Committing to Balance
An evidence-based course for vestibular warriors to tame dizziness, kick anxiety, and take back control of your life.
Can you relate?
You are sick and tired of visiting countless doctors trying to find the right diagnosis to move you forward on your healing journey.
You desperately want to return to the things that are most important to you in your life.
You’re ready to take back control and stop letting the dizziness define you.
You want to move past the anticipatory anxiety of the next vertigo attack.
You yearn for a step-by-step, research-backed guide that will help you overcome the dizzy-anxious-dizzy cycle from the comfort of your home that doesn’t involve expensive therapies.
Most of all, you’re ready to enjoy life again - go to the grocery store, exercise, spend time with friends, and go on that vacation you’ve been avoiding out of fear that symptoms might arise.
Lifetime access to all of the behavioral health education and skills scientifically-proven to help vestibular warriors
Unlimited access to Dr. Kostelnik in the private course forum
12 downloadable meditations to take with you on-the-go (no wifi necessary!)
Handout: Kick-start healing using the vagus nerve
Handout: Exercise and the brain
Handout: Relax Your Entire Body in 10 Seconds (using classical conditioning!)
I'm Dr. Emily Kostelnik - Clinical Health Psychologist and vestibular warrior. In 2017, I was diagnosed with SCDS, underwent two surgical repairs, and subsequently developed BPPV. After the birth of my son, I developed chronic VM and PPPD.
I have seen countless conventional and functional doctors, tried many medications that gave me terrible side effects, and participated in psychotherapy with providers who knew nothing about vestibular disorders.
After making a million mistakes along the way that caused unnecessary setbacks, I have streamlined the healing process and I would love to share it with you.
I now live with very minimal dizziness and anxiety. I am a multi-business owner, mom to a toddler, and military spouse. I am thriving!
I teach other vestibular warriors how to thrive in their lives, too!
Reviews
"I believe all patients with vestibular issues should be referred to her course"
Dr. Kostelnik has broken down the best research and treatment techniques into practical and realistic changes you make today. Having personally been through the challenges of vestibular illness, she truly ‘gets it’ and has developed an excellent resource that will improve quality of life for patients with vestibular disorders. I believe all patients with vestibular issues should be referred to her course as a meaningful addition to their medical treatment.
"It really is so helpful and educational!"
Committing to Balance is such an excellent resource for anyone with vestibular dysfunction. The course gives you concrete skills to improve your confidence, helps to decrease anxiety, and dives deeply into why vestibular dysfunction impacts your emotions and psyche. I have referred many patients to this course, and will continue to throughout my practice - it really is so helpful and educational!
"Grateful"
These tools have definitely been helpful. I recently had a set back and was able to handle symptoms much better using the skills I have learned here. Grateful.
"This course makes you relax and become less anxious"
I seriously recommend this to everybody who has vestibular problems, this course makes you relax and become less anxious. I'm glad I took this course!
"Super helpful!"
“Super helpful! Don't put off taking this course because you think you need to feel good enough or there is not enough time. I was symptomatic on both days that I worked on the course and I felt so much better afterwards. It was super helpful!”
"Amazing Course!"
"I truly loved this course"
As someone that has suffered from vestibular issues for years, I found this course to be extremely beneficial. I love the fact that the techniques/skills that I learned are downloadable to my phone so I can have them anytime that I need to practice or use during a flare up.
"A powerful resource for the vestibular community"
I am thrilled to have found this course, taught by a fellow vestie with first-hand insight into the common issues that we face daily. The topics were carefully thought out and incredibly informative and insightful. It gave me the confidence to work on establishing new, healthier behaviors as part of my healing toolkit.
Dr. Emily and her service are a breath of fresh air to vestibular rehab.
Dr. Emily and her service are a breath of fresh air to vestibular rehab. For too long we have noted the mental health component as being critical to full recovery, but done little to get our patients access to it. Dr. Emily's programs have changed that. Patients can get top notch information on the mental health implications of vestibular issues, with actionable steps to make a difference. It helps them and makes my job a ton easier. I recommend her courses to any patient struggling with the mental strain of being dizzy.
Course: Committing to Balance
This is an excellent course I am learning so much. I truly enjoy the format and the text. The meditation module four is soothing as well as a comfortable experience.
How it works
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As soon as you enroll, you'll receive access to the course, paced for you week-by-week so that you will optimally benefit from the exercises
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You will have immediate access to Dr. Kostelnik in the private course forum to help guide you along the way and as you cross the finish line.
You have permission...
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to want an enjoyable life.
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to stop fearing vertigo attacks.
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to spend time with friends and travel.
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to break the vicious dizzy-anxious-dizzy cycle.
Module 1: Welcome and Program Overview
1) Course structure including a weekly checklist, 2) what to expect during the course, 3) prevalence of vestibular disorders, and 4) cultivating hope about your ability to recover.
Module 2: Seeking Medical Diagnosis and Treatment
1) How to find the right expert for diagnosis, 2) how to track symptoms to aid in your diagnosis, 3) how to get in to see the top specialists more quickly, and 4) how to navigate health insurance.
