Therapy for chronic pain in Grand Rapids
In-person near Grand Rapids and online in 43 PsyPact states
Chronic pain is exhausting, wearing you down through the immense challenge of coping with even the most basic of tasks each day.
Everything has become a chore, almost too much.
You can’t stop comparing yourself to “normal” people who appear to be living with such ease.
You didn’t expect your life to be interrupted in this way. You feel like you’re fighting for survival, at times fighting your own body and mind. Maybe you’re not even sure sometimes whether you want to survive.
Doctors and therapists haven’t helped, despite all your best efforts, and so you’re searching for something deeper and more effective.
You’ll do whatever it takes to find relief.
My approach to chronic pain and illness is rooted in the highly effective, evidence-based approach of Pain Reprocessing Therapy.
Together, we will be scientists, gathering “data” about your neurological responses to difficult bodily sensations in order to accurately chart new neural pathways to deep and lasting change.
When our brains interpret signals as danger, they respond with pain as an attempt to protect us. You can retrain your brain to be more accurate in assessing danger, teaching it to work with pain more skillfully in order to reduce or even eliminate chronic pain.
Based on the techniques of Pain Reprocessing Therapy, you can find relief from pain.
As one recent client said at the conclusion of treatment, this work is “profound.” Healing happens. Things get better.
It’s your turn now.
What to Expect.
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1. Free Phone Consult
You’re looking for relief, and you need to know I’m the right fit before you can feel comfortable investing in therapy.
We’ll start with a free, no-commitment phone call (lasting about 20 minutes). I want to make sure you feel comfortable talking with me, that you understand my approach to chronic pain therapy, and that I am clear on whether I can help you.
Your questions will be answered and you’ll have a good sense of what I am like to work with.
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2. Intake Session
Once you’ve scheduled your intake appointment, you’ll get an email linking you to the brief intake paperwork, which usually takes about 20 minutes to complete.
In your first session, you’ll fill me in on your experiences and share your goals. You’ll be believed and respected.
You’ll leave with some relief, some new perspectives, and a better idea of what to expect as you begin your healing journey.
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3. Ongoing Sessions
I’ll hold a weekly, 50-minute therapy time for you. Sessions will consist of Pain Reprocessing Therapy and other therapeutic techniques to address any difficult emotions or life situations you are experiencing.
I will collaborate with your other doctors as appropriate.
Therapy will be adapted to your needs as we go along, to ensure you’re making progress toward your goals of reducing pain.
Chronic Pain Therapy FAQs
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Chronic pain is defined as pain that occurs on most or all days for at least three months. Rates of chronic pain in the United States are increasing, impacting approximately 25% of the adult population.
Approximately 8% of the American population reports that their activities are significantly limited as a result of pain. Pain is shown to be the primary reason Americans access health care, as well as the leading cause of disability.
In addition to the physical suffering involved, chronic pain is often tied with the emotional suffering of anxiety and depression.
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Only about 30% of pain patients report that they are receiving adequate pain reduction from treatments. Most doctors receive minimal training in how to conceptualize or relieve chronic pain.
Fortunately, new pathways for relief are becoming available as evolving research is shedding light on the power of the brain-body connection. Chronic pain is increasingly being diagnosed as a distinct disease rather than a symptom of tissue damage. With an evolving understanding of the difference between nociceptive, neuropathic, and nociplastic (or neuropathic) pain, we now understand that fear signals from the brain have a direct impact on the body’s experience of pain.
The most powerful way forward is medical providers and psychologists working together to correctly identify both brain and body elements of the chronic pain experience. This approach is the foundation of effective treatment for chronic pain.
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Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) is the most effective and current approach to treating chronic pain, with recent research demonstrating 98% of participants showing improvement and gain largely maintained at the one year mark.
PRT is process-based, easily adapted to your particular experiences, and it works by actively addressing the following domains.
Cognitive - You will learn to reconceptualize your sensations as false alarms that do not predict damage, based on assessment by your medical providers.
Somatic - You will practice mindfulness exercises that increase your sense of safety, open your mind to experiences beyond your pain, and help you befriend your own body once again.
Behavioral - You will be guided in safely and strategically reengaging with behaviors that you have been avoiding due to your pain.
Emotional - You will explore emotions connected with your painful experiences, decreasing avoidance in order to increase effective coping and positive emotions.
In addition to chronic pain conditions of back and joints, PRT is also shown to be effective for chronic migraines, dizziness, and a variety of idiopathic conditions. In cases of “mixed pain” where there is some known disease or structural damage, PRT can still be helpful in reducing secondary pain related to anxiety, fear, and preoccupation with the body’s sensations.
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The exhaustion of chronic pain can be amplified by the many doctors, tests, procedures, and medical bills involved in trying to understand. You may be wondering if there’s any hope for things ever getting better.
Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) takes into account all of the factors contributing to your pain. Information from your medical providers, whether traditional or naturopathic, can be integrated with the best of psychological science so that your whole experience is honored.
Clients who have had unsuccessful trials of everything from medications to surgeries to diets to TENS units are finding a new kind of relief through Pain Reprocessing Therapy, significantly reducing and sometimes completely eliminating their pain.
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No. Pain is 100% real, always. There is no such thing as imagined pain.
When we start to unpack the brain-body connection, you have my commitment to listen and respond with empathy and compassion as I seek to understand your experience more deeply. While I bring knowledge and certification in PRT, you are the expert on your own experience.
The goal will be to get curious about ways that your brain is interpreting signals from your body as dangerous, which translates into pain. (It turns out that all pain is from the brain.) This will empower you to change your pain by changing your brain. The results of PRT speak for themselves!
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