Chronic Pain Therapists in East London
Niki Alexandra
General Counsellor, ASCHP Specialist Wellness Counsellor
Verified Verified
East London 5201 (Online Only)
My ideal client is someone who values authenticity, seeks neuroaffirming support, wants something different, values compassion and understanding, and is on a journey of self-discovery. You are looking for an approach that diverges from traditional psychological and medical models. Perhaps you've found that conventional methods haven't resonated with you or addressed your unique needs. You're also open to exploring integrative and holistic practices that consider the mind, body, and spirit.
My ideal client is someone who values authenticity, seeks neuroaffirming support, wants something different, values compassion and understanding, and is on a journey of self-discovery. You are looking for an approach that diverges from traditional psychological and medical models. Perhaps you've found that conventional methods haven't resonated with you or addressed your unique needs. You're also open to exploring integrative and holistic practices that consider the mind, body, and spirit.
Leonie is a Transformative Mindset Coach/counselor. Are you tired of being stuck in survival mode? Grief, sadness, Loss over what if? Are guil and shame holding you in bonda? Do you question life, wanting to give up? Is living a lie draining your life force? With Abandonment issues, comes Fear, Anxiety, and Trauma. Do you not feel being heard? Old coping self-destructive bad habits block your life and repeatedly set yourself up for failure! Let Leonie help you Reset that feeling of loss and hopelessness. Learn to Regain self-control, bring in balance, and find your Joy through acceptance.
Leonie is a Transformative Mindset Coach/counselor. Are you tired of being stuck in survival mode? Grief, sadness, Loss over what if? Are guil and shame holding you in bonda? Do you question life, wanting to give up? Is living a lie draining your life force? With Abandonment issues, comes Fear, Anxiety, and Trauma. Do you not feel being heard? Old coping self-destructive bad habits block your life and repeatedly set yourself up for failure! Let Leonie help you Reset that feeling of loss and hopelessness. Learn to Regain self-control, bring in balance, and find your Joy through acceptance.
See more therapy options for East London
Chronic Pain Counsellors
How does chronic pain therapy work?
Engaging with a psychotherapist to help treat chronic pain does not mean that one’s pain is all in their head. Therapy for chronic-pain patients has been shown to benefit both the mind and the body, targeting physical symptoms and increasing daily functioning. In other words, for many, addressing their emotional health through therapy affects their physical health. A therapist can help a client challenge unhelpful thoughts about pain and develop new ways to respond to it, such as distraction or calming breathing techniques. Studies have found that therapy can be as effective as surgery for certain cases of chronic pain and many doctors recommend trying psychotherapy in advance of considering invasive surgery.
What are the most effective treatment options for chronic pain?
Stress, anxiety, depression, catastrophising, ruminating, lack of activity, and social withdrawal all make chronic pain worse. Addressing these issues, research shows, can help people gain control over their pain symptoms. Therapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy, biofeedback, and mindfulness-based stress reduction, along with greater pain-management education, have been found to help people reduce fear and disability.
Are there new treatments for chronic pain?
Many cases of chronic pain, particularly those involving back pain, remain medically unexplained. But there is evidence that changes in the brain or nervous system are caused by previous physical ailments such as tissue damage; in such cases, the brain may continue to send out pain signals despite the physical cause having healed. To aid patients under these circumstances, a recently developed treatment known as pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) is designed to help the brain “unlearn” this response. A PRT practitioner helps individuals to reduce the “threat value” of their ongoing pain signals until they can reappraise them as less threatening and fear-inducing. They also help an individual to develop new emotional regulation skills.
How long does therapy for chronic pain take?
There is no set timeline for recovery from chronic pain, especially as there may be a range of physical and psychological causes for any individual’s discomfort, but most patients should expect to see a therapist for a number of weeks or months, typically spanning at least 12 sessions. Studies of pain reprocessing therapy found that many individuals’ experience of pain lessened in eight sessions over four weeks.