Complex Pain Recovery

It is an honor and a privilege to post this amazing story of recovery. Thank you Alisa for sharing your story of experience , strength, and hope. You help so many.

Alisa’s Recovery Story: One Day at a Time, One Step at a Time Alisa and Bentley As a psychotherapist, I get the unique honor and privilege of experiencing another person’s inner world. Brave is the term that best fits when a client makes a decision to let another human being help them in such a personal and intimate way. I do not take this act of trust light...

After experiencing chronic pain, and then experiencing a mild week of relative comfort, we can feel a sense of foreboding, like we are just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Fine...Let's go there...Maybe the pain shows up and it's worse than we imagined. But getting sucked into a worry loop won't make it hurt any less.

Even if the pain is coming back, wouldn't you rather have experienced just being ok, even for a short time, without allowing the pain to take this moment away from you?

By the time the pain strikes, we are not the person we imagine ourselves to be. We get through it, one moment at a time. The way your pain shows up does not follow a script.
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If you can breathe, pause, and come back to this moment, you can get back into the driver's seat.

We've ALL been there. Anticipating discomfort is part of our survival wiring as humans.

That does not mean that we have to let it take us down the path of panic and dread.

It's easier said than done, but learning this skill is part of our recovery.

I would be honored to help you on your path to recovery. To learn more, please visit: https://www.complexpainrecovery.com/ ❤️

https://www.facebook.com/100021686437170/posts/1058939364838935/?d=n

For more information about Chronic Pain Anonymous and to find a meeting, visit our website: www.chronicpainanonymous.org

It can be easy to get caught in a pain loop, and when you are in pain, it is challenging to look at things from a broader perspective. Stress from past injuries, accidents, or health conditions can certainly play a big part in your pain, but so can the stressors associated with relationships, work, anxiety, grief, anger, childhood adversity, unresolved painful memories, PTSD, social isolation, discrimination, and many more.

My work is looking at the whole picture of you and how you are caught in a cycle of stress and pain and finding effective tools to disrupt the cycle.

To find out more about Complex Pain Recovery, please visit: https://www.complexpainrecovery.com/ 🌹

You may need to exhaust all physical avenues of help before you consider working with your mind. ⁠
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If you are willing to do anything to alleviate the pain, I urge you to research: Psychophysiologic Disorders (PPD) is the clinical term for mindbody symptoms.⁠

"The good news is that after years of clinical research, there is now evidence that many of these mindbody symptoms (previously thought to be incurable) can be relieved and even cured without surgery, physical therapy or medication. With an evidence-based approach to diagnosis and treatment, sufferers can achieve relief from their chronic pain." ⁠
- Psychophysiologic Disorders Association ⁠

To get 1:1 support, please visit! ⏩ https://www.complexpainrecovery.com/

This. Is. Recovery. You may not be able to fully eliminate your pain, but you can make space for joy. ⁠
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If you have not heard of , please check them out! I am honored to serve on the Chronic Pain Anonymous Board Of Trustees as a professional advocate. ⁠
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The 12-step program may not be what you expect, but it is a great place to begin the recovery. ⁠
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❤️ Please follow for insights, education, and support! ⁠

Neuroinflammation drives widespread chronic pain via central sensitization. ⁠
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So what on earth does that mean? The neuropathways we create repeatedly, after experiencing pain, become inflamed leading to central sensitization and the experience of chronic pain. ⁠
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"Conditions such as chronic pain, migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue, and pelvic pain syndromes are just a few of the very real chronic conditions that can be diagnosed as mindbody syndromes. In fact, you may be surprised by just how many different symptoms are actually mindbody disorders." - Psychophysiologic Disorders Association⁠
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The good news is that there is FINALLY research and evidence-based approaches to address and eliminate Neuroinflammation, Central Sensitization, and chronic pain. ⁠
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To learn more about the latest research on mindbody syndromes, please visit https://ppdassociation.org/

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⁠*Research referenced was conducted by Ru-Rong Ji, Ph.D., Andrea Nackley, Ph.D., Yul Huh, BS, Niccolò Terrando, Ph.D., and William Maixner, DDS, Ph.D.: Neuroinflammation & Central Sensitization in Chronic and Widespread Pain. ⁠https://www.complexpainrecovery.com/

