17: The Getting Real with Hilary Show with Hilary Burns - Episode 1717: The Getting Real with Hilary Show with Hilary Burns - Episode 17
UK Health Radio Podcast
Hilary Burns talks with educator and therapist Eileen Kopsaftis about her journey through abuse, single motherhood and advanced training in movement and pain relief. The conversation focuses on healing triggers, treating the body as a whole and finding practical ways to ease chronic pain.
39:41•5 Sept 2026
Treating the Whole Person: Eileen Kopsaftis on Trauma, Movement and Pain Relief
Episode Overview
- Sharing trauma stories in a safe, loving space can reduce shame and help people realise they are not defined by their past.
- Triggers like sounds, smells or places often link back to traumatic experiences, but the emotional charge around them can be reduced through healing.
- Chronic joint pain is frequently caused by dysfunction elsewhere in the body, not just in the painful area.
- Movement training that feels safe to the brain, using pain-free modifications, can support natural healing and improve function.
- Effective help comes from practitioners who see the person as a whole, listen carefully and adjust their approach to individual needs.
“You’re a whole body. You’re not a body part. Everything is connected.”
How do people find hope in the darkest times? This conversation on the UK Health Radio Podcast brings together host Hilary Burns and movement and nutrition educator Eileen Kopsaftis for a deep, no-nonsense chat about trauma, chronic pain and whole-person healing. You’ll hear Eileen share a childhood marked by constant moving, sexual abuse from family members, and a household full of rage.
She talks frankly about leading a long-running support group for abused women, explaining how “you’re not your past, you’re not your trauma” and how sharing stories in a safe, loving space can strip away shame and triggers that feel overwhelming. The episode also shifts into her professional journey: single mum at 30, working multiple jobs, clawing her way through college to qualify as a physical therapist.
From there, Eileen immersed herself in manual therapies and advanced biomechanics, eventually completing a demanding fellowship in applied functional science. Her message is clear: chronic knee, shoulder and back pain often isn’t about the aching joint itself but about other parts of the body that aren’t doing their job. As she puts it, “you’re a whole body, you’re not a body part. Everything is connected.” For anyone living with pain, her approach is refreshing.
She describes movement programmes designed to make the brain feel safe rather than under threat, aiming for “no potential harm, only potential benefit.” She also calls out how many people spend thousands chasing pain relief while being treated like a single body part instead of a whole person.
If you’re tired of being told to just live with pain or feel defined by your past, this candid episode may give you fresh questions to ask and a different way of seeing yourself. What if your story and your symptoms don’t have to be the end of the road?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.