Module 3: Balancing Your Nervous System
1) What the nervous system is and why it's the first target for vestibular disorders, 2) why parasympathetic activation will be your best friend in healing, 3) how to engage the parasympathetic system using evidence-based exercises, and 4) what the vagus nerve is and how to utilize it to your advantage.
Module 4: Breaking Through Mental Health Barriers
1) Why anxiety and depression are so common with vestibular disorders, 2) factors that make you more likely to experience your vestibular symptoms as severe (hint: you can treat these!), 3) the Cognitive Model that underlies all of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and 4) evidence-based CBT exercises to do at home to stop those negative thoughts in their tracks.
Module 5: Approaching Your Vestibular Symptoms in a New Way
1) Why you're still feeling stuck in your symptoms, 2) six areas to target to gain freedom from symptoms, 3) evidence-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) exercises at home, and 4) what is most important to YOU in your life.
Module 6: Rewiring Your Brain
1) What neuroplasticity is, 2) how to use it to your advantage, 3) how your brain can structurally change using specific CBT, ACT, and other exercises, and 4) evidence-based exercises to complete at home to promote positive plasticity
Module 7: Optimizing Cognitive Health
1) Why your vestibular symptoms impact cognition (think: brain fog!), 2) What areas of thinking are impacted by vestibular symptoms, 3) how gut health impacts cognition, and 4) one HUGE factor that you can address to improve brain fog
Module 8: Improving Sleep Quality
1) How vestibular symptoms impact sleep (and vice-versa), 2) One sleep-related factor that actually damages the inner ear (it's treatable!), 3) evidence-based exercises for sleep health (nope, not more medication), and 4) how to create the best sleep environment to promote restful sleep.
Module 9: Building Your Support Network
1) How social support relates to vestibular patient outcomes, 2) how to best utilize your support network, including Facebook support groups, 3) pitfalls to avoid that can make you feel worse, and 4) one thing you're probably not focusing on right now that can help you to feel better.
Module 10: Advancing Your Journey
1) Putting all the course pieces together, 2) how to maintain your gains after you finish the course, 3) what other providers might be helpful for you to see as adjunctive treatment, and 4) how to find those other providers.
You're the perfect fit if...
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You wake up dreading the day because of your symptoms
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You're dying to regain confidence to drive, go grocery shopping, spend time with friends, and travel
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You would give anything to stop obsessing about symptoms 24/7
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You're desperate to stop fearing your next attack
Frequently Asked Questions
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What vestibular diagnoses might benefit from this course?
This course will benefit anyone who experiences chronic dizziness, imbalance, or vertigo (3+ months) with medical clearance from your physician. This includes both primary and secondary vestibular concerns. It is also appropriate for individuals with episodic vestibular symptoms that negatively impact mood or anxiety and cause functional impairment. Primary diagnoses include: Vestibular Migraine (VM), Persistent Postural Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD), Meniere’s Disease (MD), Vestibular Damage or Loss (e.g. Vestibular Neuritis/Labyrinthitis), Superior Canal Dehiscence Syndrome (SCDS), Chronic Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), Acoustic Neuroma/Vestibular Schwannoma , Mal de Debarquement Syndrome (MdDS), Somatic Symptom Disorder with dizziness as the primary concern. Vestibular symptoms secondary to the following: Concussion/Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Neck pain (e.g., Cervicogenic Dizziness), Cardiac Dysfunction, Diabetes, surgery, autoimmunity, aging, stroke.
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I am a provider, should I take this course?
Absolutely! Patient education is an important and empowering intervention. You will learn the latest science on behavioral health interventions for chronic vestibular symptoms as well as resources to provide patients. Moreover, there is growing evidence on historical risk factors that contribute to the experience of more severe vestibular symptoms; many of these factors can be treated. This course will teach you some important areas to screen and make appropriate referrals accordingly.
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Can you explain your qualifications?
Sure! Clinical Psychologists are experts in human behavior. This captures everything from how to best use exercise, sleep, thinking patterns (among many others), to optimize health. I'm trained as a Clinical Psychologist and then pursued specialized training in health behavior change and the interplay between medical and psychological illness. Becoming a Clinical Psychologist typically requires 10+ years of higher education (bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, doctoral degree, and postdoctoral training). Clinical Psychologists are trained both to produce and critically evaluate research, work directly with patients, and in some cases, teach in higher education. With her specific professional expertise and personal patient experience, I'm well-equipped to provide the highest level of evidence-based education about various behavioral issues related to vestibular recovery.
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I'm seeing a therapist, can I still benefit?
Yes! Seeing a therapist alongside this course is perfectly appropriate to address individual aspects of mental health issues, as well as to tailor treatment to your needs. However, I have expertise in behavioral aspects of vestibular concerns that you are unlikely to find in a therapist in your community. Thus, this course will provide you with information that few therapists are equipped to provide.
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What does evidence-based mean?
This course is based only in medical and behavioral health education with research to back it. This means that I provide you with state-of-the-art information found in peer-reviewed medical journals that has been empirically proven to help individuals similar to you.
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Can I schedule individual therapy with Dr. Kostelnik?
Check back in Summer 2022!
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Do you offer refunds?
Due to the digital nature and all the high level support you’ll receive from me, refunds are not offered. If you feel there may be a reason you won’t see results, I would love to troubleshoot them with you.
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How can I contact you with more questions?
Please email [email protected]