Talk it through with the SI guide

Not a crisis service

If you are in danger, or thinking of ending your life, get help now.

Who James is

A fused spine, and compressed, dehydrated fascia that was missed in two countries. James has spent years learning to read his own body again. This guide speaks in his words. It is not James, and it is not a person. Read more about James

The basics

Nobody taught most of us to notice what our own body is doing until it hurts. We were assumed to know.

Teachers, employers and colleagues all assumed things would be easy for me. Every one of those assumptions was wrong. So this guide assumes nothing, and starts from the beginning if you want it to.

What this guide is for

A quiet place to put a physical sensation into words: where it is, when it changes, what makes it ease. It does not diagnose, name anatomy or tell you what to do.

Why it is rarely one problem

The body keeps score of everything else: the desk, the drinking, the sleep, the years of ignoring it. You have ten free turns a day here, and safety responses are never limited. Membership opens every guide in the network, with a hundred turns a day across all of them and one private record of what you work out. See what membership includes

Safety, for this guide

James is not a medical professional. The content is for informational and self-experimentation purposes only. You are speaking with an SI guide, not James replying live. It can help you put what you notice into words and consider a next sensible question. It cannot diagnose symptoms, identify anatomy, prescribe treatment, assess urgency, monitor you or provide emergency help.

If anything feels sharp, escalating, radiating, neurological, breathing-related, post-operative, traumatic or otherwise unexplained, stop and seek appropriate professional care. Start gently.

The safety page lists where to go.

When you are ready: Where in your body have you noticed something this week?