From Diagnosis to Deep Healing – A Story Worth Hear

The Body That Breaks is the Body That Speaks

I want to share something personal with you—something tender, transformative, and now, part of a growing conversation.

In May, I was invited to speak at the Wilderness Wellbeing Retreat in the wild, healing beauty of the Cairngorms. My talk—part story, part soul-sharing—has now been released as a podcast episode, thanks to the brilliant Yaz, founder of Wilderness Wellbeing CIC.

Yaz and I both believe in the power of real stories—especially the ones where things turn out better than expected. Stories where pain births wisdom, and illness opens the door to wholeness.

At 17, I was told, in the most clinical of tones, that my body was attacking itself. Autoimmune iritis, they called it. No cure. No plan. No support.

Just eye drops—and the silence of uncertainty.

But that moment, as devastating as it was, became the turning point. The start of a lifelong pilgrimage into healing, health, and the sacred territory of self-trust. What began as a breakdown became the doorway to a life of deep listening, courageous transformation, and soulful connection with the body I once feared.

In the talk, I shared what I’ve never been able to learn from textbooks or clinics:

🌀 The emotional terrain of autoimmune illness—where shame, perfectionism, and the need to be "good enough" drive our nervous systems into survival mode.

🌀 The gut-brain connection and the critical role of food, rest, and rhythm.

🌀 The shocking emotional symptoms of Graves' Disease, including the now-infamous “Graves’ Rage,” and how it unraveled me—only to reveal what I’d been ignoring for decades.

🌀 The moment I finally understood: my nervous system didn’t need more willpower. It needed safety. It needed gentleness. It needed a new language of care.

🌀 The healing shift that came when I stopped fighting my body and started listening to it. When I stopped seeing myself as broken and started treating myself as sacred.

And perhaps most of all:

🌀 How trauma lives in the body… but so does the wisdom to heal it.

In working with somatics, IEMT, SSP, and spiritual practice, I found my way back—not to who I was before—but to someone wiser, softer, more whole.

Today, I'm in remission. But more importantly, I’m at peace. My eyes, once the battleground of my immune system, are now—according to my optician—“very healthy, considering your complex history.”

I’m proud of that phrase.

Because yes, I have a complex history. And so do many of us. But complexity doesn't mean chaos. It means depth. And if we listen, there's gold to be found in the layers.

✨ The full talk is now live on the Speaking of Suicide Podcast.

You can listen to it [here].

If you're navigating chronic stress, autoimmune illness, or just a feeling of being disconnected from your body, please know: you are not alone. Your symptoms are not betrayals—they are sacred signals.

Your body isn’t broken. It’s brilliant.

This talk is a love letter to everyone who’s ever felt overwhelmed by their health, gaslit by systems, or unheard in their healing. It’s a call back to your own inner authority, your own sacred rhythm.

And if you’re ready to explore your own healing path with support, the doors are now open for Rebalance and Rebuild, my signature group programme beginning 2nd September. We’ll explore rest, regulation, and renewal—together.

Book Online | Emma Toms - The Confident Wellness Coach

Integrated Wellness Coach | IEMT Practitioner | SSP Provider