa Renee Lee
Marisa Renee Lee, writer and advocate navigating long COVID and grief, shares a personal healing journey. She discusses how fear, control, and nervous system protection shape chronic symptoms. They explore safety in the body, loosening outcome-dependence, and practical journaling and curiosity-based steps to move forward.
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ANECDOTE

Marisa's Long COVID Story Linked To Lifelong Stress

  • Marisa Renee Lee developed long COVID after a difficult year including a COVID booster reaction then catching COVID in April 2024.
  • She links this illness to decades of stress: childhood stomach issues, caring for a sick mother, fertility loss, and recent family traumas.
INSIGHT

Symptoms Are Protective Signals From The Brain

  • Nicole Sachs explains symptoms are protective signals the brain uses to avoid overwhelming emotional threats.
  • Using the broken-ankle analogy she shows the brain hides or reveals pain depending on perceived external safety versus internal repair need.
INSIGHT

Chronic Illness Can Be Felt As False Safety

  • Chronic symptoms often create 'safe in the unsafest way' by protecting us from emotional overwhelm like grief or shame.
  • Nicole argues this loop is common and not a sign of hysteria, but an adaptive nervous-system response.
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