Incredible Rapid Healing From Intense Back Pain - SOMA Breath

Hello. Welcome, everybody. This to a very, very special interview. I'm so excited to speak with Jessica Michelle Torna, who is one of our Soma Breath instructors all the way from Miami. But she has such an amazing transformational story using Soma Breath technique. So I want to save it for Jessica to share it all, and let's roll right into this. So, Jessica, tell me a little bit about yourself, what you're doing now, and then let's start digging deep into this amazing story that you shared with me recently.

Okay. I'm an occupational therapist, and I worked with kids with special needs for like, 19 years, but I've always been a holistic healer. And so I'm a Reiki master yoga instructor, and a health and wellness coach, and now a Soma Breath instructor. And I'm super excited because I am so grateful for Soma Breath and this holistic healing that it actually helped me on my holistic journey. About In 2018, I started experiencing low back pain, but sciatica, I started having cramping and numbness in my foot, and it was hard for me to walk, even do my job, but. But I kept going and it just progressively got worse. So I started seeing specialists. At that time, I had seen like three different special spines neurosurgeons, and they did an mri and they found that I had a condition called spondylosis with spondylolthesis and anterior thesis. So basically what it means is I had fracture in the pars that hold L5.

Because it was fractured. It was causing that, this L5 to slip onto S1. They told me that it was very unstable, and the only way of fixing this was through surgery. Hence why I went to get three different opinions. And I started with conservative treatment with physical therapy. But then I started going all in with Reiki and meditation, and it held up for two years. But then back in May of 2021, I started experiencing chronic pain, back pain all the time, and it was just sciatica. I was having to go to the. Even to the bathroom frequently. And then I went to a different spine surgeon who was like the number one in Miami, and he. And they did another mri and it showed now that I had complete fractures on both parts. And the slippage was like, every time I would move 7 millimeters. They told me that my condition is like a worsening condition, that I couldn't even lose function and mobility on my right side, my right leg, my foot.

They told me that apparently I was born with something called bilateral pars defect, that many people have this and they don't even know because unless they have an MRI.

Based on me having two pregnancies and what I do as an occupational therapy, which requires a lot of bending, flexing, lifting, that just. It did it for me. So it was. So they told me, oh, eventually you would have to make the decision because the only way of correcting it is. And then now. Now only that. But I had no cartilage between L5 and S1 because of the slippage. So every time I would flex, rotate, and imagine, I was also doing yoga too.

So doing all the pain.

Like the pain was awful. Like it was. I would compare it to worse than contractions. And the labor, really from labor, my C section, like it was. It was worse than that. But I at that time was already in this awakening process where I was part of Mind Valley and taking mindset. I took Tony Robbins and that was. The UPW changed my mindset and thinking and just like the Reiki and stuff like that. But the pain was really hard. Then in June.

There was a summit. My vanity had a summit. And you actually did a breakout session in there. And I chose your session because I always knew that breathing was so important during my yoga training. But I really didn't get enough of that training. The breathing techniques, I didn't know to how extent that went. Although I was already doing meditation for two years. I also suffered from, like, anxiety and overcome my depression. Anxiety naturally, without meds, using meditation. But I couldn't quiet my mind because I had like a million thoughts going on. So when you did that session, two things happened. One, my pain was no longer. Because the pain was constant. I didn't have a break from a pain. I just tried not to focus and. And I. And also the thoughts. It was like I was like empty, like it will. And then it lingered like the whole day. I didn't have any pain. I didn't have pain the next day. And then I started doing your. Yes, it was truly like, I was really grateful for that session that you did. And I was empowered. And I realized that you had. In the Oman Ivana app, you had like the. All these healing.

