Treatment for Chronic Pain

Chronic pain in back and neck

“The pain is not in your head, but the solution is not in your body”, Nicole Sachs, LCSW

After watching helplessly for years as some clients - as well as myself - suffer with increasingly debilitating chronic pain, I was excited to learn of a session being offered at the annual FMHCA conference on this topic. The session introduced me to the theory of Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT).

After the conference I began a study of PRT, beginning with books and videos by pioneering mind-body pain researcher, Dr John Sarno, including "The Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain" and "Mind Over Back Pain: A Radically New Approach to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Back Pain". While I found Dr Sarno's research fascinating, I was frustrated that his books assumed the reader was a White, middle-class male, while female patients or associates were assumed to be their wives who were all homemakers. There were few references to the impact of childhood or generational trauma as a source of symptoms, and no mention at all of systematic racism, sexism, anti-LGBTQ bias. or other biases that are common contributors to chronic stress.

For these reasons, while Dr Sarno's work was a great starting place for my research, I will be seeking other sources of education and training for treatment of chronic pain. It is my hope that in the near future I will begin to be able to help my clients - and myself - along a journey of healing and recovery from chronic pain.

UPDATE 04/19/2026: I have been attending a course on Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) based on the research of Alan Gordon, LCSW, Director of the Pain Psychology Center. If you are interested in looking into PRT yourself, Alan Gordon offers free lessons for the public on his Pain Recovery Program https://www.tmswiki.org/forum/painrecovery/.

I have been finding the study of PRT beneficial. I first attended a conference session on PRT because I wanted to help my clients who are suffering. I hadn’t even imagined I would be helping myself and am very pleased at the progress I am making in reducing my own chronic pain.

The mind is a fascinating place. The science of neuroplasticity is offering us incredible new possibilities for befriending our own bodies. Reducing or eliminating chronic pain without pills, injections, or surgery is a study that is well-worth pursuing. Join me on this exciting journey!

Schedule a session with Lina: https://lina-lewis-arevalo.clientsecure.me