Acceptance is only possible once we become aware of what we are resisting. In other words, THE PAIN IS REAL, but it is in our resistance that we suffer. ⁠
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Acceptance is letting go of what we cannot change. ⁠
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Practicing awareness and acceptance is learning to live life on life’s terms and is key to having peace and serenity. ⁠
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How many times have you heard someone say, “I have no choice.” We convince ourselves that we do not have a choice, that we are victims of circumstance. ⁠
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Now, I am not suggesting that bad things and bad situations do not arise. However, I am suggesting that there are choices to make even among the worst times in our lives. ⁠
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We can take action and choose how we “grow” through the experiences and situations in our lives. The choice may be between a rock and a hard spot; nevertheless, we still have a choice. In fact, to do nothing is a choice and sometimes may be the best option.⁠
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Please follow for insights, education, and support.

Tell me, how many times did you feel like you had to lie about your pain just last week. 👇 ⁠
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It's perfectly normal to feel the need to lie about your Chronic Pain, but it's essential to have a trusted select few to express how it's really going for you. ❤️⁠
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Acceptance is the turning point of change. It may feel like giving in or giving up. ⁠
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The reality is that becoming aware and accepting allows us the space to be adaptable. It is where opportunities we did not see before are illuminated. Acceptance is the grace we can give ourselves to let go of controlling the uncontrollable. ⁠
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In most situations, our efforts to maintain the status quo leave us exhausted and disconnected from the people we love and the life we want to live. ⁠
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Trying to heal chronic pain can become an obsession. Learning to accept the pain, even just for this moment, is the first step to recovery. ⁠
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Double tap if you could accept where you are, exactly as you are, for just this moment. ⁠
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Shannon is one of those clients that I refer to as a Rock Star. This is the status I lovingly give to the clients that break free from the vicious cycle and torments of chronic pain and illness. They are the clients that come to understand the process of recovery takes time. They become willing and humbly accept the reality of where they are today and commit to action. ⁠
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I know Shannon’s story will instill hope and inspire. Recovery is not achieved alone. ⁠
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If you are in a place where there are no solutions, please know that there are many that have been precisely where you are today. ⁠
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There are many that, one day at a time, with a new perspective, choose to live life on life’s terms and thrive. ⁠
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Providing Complex Pain Recovery® Services is truly an honor and a privilege. People invite me to walk alongside them as they accept the challenge of living life on life’s terms. Courageously leaning into the process of recovery and self-discovery, one day at a time.⁠

To read more of Shannon's story, please visit ⏩ https://www.complexpainrecovery.com/post/shannon-s-story-life-on-life-s-terms

If pain researchers tell us the brain can interpret our pain signals, can we retrain the brain to interpret our pain differently?⁠
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This is not a mind-over-matter diatribe, I know that the pain is painfully real. However, mindbody evidence-based biopsychosocial approach can have a significant impact on reducing chronic pain, or in some cases, eliminating it entirely.
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To learn more about the latest research and resources on chronic pain recovery, please visit https://www.complexpainrecovery.com/

Acceptance is the turning point of change. It may feel like giving in or giving up. ⁠
⁠
The reality is that becoming aware and accepting allows us the space to be adaptable. It is where opportunities we did not see before are illuminated. Acceptance is the grace we can give ourselves to let go of controlling the uncontrollable. ⁠
⁠
In most situations, our efforts to maintain the status quo leave us exhausted and disconnected from the people we love and the life we want to live. ⁠
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Trying to heal chronic pain can become an obsession. Learning to accept the pain, even just for this moment, is the first step to recovery. ⁠
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Double tap if you could accept where you are, exactly as you are, for just this moment.

Those suffering from chronic pain will first seek medical care, which can be a great option. However, at some point, that may not be sufficient support. ⁠
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It is at this point that tapping into the mind is essential. I have found my clients have developed a lot of catastrophizing and negative expectancy (for example: “the procedures haven’t worked.”) ⁠
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It is essential to understand these judgmental thoughts as just that, thoughts and begin to separate them from how those thoughts are interacting with the physical body. It is also critical to question and challenge the emotions that arise. ⁠
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When we begin to face what is, we can learn to accept it. When we learn to accept what is, our body, in turn, begins to listen. It is critical to raise the ability to cope, lessen the feelings of hopelessness that you might be feeling. Once you do this, healing occurs. ⁠
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Getting Psychological and community support can be just as essential to your recovery as working with your doctor. Please visit https://www.complexpainrecovery.com/ to learn about my favorite resources for treating chronic pain!

