Nervous System-Based, Integrative Therapy for Chronic Pain
This isn’t never-ending weekly therapy
This is a specialized and focused pathway designed to help you understand your pain patterns and start shifting them in a way your system can actually track.
It all starts with an orientation phase…
The first phase usually includes a 2-hour onboarding session and a small series of focused, weekly follow-ups.
Map your pain patterns, history, and how your nervous system has learned them
Begin shifting how you relate to what you’re experiencing
Determine what kind of support will actually move things forward
After the first phase, we collaborate on next steps…
Because I’m not here to keep you in a type of work that isn’t actually helpful to you.
Not every approach works for every person, and I take “fit” seriously.
You deserve care that aligns with your values, your vibe, and your nervous system.
The hard truth about chronic pain (that I think you already know):
It isn’t solved by doing more. It shifts when your system feels safe enough to slow down, drop the old patterns, and move with ease.
Phases of Chronic Pain Therapy
Orientation
This includes a deep onboarding process and a short series of sessions to map how your pain has been learned.
It allows us to see how your system responds to change and what it actually needs from here.
This is where we figure out what will actually help.
Ex: 1 session per week (60min) for 4 weeks.
Intensive
For some people, the next step is deeper work, where we meet more frequently and have contact between sessions.
This allows us to interrupt patterns in real time, reinforce new responses, and create momentum while your system is open to change.
Ex: 2 sessions per week (90min each) for 4 weeks.
Consolidation
As patterns begin to shift, the work changes from interrupting old patterns to stabilizing new ones.
During this phase, we focus on building consistency, strengthening your capacity to hold change, and helping your system stay regulated as you build confidence in new patterns.
Ex: 1 session per week (60min each) for 4 weeks.
Expansion
At this point, you’re not relying on me to guide the change; you’re actively creating it in your own life.
Sessions become more spaced out as you take ownership of the work.
This is the place the healing becomes something you’re choosing, practicing, and reinforcing in real time.
Ex: 1 session per month (60min each) for 6 months.
While Orientation is always the first step, this work is not intended to be a prescribed or linear path.
We’ll adjust the level of support you need based on what’s happening for you, not on some predetermined course.
Clicking the button above will take you to another page on my website where you can complete a quick form to share your interest in working together. Read more about why this works.
Read more about who this is for.
Why Nervous System-Based Chronic Pain Therapy Works
Sometimes the issue isn’t a missing tool or insight, but the way the work is held.
If you’ve tried therapy, coaching, physical treatments, or mindset work before — and pain still feels like it’s running (and ruining) your life — you don’t need more willpower.
You need a different kind of support.
This is therapy for your whole system:
your nervous system conditioning
your coping strategies
your beliefs
your emotional reflexes
My Approach to Healing Chronic Pain
Hey there, I’m Dr. Anahita Kalianivala, PhD.
I don’t approach chronic pain as something to fix or manage. I approach it as a pattern your system has learned… and that it can unlearn.
I’m also a psychologist with a sh*t ton of training (including a Stanford fellowship in pain psychology).
But my job isn’t to give you textbook explanations.
Or workbook walk-throughs you could do yourself.
My job is to take all that knowledge and help you have an experience that:
actually moves the needle
rewires your brain and your body
moves you away from survival mode
and towards safety, release, and repair.
This work is intentional, steady, and grounded. It’s tailored to your pace, your system, and your patterns.
Slow enough to be safe. Deep enough to create real change.
This Work Is For You If…
You’ve tried everything from PT to CBT, and nothing has really shifted
You feel like something deeper is running the show, and you’re over trying to work through it alone
You’re tired of “seeming fine” on the outside and feeling depleted on the inside
You want support that’s both body-aware and emotionally intelligent
You’re ready to stop overriding your body’s signals and start responding differently
This May Not Be the Best Fit If…
You’re in acute emotional or physical crisis and need stabilization before doing deeper pattern work
You’re not comfortable using Zoom or learning a few simple tech tools like Google Drive or WhatsApp
You want primarily cognitive insight work without engaging your nervous system or behavior
You’re only looking for short-term symptom control
Take the first step toward relief.
Start a conversation with me by submitting a quick form.
The next step is completing a short form (just 3–5 minutes) to give me a snapshot of what you’re experiencing, so when we connect, we can focus on what matters most to you.
I review each inquiry personally to be thoughtful about fit and timing. If it seems like a potential match, I may reach out with next steps or with a few additional questions.
If you’d rather reach out directly, you can call or text (775) 235-2406.
Therapy services are fully virtual.
All sessions are held over secure video so you can access care from wherever you are—even on hard days.
*Dr. Kalianivala is a licensed psychologist in Nevada and eligible to provide online teletherapy to residents of PSYPACT states. Check your state for eligibility here.
You don’t have to keep doing this alone.
If something in you knows it’s time for a different path (or just took the deepest exhale you’ve had in a while),
I’m here.
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