Chronic Pain Therapy
At Whole Mind Therapy and Counseling, we understand how chronic, stress-related, or unexplained pain can impact every part of your life. Our online chronic pain therapy in Massachusetts for adults, professionals, and parents helps you reduce pain, regulate your nervous system, and feel more grounded and in control.
Living With Chronic Pain Is Draining. Especially When You’re Trying to Hold Everything Together
If you are living with chronic pain, you have probably heard all kinds of explanations:
“Your tests are normal.”
“There is nothing structurally wrong.”
“It is stress.”
“Try this medication, an injection, or physical therapy.”
For many people, this feels confusing or dismissive, especially when the pain is still there.
For others, the pain might have started from an injury, surgery, illness, or medical condition. The body healed, the scans improved, yet the pain never fully went away.
Both experiences are valid.
Both are common.
And both can be driven by the nervous system staying in protection mode long after the original issue has resolved.
Meanwhile, your pain is real. It interferes with your work, parenting, sleep, and daily functioning. And despite trying to push through, you are tired, tired of hurting, tired of guessing, tired of being dismissed, and tired of feeling like your body is betraying you.
At Whole Mind Therapy and Counseling, we work with adults across Massachusetts who feel stuck in the cycle of pain and stress.
Many are high functioning, responsible adults who have been carrying too much for too long.
They often say things like:
“I have been to every doctor, and nothing makes sense.”
“I cannot keep pretending I am fine. This is affecting everything.”
“Stress always makes it worse, but I do not know how to break the pattern.”
“I just want my life back.”
If this sounds familiar, you are in the right place.
Chronic Pain Is Not All in Your Head. It Is In Your Nervous System
Current research and decades of clinical experience show that many forms of long term pain involve the brain and nervous system just as much as the body.
This concept became widely known through the work of Dr. John Sarno, who introduced Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS).
According to Sarno, chronic pain can develop when the nervous system becomes stuck in a pattern of tension, hypervigilance, and suppressed emotions.
Today we understand this through the lens of:
Neuroplastic pain
Psychogenic pain
Mind-body pain
Stress related pain patterns
Nervous system based chronic pain
These patterns can affect:
Neck and shoulder tension
Low back pain
Sciatica
Migraines
Jaw pain or TMJ
IBS and other gastrointestinal symptoms
Chest tightness
Muscle spasms
Pain that moves around or flares unpredictably
Your pain is real and your brain is not inventing it.
But pain can be amplified or maintained by stress, worry, pressure, trauma, and the brain’s learned protective responses.
The good news?
Learned pain can be unlearned. This is the core of chronic pain therapy.
Why Certain Personality Patterns Make Chronic Pain More Likely
Chronic pain often shows up in people who are highly responsible, self motivated, and carrying a lot on their shoulders.
These are the people who push hard, show up for everyone, and rarely slow down. Over time, these patterns can create emotional and physical pressure that makes the nervous system more sensitive to stress and tension.
This includes:
Professionals carrying workplace stress
Adults juggling careers and parenting
The strong one in the family
People with perfectionistic or self-critical tendencies
Adults who push through pain instead of resting
Those who suppress emotions to stay productive
People with trauma histories or chronic hypervigilance
Many clients tell us they do not realize how tense their body is until everything finally catches up.
Chronic pain often becomes a message from a system that has been pushed too far for too long.
How We Help: Our Approach to Chronic Pain Therapy
We use an integrated, evidence based, mind body approach grounded in:
TMS informed therapy (Tension Myositis Syndrome)
Pain reprocessing therapy
Modern pain neuroscience
Stress and nervous system regulation
Identity shift and habit based behavioral change
Everything is structured, practical, and tailored to people who want concrete tools, not vague advice.
How We Help You Understand and Change the Pain Pattern
Understanding Your Pain Story
We start by exploring:
When your pain began
What was happening in your life at the time
How emotions, stress, or relationships interact with symptoms
How you respond when pain increases
What patterns keep the nervous system on high alert
What medical issues may have caused your pain
This creates clarity and relief for many clients who have felt confused or blamed by the medical system.
TMS Informed Mind Body Work
Tension Myositis Syndrome is one framework we use to understand the brain’s role in chronic pain.
Together, we help you:
Reduce fear around movement and sensations
Understand the emotional roots of pain
Explore patterns of perfectionism, pressure, or emotional suppression
Shift from fear based reactions to confident, calm responses
Rebuild trust in your body
This is not about ignoring pain.