Sessions. So I started doing the one that you had on the. The one was healing where you're visualizing the color in an area in your body. And then I would combine that with the Reiki that I do, and it was just amazing. But then that would get me through and it got me through working. I was able to work through because I was always constantly doing that. And I'm like, this is so great, because I could actually do a meditation where I just everything quiet. And at that time I didn't even know the techniques. But then on September 25, I woke up and I started experiencing the worst pain ever. It was excruciating. I am a very strong person, but you could see I was crying and I couldn't even lift. What was scary was my toe. It was hard for me to lift. I was just having sciatica and numbness. I remember that the spine doctor told me, when you can no longer. And my PT told me, when you can no longer lift your foot, that's already nerve damage and it's an emergency. I noticed too that during that week it was hard for me to control going to the bathroom. It was constant. So.

I just went to the emergency room and they did. And then there it just kind of got worse and the pain was awful. They gave me morphine which just dropped my blood pressure because I always had low blood pressure. And it was like awful. And then they told me, look, the only base once this happens, then that means is nerve damage and you can't and it's only going to get worse or if you probably won't be able to lift your foot. So would you be willing to do surgery? And then they called my spine doctor and they got me in on that Monday.

I said yes to it. And yeah, so I said yes and I went. Because, I mean, I'm only 40 years old and I have two kids and I'm like, I can't. And my job, I'm so passionate about helping others. How can I. I went ahead and did it. The surgery was like five hours and I was four hours in recovery. My spine doctor does things differently. He works with a vascular doctor. They cut me up in the front and in the back where my C section was. They cut me up and it took one hour or an hour and a half for him to move all my veins, arteries and any organs that were there to make room for the spinal doctor to put in the spacer to the front. That was a spacer that goes between L5 and S1 and on the back. Then once they did that, another, they closed me up and then they flipped me and then they, they cut me on the back and the nerves were actually free flowing is what they told me. Like there was. Oh, it was all loose. So they, they put everything back, they cleaned it out. They decompress the nerve and they added four titanium screws on the back, did a spinal, a spinal fusion on L5. And then when I woke up. That was the.

Moment where I was like, whoa. I was still kind of half asleep because they gave me Benadryl. And that doctor didn't believe in giving strong medications, which I was okay. But I will tell you that I thought that I've gone through so many obstacles in my life, but I was like, this was awful. I was like, okay, I corrected the problem, but am I going to still have this pain? And that was the first time that I seen my husband get really emotional because since he worked in the hospital, he was able to stay with me. They actually had to pick him out because he was like. He got really emotional because he's never seen me like that. And then I remember being there for. Because I kept saying that I wanted to be turned over to my side because the pain was so bad. That lean on the back. And I literally felt like I wasn't the only thing that they did. I was even intubated. So I remember having the nasal cannula getting oxygen. And I'm like, I didn't even. I was kind of out of it. And then finally, after four hours later, I went up to my room and I asked the nurse to please. He's like, oh, do you want morphine? I'm like, no, I just want my phone. He's like, why do you want your phone? I'm like, because I'm gonna put my. I'm gonna put neura soma breath. And then I put your meditation. Exactly. I hit play. Exactly. 11. 11.

Wow.

And oh, my God, when after that.

I was like, I couldn't believe how great I felt. And I did the Reiki and that and the soma, bro. I couldn't believe how great I felt. Like, tears were coming out. But this time, it wasn't because of pain. It was because I felt relief. And even then, my husband walked back into the room. He's like. He was like, what? You look different. Everything. And I even told the nurse, oh, do you think you could stand me up? And I can walk? He's like, are you crazy? Did you realize what kind of surgery? And it was all, I'm. I know it was because of this breath, because I felt immediate relief without needing those medications. And they, too. I was able to lift my foot so I didn't have nerve damage. So, wow. They got me up and I walked. I don't know how I did it. I just kept doing your soma breath healing meditation. I kept doing it, and I kept visualizing and remembering why I did it, visualizing my. The doctor was very surprised. He actually told me, him and the nurse, the nurse even asked me like, what is it that you do? Because nobody wants to get up, nobody walks, nobody is. Everybody's asking me for pain meds and I'm the one having to ask you, oh, what do you want pain meds? And I'm like, no. And he's like. And I told him, I explained that. He's like, oh my God, maybe I should try this thing like Soma. I'm like, oh, you should, because it's super powerful. And nothing. I just by date, the doctor told me, well, if you continue to do well, then by the third day you can get discharged. And I did. On the, on the day three, I got discharged. And I know that it's all due to the Soma breath meditation that I did. I kept doing it due to the end, the Reiki that I combined it with because when I had my two children, the second one, I had gotten an infection from the C section and, and I was actually nine days in the hospital and I never, at that time, I wasn't doing holistic healing, I wasn't doing breath work, I wasn't doing Reiki, I wasn't doing any of that. And I feel like what. The spinal surgery I had was quadruple worse than what I went through.

