Chronic pain can cause people to feel hopeless.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) can help people learn skills to manage feelings, thoughts, and perceptions that often exacerbate Chronic Pain. These therapies can increase people's tolerance for distress and improve their lives and daily functioning.
Chronic pain often keeps people from living the lives they want to lead. Pain isn't just physical discomfort, however. Dealing with constant pain - which is often minimized by one’s family, workplace, and even doctors - can leave people feeling angry, frustrated, anxious, isolated and depressed.
Thankfully, decades of research suggests that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help people living with chronic pain to:
improve functioning
increase their quality of life
and reduce pain-related suffering
And more recent scientific research supports the effectiveness of Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) in treating chronic pain, which leads to:
Significant reductions in pain severity
Reduced pain interference
And decrease in psychological distress
How We Use CBT to Help With Chronic Pain
CBT uses an active, problem-solving approach to help people cope with the many challenges associated with chronic pain. In addition, we incorporate therapeutic mindfulness skills, which increase tolerance for physical and mental distress.
Our practitioners help people set realistic expectations and practice distress tolerance exercises in a safe, controlled environment.
New ways of thinking and practical coping skills help people gain a sense of control over their chronic pain, acknowledge and validate their experiences, and minimize the pain’s inhibiting effects on their lives.
PRT incorporates psychological techniques to address neuroplastic pain. Neuroplastic pain results from the brain misinterpreting safe messages from the body as if they were dangerous. In other words, neuroplastic pain is a false alarm. PRT effectively works to retrain the brain to interpret and respond to pain signals from the body properly through a lens of safety, rather than through a lens of fear. This subsequently breaks the cycle of chronic pain.
Importantly, these learned neural pathways in the brain contributing to chronic pain can be unlearned with the support of certified PRT providers.
How We Use PRT to Help With Chronic Pain
Learn more about Pain Reprocessing Therapy from our PRT-certified therapists.
We use CBT, ACT, and PRT to help with a wide variety of issues related to chronic pain.
CBT, ACT, and PRT can be an effective treatment option for people who suffer from:
Physical injuries
Migraines and headaches
Chronic Back pain
Long-term or chronic illnesses like arthritis, Parkinson's Disease, and Multiple Sclerosis
Neuroplastic Pain
Fibromyalgia
Autoimmune diseases
Terminal illnesses
Repetitive strain injury
Injuries from military service
People with Addictions or Substance Use Disorders
CBT, ACT, and PRT can benefit people with chronic pain even if they:
Have been to multiple doctors trying to find a medical solution for their pain
Have been told that the pain they are experiencing is all their head or isn’t as bad as they report
Have been told by doctors that there are no more medical procedures or interventions available
Use medications, alcohol, drugs, and other substances to cope with chronic pain
Have tried other forms of therapy in the past to varying degrees of success - or have never tried therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Chronic Pain FAQ
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We offer both in person and virtual appointments. Our in person appointments currently take place at our Orlando, FL office.
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Most clients pay for our services out-of-pocket. Please contact our office to verify your coverage. Even if we can’t see you at our practice, we are happy to connect you with additional resources. We feel it is our job and responsibility to help you find the help you need.
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We generally schedule weekly, 45 minute appointments for therapy.
If you are interested in more intensive therapy we offer several options, which can include multiple sessions per week and can range from 60 to 90 minutes or longer.
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Yes. As CBT clinicians we have a specific way of helping people, but we recognize that it's not the only way. If we feel another form of therapy outside of our scope of practice is helpful, we will refer you to our best resources.
If you want to incorporate other methods of helping or healing, we'll integrate that into your treatment or provide a referral to another provider.
Therapy Delivered With Respect, Empathy, and Compassion
We view all people as unique individuals who are doing the best they can to cope with the circumstances they are presented with. Although we are CBT specialists that help people manage their pain using the most current and effective treatments, we also recognize how privilege, power, unequal access to resources, prejudice, racism, and other systemic issues affect a person’s lived experience. We are aware of ageism and see our clients problems not only from the lens of CBT but also Critical Disability Theory. We don't believe there is a "normative" human experience and do not use the labels, "disabled" in our work with clients.
We approach each relationship with the respect, empathy, and compassion that all people deserve. Our practitioners have also received additional training and supervision in culturally competent practices, and continue to do so as part of participating in our group.
Find out how CBT can alleviate Chronic Pain. Start your recovery today.
