Five Stages of Health Transformation
I have helped all types of patients on their journey to a health transformation.  Each of us has our own unique path.  I have observed Five Stages that people often move through.  These stages have been observed in clients ranging from professional dancers rehabilitating an injury, those trying to lose weight or someone learning to live with a disability they never saw coming. While not everyone falls clearly into each phase, and the duration varies, you will notice yourself and others on this journey to a transformation.Fear
This is the gut-wrenching moment you realize something is wrong. It’s the jolt of pain in your low back you never felt before or your reflection in the mirror realizing your body is way too heavy.  Your gut is telling you something is wrong and help desperately is needed.  If we learned to act at this moment, our road to transformation would be less bumpy and easier.  Our survival instinct hides the problem and society has us primed for the “quick fix.”  Embracing your fear and problem is difficult to accept.  Fear is really the call of help.  The antidote to you quelling your fear is finding the right strategy to help you through to the transformation.Avoidance
Taking the steps to transform your health can take time, money, energy and patience. It can detract from doing fun things such as your sport or seeing friends and family. Denial runs deep and at times seems like the easy way out.  Many stay in this phase for a long time.  Many become stuck here regressing back and forth between fear and avoidance.  Avoidance can last an eternity for some.  We all have friends who have struggled for years with excess weight or complaining about their bad hip and limping endlessly.  Support is what is needed to help them through their avoidance and move onto the next phase.Dedication
With hope, you move swiftly through the first two phases and toward the third phase of dedication.  This is where the journey begins.  You motivate yourself to find help, answers, and information.  Some take to the Internet or books. Others talk to friends who have been through similar experiences.  Many begin the trek of collecting opinions from doctors and therapists on how to treat the problem.  You work through the options and possibilities on strategizing your transformation.Determination
With a plan in place and people to help, you are determined to overcome your obstacles.  For some the process takes weeks; for others, it can take years.  Like people, no two transformations are the same.  They require a mix of blood, sweat, tears, and triumph.  The foundation to this phase is your psychology.  The more fully engaged and positive you are about the process and outcome, the faster you will reach the pinnacle.  The transformation has begun and healing is set in motion.Transformation
People typically don’t have specific goals but they always have a clear vision of the transformation they desire.  Some want to lose 10 pounds, run a marathon pain-free, or learn to walk on a new leg.  Others have psychological or spiritual transformations.  The greatest success stories I have observed are those where the transformation has no end; they are continuous.  Great things are learned from a health transformation, and a new respect is found for the body, mind and healing process.  You become an eternal student of the body you live in.References: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7