Wow.

And I was able to heal fast. And then by the third day, I was discharged, I was home and I just kept, I mean, they gave me prescriptions, you know, like for muscle spasms and another medicine, Percocet set or something. But I'm like, oh, no, I'm not going to take it. Because the doctor would tell me, don't be a hero, you know, just take the meds. But I'm like, no, because it's like I felt like it when I was on it. It just didn't make me feel good.

So what we did is more potent than morphine. It felt.

Yes, exactly.

Wow.

And not only that, but the breath work.

Made me like I was coherent. I wasn't like all drowsy and dizzy. I didn't have any side effects, but really inner peace and bliss and like I felt like more resilient. And I didn't have all those like anxiety or anything like that that a situation like this would bring. And then I, I started walking by 40, 40 minutes, 45 minutes. Well, I will tell you that by the second week I was walking five miles. And when I went to my six week visit to the doctor.

He'S like, oh, I didn't have the Brace. He's like, oh, you don't need, you don't even need the brace. He took another X ray and it showed that I was even growing new bone. I was growing new bone.

Yes.

And my, all my, my wounds were, were healed. Like the, the scar like it was closed completely. Like it's literally just. Yeah. And I attain it to that. And then he's like. When I told him how much miles I was walking, he thought I was crazy. He's like, maybe just slow down a little bit. He goes, I don't even walk five or five miles. But I felt great.

That's incredible. So, so, so let's just recap on the operations. So you had one operation, then you were supposed to have another thing to fit or was that done as well?

That was done all in one time.

It was all done. So that obviously helped.

Yes.

To heal a part of it. But what the breath meditation helped was the recovery, rapid recovery from the surgery. Is that right?

Yes.

The surgery was obviously a good success as well.

Yes, it was because it helped stabilize that broken like bone that obviously got worse. And it helps stabilize the disc.

But it's a great complementary treatment to a surgery like that. Like a very intense surgery. The breath meditations are very complementary, would you say?

Yes, yes, definitely. And not just any. Because I think that Soma breath has all these other things that are different than all the other breathworks that you do that might help, you know, like the techniques of pranayama or breathing techniques you will learn in yoga. But this is so. It just, it like really things.

What's the difference? What's.

Well, I find that when you. The breath retentions, breathing in a rhythm, learning how to breathe correctly. Because they don't really teach you how to like breathe correctly.

Yes.

And just knowing like the science or what really what you're really unlocking inside. I've always loved and been a science based gal, like incorporating different tools or strategies that are. So this was a perfect fit. And I felt like this is what was different. I've never experienced rhythmical breathing in a pattern or breathing correctly. And the breath retention is like. And it was truly amazing. Just like.

And the visualization component, all the visualization.

Definitely. Because I could see it. I was, I was also like, I'm clairvoyance. I see colors and things like that. So that really helped me and I. And I felt like the Reiki helped me too because I got to put it in the areas and you know, where I had needed the healing. And I would imagine everything that My body healing, my cells regenerating. And they even told me that because they stretch the nerve. That would take for a whole year. Like now I can, I can do. I can't bend yet. And I couldn't lift up to 20 pounds.

Okay.

So I've also used when I became a Soma breath instructor because I got inspired back in December, I'm like, I want to help other people because people need to know about this because I've never even heard of it. You know, even my doctor, they didn't. You don't know anything about that. And then I got to do the. The breath it challenge.

Yes.

