Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) is a system of psychological techniques that retrains the brain to interpret and respond to signals from the body properly, subsequently breaking the cycle of chronic pain. Pain Reprocessing Therapy has five main components: 1) education about the brain origins and reversibility of pain, 2) gathering and reinforcing personalized evidence for the brain origins and reversibility of pain, 3) attending to and appraising pain sensations through a lens of safety, 4) addressing other emotional threats, and 5) gravitating to positive feelings and sensations.
A randomized controlled study at the University of Colorado Boulder validated Pain Reprocessing Therapy as the most effective current treatment for chronic pain. In the study, there were 100 chronic back pain patients. Half of them received PRT twice a week for four weeks, and half of them received treatment as usual. In the PRT group, 98% of patients improved and 66% of patients were pain-free or nearly pain-free at the end of treatment. These outcomes were largely maintained one year later.
PRT techniques are now incorporated into the Rebuild Your Life Workshop.
REBUILD YOUR LIFE WHILE LIVING WITH CHRONIC PAIN WORKSHOP
Tuesdays, January 9, 16, 23, 30, February 6, 13, 2024
5:00pm - 6:00 pm PDT via Zoom
This workshop is comprised of six, interactive, and small classes (10 or less participants). It is designed to help those living with chronic pain rebuild and reclaim their lives in significant and meaningful ways. Content lays a broad foundation on pain management and includes specific topics such as:
- Understand the mechanisms of how chronic pain works
- Learn about the science behind pain signals -- when to attend to and when to ignore
- Understand the links between pain, behavior, thoughts and emotions
- Learn how diet impacts our mood and pain
- Improve sleep
- Considerations and help to increase exercise
- Learn how meditation can help with pain (and life!) management
- Learn how to build and maintain healthy relationships while living with chronic pain
- How to find motivation for change
- Challenge unhealthy thought patterns
- Understand how emotions are created and how to incorporate into your daily life
- Learn the key elements of Exposure/Response Prevention (E/RP)
- Learn Pain Reprocessing Therapy's somatic tracking technique
- Reduce pain-related disabilities
- Improve quality of life
Feedback from workshop participants:
“Deb is one of the most compassionate people I've ever met. She understands chronic pain, and in her workshop, she provided numerous helpful tools and strategies to help me better manage and even reduce my pain. One tool that stood out is a pain scale that allows the client to assess & compare their pain levels based on what they are physically able to do on a particular day, rather than the standard 1-10 scale, used by most medical providers. She also has the unique ability to deeply listen to participants, provide thoughtful responses, yet keep the workshop moving at a productive pace. I highly recommend Deb's chronic pain workshop for anyone who wants to reduce their pain and improve their quality of life.” ~ T
“The workshop was extremely helpful in teaching me to shift out of fear-based thinking and to understand how my emotions and mood play a part in chronic pain. Deb is very knowledgeable, compassionate and has her own chronic pain experience. I found that combination to be very valuable. In addition, the workshop provided education, resources, and tools to help retrain our response to our pain. Hearing the experiences of others and how they were implementing changes in their lives was also really helpful. With the tools I have learned I am starting to expand my life which had become small and all about managing pain. I highly recommend!” - D
“After struggling with rheumatoid arthritis for over 25 years, I can finally see the light. PRT has taught me to understand and think differently about my pain. Dr. Nelson has given me the tools to retrain my negative thoughts related to my chronic pain, as well as lowering my overall stress.” ~ S
On-Going Support Groups
Those who attend one of the Rebuild Your Life Workshops are invited to join a drop-in, bi-weekly support group. These one-hour group sessions are designed to build community and provide on-going support post-workshop.
Individual Therapy
I also offer individual therapy (in person and telehealth) for those interested.
Contact me directly at [email protected] (or click the Contact link on this website) to learn more about the workshop or individual therapy.