For more than two decades, Stephanie lived with lupus. Diagnosed in 1999, she endured relentless pain that left her exhausted, discouraged, and questioning how she could keep going.

She tried everything from cultural ceremonies, herbal remedies, to supplements just to make it through the next moment. After attending a NCS three-day meditation training designed for the Lakota community, Stephanie set one clear intention during her meditation: no more pain.

The next morning, she woke up with no pain in her body. No medication. No crippling stiffness. No familiar ache she had carried for 26 years.

From that day forward, Stephanie stopped using pain medication. She now calls meditation her medicine, a blessing that restored her ability to walk freely and live fully.

Recorded at the Denver Week-Long Retreat in July, 2025.