And that was so amazing because what happens with, with my surgery, I felt like I got more tight, tighter, and I was losing range. So when I use the, the certain yoga poses or certain poses with holding, the breath retention, my body felt so amazing and relief. That's what I love about like someone because it's like it incorporates everything. It's holistic. It incorporates so much. So I'm very blessed, grateful for what you created.

So according to your doctors then you. You recovered significantly faster than what most.

Yes. And even my physical therapist, who's a spying physical therapist. So he. That's his specialty. He says that he's never seen. He goes, you are. I have to tell you, you are one strong woman. I've never seen anybody so determined or so healing so fast. He even discharged me like seven weeks into the pts. Like, you could do this yourself. He goes, you know, you keep doing what you're doing.

Beautiful.

And he had me doing things that the my spine doctor was like, don't do this yet. He's like, please, you could do it. Look at where you. Look at how you are. He goes, you're not. Is not. You're not like the typical case where.

That'S incredible.

That's incredible. So that inspired you to then become a semi ref. Instructor?

Yes, it did.

How's that working out for you?

Oh, my God. I love it because I've been part of other communities and I love the community, but I feel like it's different with the Soma Breath community. It's like, so there's so. You get so much support and education, and you're part of all these great, like, even mastermind classes. And I'm like, I can't. I still can't believe that I'm part of this great community. And you know, we have like a group chat too, of mentors, of instructors, and so everybody's there to support you. And what I've been so impressed about is the. How detailed and educated all the, the modules and everything is in teaching you these techniques. Because one thing is you're learning something, but the other thing is knowing why or the science about it, why it works. And I'm telling you that even like when my daughter got sick recently, I was talking to the nurse and she was telling me how there's a high rise in anxiety. She's even having anxiety and like she sees her breath. So I even kind of educated her and I taught quickly how to do the breathing. She's like, oh my God, this is so amazing. Like, she didn't, she didn't even know about the whole science of it. So I was just shocked about that. But that's what I love about soma. So you get a lot of education, you get a lot of support and it's such a beautiful community. And you know. Yeah, I feel like when, when I do this meditations and in the group, it's amazing how I can. You can actually feel all the heart coherence or the gratitude or like the love. Like it's like a. I don't know how to say, like a force field. Like you know, of. Of.

Yeah. I want to give you the opportunity like as you're a summer breath instructor based in Miami, if you had a message for people.

Your potential clients that you want to help people have been through similar issues like yourself, what would you say?

Yes, you got to. Yes. Know that there, along with western medicine, it's important. But know that there is hope that just because you get a diagnosis, it doesn't mean it's the end. Trust me. I've been able to heal from depression, anxiety, trauma.

The spondylo thesis from back pain, chronic pain, just using my breath Reiki. And it's been incredible. And you can too.

It's super powerful. And if you tried other techniques, all I can tell you is try this one because you'll be, you'll be shocked of how powerful you can, you can feel better in just having one session. And I am doing like the virtual. I opened up to do a virtual Soma Breath meditation awakening classes every Mondays and Wednesdays.

6 to 7pm I'm on, on Eastern time, Miami time. But I also have like a website so they find me on Instagram or Facebook. You can see my, you can see all the information and the SOMA classes that I do, I also do free SOMA breath live on the, the techniques, you know.

Awesome. So we'll have all the information to get a hold of you with your profile page in the description below this video and I can't wait to see all the testimonials that you're going to create next.

Thank you. I can't wait to impact. We have to spread the word and impact the light, love, gratitude and healing.

Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I'm looking forward to doing our big event in in Miami at some point in the future too. And I'm sure you'll be on stage sharing your story there. That'll be fantastic.

Sick. Yeah.

Cool. This is awesome.

Thank you.

All right, well, thank you so much, Jessica.

Thank you. I'm really honored.

Yeah, yeah. Much love and positive energy for the rest of your day. And if you want to check out more info from Jessica, check out the video description and you can also find the information on where to get access to our courses and find instructor near you in that description. All right, much love. Cheers, Jessica.

Bye. Thank you. Namaste.

Nice.