Managing Anxiety and Chronic Pain Through Movement with DK Ciccone

DK Ciccone and Jesse explore the complicated relationship between physical pain, anxiety, stress, and the stories we tell ourselves about our bodies.

How much movement do you need to feel better? Movement has been part of DK’s life since childhood, but so have anxiety and recurring pain. After years in healthcare management consulting, she chose to leave the demands of corporate life, for the sake of her physical and emotional wellbeing. DK dove into Pilates, training as an instructor in 2018 and continuing an exploration of movement as more than exercise. At Movement Remedies, her business that is now based in Edinburgh, she helps clients navigate chronic pain, reconnect with their body, and make space for the full range of emotions that comes with movement and being human. That philosophy is echoed in her book, You’re Meant to Move.

DK and Jesse explore the complicated relationship between physical pain, anxiety, stress, and the stories we tell ourselves about our bodies. Looking back at childhood trauma, anxiety, diet culture, and years spent in an adversarial relationship with her body eventually changed how DK understood her symptoms. As her mindset, support system, and relationship with movement improved, so did much of her pain.

For the first time, publicly, DK also opens up about her experience with prescription medication. After experiencing panic attacks in 2017 that became near-daily, she was prescribed benzodiazepines and eventually found herself taking a combination of medications that seemed to make her symptoms worse. She has spent the past 18 months addressing a resulting dependence by slowly tapering her dosage and navigating withdrawal with limited clinical support. She speaks to the ways in which healthcare systems, despite a wealth of research and resources, can fall short when mental health, physical symptoms, and medication effects overlap.

Through it all, movement remains DK’s most reliable tool. Rather than chasing a perfect explanation for every symptom she experiences, she now focuses, and encourages clients to focus, more on what makes life feel meaningful. Her approach asks us to question socially dictated goals, notice what our bodies are communicating, and use our values as a decision-making guide. DK offers a reminder that movement does not have to be punishment, performance, or obligation. It can simply be one way back to yourself.

Learn more about DK and Movement Remedies: https://movementremedies.org/