How do you ask for help? How do you request someone give you their seat on a crowded bus when you’re about to burst into tears because of your pain? What’s the best way of finding a balance between letting people know the physical and emotional issues with which you struggle and staying positive?

You’ve likely been to many doctors who have told you they can’t find the cause of your pain, that it’s all in your head, or that there’s nothing they can do for you. This might come after they’ve suggested various medications that produce horrible side effects but do nothing for pain relief, or perhaps they’ve recommended surgery but the surgery didn’t work.

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It’s one thing for a doctor to suggest you follow a treatment protocol based on the latest research. But it’s a whole other thing for a clinician to recommend an intervention based on over 30 years of knowing what it’s like to personally have pain AND also understand the research. Having juvenile rheumatoid arthritis has allowed me to truly understand what it’s like asking for help, explaining why I can’t participate in certain situations, and why relentlessly searching for answers is necessary. Although I don’t know how you specifically feel, I can empathize with you because I too have dealt with chronic pain.

The conditions in which I specialize fall under the following names:

• Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS)
• Stress Illness Syndrome
• Mind Body Syndrome
• Somatoform Disorder
• Psychophysiological Disorder (PPD)
• Central Sensitization Syndrome (CSS)
• Psychosomatic Disorder
• Functional Disorder

All of these conditions refer to the same phenomena of feeling pain or discomfort yet diagnostic tests show normal functioning. Prolonged stress in the form of challenging relationships, difficulty at work or home, and keeping your feelings to yourself, all impact your physical health.

In my practice, I use advanced mind body techniques to assess the cause of your pain and help you make sense of why you’re feeling the way you are. What you feel is often a symptom but if you chase the symptom you rarely figure out why it’s appearing in the first place. It’s like taking out the batteries in a smoke detector because the beeping annoyed you. If there’s another reason it keeps going off, what happens when there’s a fire?

Just like an iceberg, which is what’s on the surface, the part that sticks out of the water represents your symptoms: that pain or injury, the doubts you’re feeling, or the anxiety or depression you feel as a result of dealing with chronic pain. Those are all symptoms your body’s using to communicate to you. What is not seen is 88% of the iceberg, which is below the surface.

Taking a pill or getting surgery focuses on treating the symptom and might help in the short term, but it won’t address the cause of your pain especially if the pain returns. Talking about your struggles might alleviate your stress but it won’t find the underlying reason that caused it to develop in the first place. By understanding those issues, you can find relief. I help you find the cause.

I would love to learn more about your specific situation and explore how I may be able to help you.