Updated: Aug 13
A Journey Through Chronic Illness and Healing
For over two decades I’ve helped clients navigate the challenges of chronic pain and illness. Although my training and expertise shape my work, my deepest understanding comes from personal, lived experience - as a survivor.
Living with chronic pain, illness, or fatigue is more than a physical battle. It seeps into your thoughts, emotions, relationships, and sense of self. Often invisible to others, it can leave you feeling isolated and misunderstood, even by those closest to you.
I’m Dr. Rae Sandler Simon: psychologist, mother, wife, athlete, and someone who has faced chronic pain and illness...and emerged stronger. I spent years bedridden, hopeless, and lost. Today, I’m the healthiest, most vibrant version of myself: proof that healing is possible.
My Story: From Survival to Renewal.
Growing up, I was a dedicated athlete and competitive mogul & freestyle skier,, ice skater, and company dancer. My body's abilities were my source of strength and pride. However, underneath my abilities, I carried invisible battles. Years of intense training left lingering injuries, and a series of illnesses drained my energy, caused weight fluctuations, and eroded my confidence and sense of self.
As an adult, I faced profound challenges: fertility struggles, high-risk pregnancies, and life-threatening childbirths that shook me physically and emotionally. Postpartum thyroiditis after my first child progressed to Hashimoto’s disease. After my second pregnancy, I was diagnosed with celiac disease. By 2020, the Epstein-Barr virus brought debilitating exhaustion that wouldn’t lift.
In 2021, relentless pain confined me to bed, making it difficult to walk or use my hands. Top doctors provided diagnosis and medications that didn't feel right. I needed real answers, direction, and my life back.
The Turning Point - Finding Clarity and Hope
In 2022, my body reached a critical point, requiring emergency cervical spinal fusion surgery to preserve my ability to use my arms and legs. The recovery was grueling: three months in a restrictive neck brace tested my body and spirit. Yet, for the first time in years, I found clarity, and with it, hope.
Before surgery, I carried not just pain but fear, exhaustion, and emotional weight. Healing, I realized, required addressing the whole person - mind, body, and spirit. I embraced radical self-compassion, intuitive eating, gentle movement, rest, therapy, and spiritual connection. As a lifelong caregiver, accepting help from my family and community was humbling but transformative, emotional medicine.
In March 2025, a second spinal fusion surgery on my lower back further safeguarded my mobility. This time, I leaned into patience and resilience, fortified by hope. Over the year following my first surgery, I released 75 pounds of body weight, shifting from punitive exercise to mindful movement that built strength and self-respect.
The deepest healing, however, was internal. Through therapy, breathwork, and mindfulness, I processed trauma, grief, and long-held fears, cultivating a kinder relationship with myself. I gave myself permission to rest, let go of burdens, be supported, and rebuild on my terms. I learned that resilience grows in the space between acceptance and evolution.
Today, just four and a half months after my second spinal fusion surgery, I’ve returned to ballet barre, Pilates, and conquered challenging hikes like Hanging Lake and Booth Falls in the Colorado Rockies.
Approaching my 48th year of life, I feel stronger and more alive than ever. I’m free from thyroid disease, rarely drink alcohol, and love my body - not just for its appearance but for its resilience.
My children have their playful, present mother back.
My husband has his partner back.
My relationships are deeper, freed from the shadows of pain.
Why This Matters in Therapy
Your pain is valid, whether or not it mirrors my story. You don’t need to prove your suffering to deserve support.
In my practice, I work with people navigating:
Autoimmune diseases, chronic pain, or medical trauma
Unspoken grief, anxiety, or fear
Fertility or pregnancy loss
Feeling stuck between exhaustion and pressure to push forward
Disconnection from their bodies or loved ones
The silent burden of always being “strong” for others
With deep empathy, lived experience, and mind-body tools, I help clients rebuild physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
What Healing Looks Like
Together, we’ll:
Practice breathwork and nervous system regulation
Explore grief, identity, and resilience
Rebuild trust with your body and relationships
Use mindfulness and movement for emotional balance
Create space for both limitations and limitless possibility
Healing isn’t about pushing harder. It’s about reconnecting with your body, boundaries, joy, and worth.
Let’s Begin...
I offer in-person therapy in Colorado and Hawai‘i, and video telehealth across 35+ PsyPACT states.
I also offer scholarship spots to ensure care is accessible when it matters most.
You don’t have to fight this battle alone.
You're allowed to heal.
You're allowed to thrive.
About Dr. Rae Sandler Simon
Dr. Rae Sandler Simon is a psychologist, mother, dancer, chronic illness survivor, and mind-body therapy specialist. Her practice supports adults and couples navigating pain, illness, identity, and emotional transformation, with locations in Hawai‘i, Colorado, and across PsyPACT states.