"What if this never gets better?"
It is widely known that many psychotherapists specialize in areas that are significant to them due to their personal experiences. Supporting individuals with chronic health conditions and chronic pain is an important part of my practice, because I can truly understand what my clients are going through. Living with various chronic health conditions and many years of chronic pain has taught me more than I can possibly explain in a blog post. So I will just provide one example.
Lower back pain ruled my life for over a decade. The pain was present through both of my pregnancies, through my time as a teacher, through graduate school, through everything. I spent a lot of that time terrified. Thoughts of whether the pain would ever get better. Fear of not being able to play with my children. Fear that if I moved the wrong way, my back would go out. I saw many doctors, saw that I had herniated and discs and arthritis. It consumed me. I spent more hours than I can count in a recliner, with a heating pad on my back, worried that if I didn't everything would get worse.
After my daughter was born, I went through a fairly unexplainable period of time where the pain disappeared. I took that opportunity to begin exercising, and made a commitment to myself that I wouldn't let a twinge of pain or an uncomfortable feeling stop me from moving my body. The pains came, maybe not as strong as they once were, but they came. I kept moving. I kept reminding myself that I was okay. That I was safe. That movement was not the enemy.
Through my own experience, I began to research more about chronic pain and the brain's connection to pain. As I began to work with more and more clients who struggled with chronic pain, I realized that there was one major similarity between all of those client; an undeniably high level of anxiety and fear surrounding the pain they were experiencing.
Fast forward to a few months ago. I realized that I wanted to learn even more, and came across a certification that fit perfectly. Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) is an evidence-based talk therapy that retrains the neural pathways in the brain to recognize painful or uncomfortable sensations as safe. The research was astonishing. I decided to sign up for the course and I completed my certification. In just the short time that I have been using PRT, I have seen changes in my clients that are truly remarkable. I am so grateful to have found PRT (which I now use on myself when the pain starts to creep in). You see, not only was movement not the enemy, it was actually part of the solution. Movement reminds your brain that your body works, that it deserves to move, and that it is safe to move.
My goal is to share PRT with as many chronic pain sufferers as I can. If you would like to learn more please join me for an information Webinar, which will take place on March 15th @ 7pm. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/QSdDVC3_RTqqfCIL6YTGJg
If you can't make it but would like the recorded Webinar please visit my website to provide your name and email address. If you would like to set up a consultation call for individual therapy please fill out the contact form which is also located on the home page of my website: lisaafflittolcsw.com
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