It is about understanding why your brain is sounding an alarm and helping it turn the alarm off.
Pain Reprocessing and Nervous System Regulation
You will learn how to calm the body’s threat response, including skills that help with:
Muscle tension and bracing
Fight or flight activation
Catastrophic thinking
Pain anticipation
Hypervigilance
Emotional overload
These skills help retrain the pain pathways so your brain no longer interprets normal sensations as threats.
EMDR Therapy for Pain and Stress
EMDR is not only for trauma.
It can help with:
Pain with emotional roots
Pain linked to stressful periods of your life
Medical trauma
Fear or anxiety related to symptoms
Long term patterns of body based hypervigilance
When the nervous system feels safer, pain often decreases significantly.
Cognitive and Behavioral Tools That Empower You
We help you build tools that support long term relief, such as:
Changing the narrative around pain
Interrupting fear based cycles
Challenging catastrophic thoughts
Developing healthier responses to stress
Building routines that support healing
Restructuring perfectionistic expectations
These tools support lasting change far beyond symptom relief.
Identity Work and Habit Change
Many chronic pain clients are:
Overachievers
Caretakers
Doers
People who never stop moving
Adults who minimize their own needs
Chronic pain therapy will help you redefine…
How you relate to productivity
How you rest
How you set boundaries
How you listen to your body
How you manage emotional load
This identity shift often leads to life changing improvements in both pain and wellbeing.
Conditions We Work With
We help adults across Massachusetts with chronic or stress related pain including:
Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS)
Chronic back, neck, and shoulder pain
Sciatica
Headaches and migraines
Jaw pain or TMJ
IBS and GI distress
Unexplained or shifting pain
Pain worsened by stress, emotions, or life transitions
How This Connects to Our Other Services
Chronic pain often overlaps with:
Work stress and burnout
Anxiety and chronic worry
Men’s issues and identity pressures
Women’s issues and chronic tension
ADHD related overwhelm and overstimulation
Relationship stress and emotional suppression
Because our practice specializes in adults who are overwhelmed, stressed, high functioning, or carrying significant responsibility, chronic pain therapy naturally fits within our broader approach.
Why Online Chronic Pain Therapy Works Well
Online therapy allows you to access treatment from anywhere in Massachusetts, including:
Your home
Your office
Your car (parked)
Your bed during flare ups
You do not have to push your body just to receive care. Clients often tell us that online therapy reduces barriers and helps them stay consistent with treatment.
You Don’t Have to Keep Doing This Alone
Chronic pain can feel isolating. You may feel dismissed by doctors, misunderstood by family, or overwhelmed by the constant guessing and googling.
But there is a path forward.
Your brain can rewire.
Your body can change.
Relief is possible.
And you do not have to figure it out alone.
Schedule Your Free 15 Minute Consultation
If you are ready to understand your pain differently and start building a life driven by more than symptoms, we are here to help.
Schedule your free consult today. Let us take the next step toward clarity, confidence, and lasting change.
Frequency Asked Questions
Can online therapy actually help with chronic pain?
Yes. Chronic pain is closely connected to the nervous system, and online therapy allows you to work on those patterns without adding physical strain or travel. Many clients stay more consistent online because they do not have to drive, sit in uncomfortable positions, or push through symptoms to get to an office.
I have tried everything. What makes this different?
Most clients come to us after trying medications, physical therapy, injections, chiropractic care, massage, stretching routines, and lifestyle changes. These can help short term, but they often do not address the nervous system patterns that keep pain active.
Therapy focuses on the mind–body connection behind chronic pain so you can:
understand why symptoms persist
reduce fear and reactivity
calm stress based flare ups
regulate your nervous system
change the patterns that reinforce pain
This is not about ignoring pain. It is about changing how your brain and body respond to it.
What if my pain has a medical cause?
Therapy does not replace medical care. But even when pain has a physical origin, tension, stress, and the brain’s protective responses can intensify it. We work alongside whatever medical care you receive to help reduce sensitivity, calm your system, and prevent flare ups from escalating.
Is this the same as being told my pain is “in my head”?
No. Your pain is real. We do not dismiss symptoms or minimize your experience. Chronic pain therapy helps you understand how the nervous system influences pain intensity and duration so you can feel more in control and less overwhelmed.
What does a typical session look like?
Sessions often include mind–body education, nervous system regulation skills, cognitive and behavioral strategies, and when helpful, EMDR. You will always leave with practical tools you can use between sessions.
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