It is estimated that 116 million Americans have difficulty with chronic pain. ⁠
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If I had only one message that I could share with you, it would be that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. ⁠
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Managing chronic pain can be isolating, yes. You can feel alone with the anger, the grief, the anxiety, but you are not alone. ⁠
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One of my favorite organizations is Chronic Pain Anonymous, a free resource for those healing their chronic pain in a group format. ⁠⁠
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If you feel you need 1:1 support, please visit my website to learn more about my chronic pain coaching offerings. ❤️ https://www.complexpainrecovery.com/

Somatic Tracking is an exercise in Retraining and Reframing. When you are under pain and duress, your neuropathways get changed because you are in a fight-flight reality. When you are in pain all day long, you can’t relax.

🤯 MRIs of those addicted to drugs and alcohol are almost identical to chronic pain patients. This tells us, pain is not a mental problem it’s a neuro pathway problem.

By listening to your body, instead of trying to disassociate, your nervous system and amygdala (the part of your brain responsible for pain signals) are soothed, taking you out of fight or flight. By giving your pain space, you can rewire your neuropathways.

To get some support I recorded an interview with . Two of my coaching clients were so brave to come onto the show and share their path to recovery. https://fb.me/e/4ilZthqB1

When you are anxiously googling and ruminating on pain, you are giving your pain power and building neuro-pathways that are detrimental to your recovery.

The following is from an excellent resource: ⏩ ⏩ What we focus on tends to grow and magnify, and the flip side of this is what we focus on LESS, we also get less of. The more you focus on pain, the less you focus on activities that naturally relieve pain and release "happy chemicals" – creating a downward spiral.

This isn't suggesting one should ignore pain or symptoms, as that can be virtually impossible. However, it IS possible to shift focus onto other things despite pain or symptoms being present.

One way to do this is to simply invite your pain or symptoms to be along for the ride. Shifting your focus to things that give you joy and gratitude will still give you the release of those happy chemicals, even with pain there.

A good question to ask yourself is, "what do I want to feel MORE of?" and focus on that. Make it a priority as part of your healing. With consistency and time, and the right support, it will grow and magnify as well. Your pain and symptoms' days are numbered when you make sure to prioritize joy, gratitude, and living your life as your primary focus. 💜 It's simply brain science.

Need some support? Please visit the link in my bio to access my latest blog posts on empowered recovery! ⏩ https://www.complexpainrecovery.com/

Complex Pain Recovery updated their phone number.

Really enjoying the conference!

2021 Conference — Psychophysiologic Disorders Association Twenty-two experts will share how to eliminate chronic pain, migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue, pelvic pain, eczema, and other chronic or medically unexplained symptoms (collectively referred to as Psychophysiologic Disorders) through an evidence-based, biopsychosocia...

I know you want to talk about your pain. I know you want to scream, and I know you want to yell at everyone not facing what you are facing. Most of the time, all we can get out is a whisper, “I’m fine.” This is a community of people who ‘gets it.’ ⁠

Please follow for insights, education, and support.

I’m Anastasia and my passion is understanding And alleviating chronic pain. A recovery mindset is an essential complement to medical treatment when addressing chronic pain because let’s face it, chronic pain is complex.

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
National Certified Counselor (NCC)
Complex Pain Recovery® Coach
Chronic Pain Anonymous (CPA) Board of Trustees, Professional Advocate Member

I’m very excited about expanding my services to include Consulting and Complex Pain Recovery® Coaching!!!
I hope you find the information helpful and encouraging!
❤️ Please follow for insights, education, and support.

Expressing frustration, anger, sadness is a part of the chronic pain journey. This does not make you weak, this makes you human. Expressing yourself is a healthy part of the recovery process.

❤️ Please follow for insights, education, and support!

Any praise can be loaded when you suffer from chronic pain. You didn’t create the pain. Your only option is to be strong.

❤️ Be sure to follow for insights, education, and support!

Trying to justify your energy level is just about the most exhausting pastime. We need our friends and family to believe us and support us, not judge us. One of the most challenging aspects of chronic pain is that it’s an invisible affliction. ⁠
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You are NOT LAZY! You are fighting an internal battle, and we are here for it. ❤️ ⁠
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Be sure to follow Complex Pain Recovery for insights, education, and support!