Chronic Pain
Are you tired of living in endless cycles of pain?
As a therapist with over a decade of experience in treating chronic pain, I use evidence-based treatments such as Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) to help you regain control over your chronic pain and live a better life.
I began my journey as a clinician as a chronic pain sufferer myself, frustrated with the lack of viable treatments for people with chronic pain. I hated being told that the best I could do is “manage” my pain with sedating medications and expensive, weekly treatments of physical therapy. I tried everything, and I mean everything - to get out of pain. It wasn’t until I saw a therapist, who had knowledge of how the brain could influence my experience of pain signals, that I started to have hope again - mostly because that was the only time I actually started to feel better.
Don’t get me wrong, at first I was skeptical - and thought, “great, another treatment that won’t work and cost me more money” or “well, I have had actual tissue damage and inflammation, so this doesn’t apply to me.” But let me tell you - the brain is powerful - and regardless of what physical changes have happened to the body, the brain can trigger and maintain pain responses for all kinds of reasons, even long after initial tissue damage or injury (or even without injury at all!)
Because I believed in neuroplasticity so much and how it helped me, I wanted to commit my career to helping other people save time, money and the unnecessary suffering that comes with having chronic pain. I have over a decade of training and experience in chronic pain research and therapy, including cutting-edge modalties such as Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), to help you achieve a more pain-free life.
My own story with chronic pain.
What is Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT)?
Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) works to reduce chronic pain using the power of neuroplasticity, by targeting the brain's threat response to pain signals and addressing the psychological and emotional factors that can amplify or perpetuate pain.
How does Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) work?
Chronic Pain + Neuroplasticity Psychoeducation
PRT begins with education about the relationship between neuroplasticity and chronic pain, including the role of the brain in processing pain signals. Together we help you learn that pain is a complex phenomenon that is not only influenced by physical changes in the body but the brain as well.
Cognitive Restructuring
We identify and challenge negative beliefs and thought patterns related to pain, which can lead to more threat. In working towards reframing these beliefs into more neutral or safe ones, this can affect overall pain intensity.
Mindfulness + Acceptance
Mindfulness practices help to adopt a nonjudgmental awareness of pain sensations. By learning to observe pain without resistance or judgment can reduce the sense of threat that pain can create in the brain.
Finding Safety in Gradual Movement
Gradually reintroducing movement in a safe and controlled manner is important for reducing perception of pain as dangerous. In working through exposure to activities they have been avoided due to fear of pain, individuals can build confidence that the body can find safety in certain physical activities.
Emotional Processing
PRT may involve exploring the emotional and psychological factors that contribute to pain, such as past traumas, stress, or unresolved emotions. By addressing these underlying issues using treatments such as Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET), we can reduce the emotional distress associated with pain and experience relief from physical symptoms.
Understanding Parts
Using Internal Family Systems (IFS), we can identify the different "parts" related to the pain experience, such as parts focused on the pain itself, parts trying to avoid it, and critical or judgmental parts. We then work to promote self-compassion towards these parts and access inner resources to help integrate and harmonize them, reducing internal conflicts that can exacerbate chronic pain.
