mind-body therapies for Chronic Pain Relief | Alcove Mental Health

Explore Evidence-Based and Integrative Approaches to Healing

Our Approach to Therapy

At Alcove Mental Health, therapy focuses on what you need to heal, not just “managing” the physical symptoms. We consider the whole you—your past, present, and future goals—and integrate a mind-body-spirit approach to guide you toward wellness.

Key Modalities I Use

Cognitive and Emotional Therapies

These approaches explore mental patterns and emotional responses that influence chronic pain. They include modalities like CBT, ACT, PRT, IFS, and psychodynamic therapy, all aimed at improving emotional resilience and mental well-being. See more.

Mindfulness & Compassion Practices

Mindfulness and self-compassion techniques cultivate awareness and self-kindness, helping to reduce stress and foster healing. These practices encourage a present-focused mindset, promote balance, and support you in responding vs reacting. See more.

Body-Based Approaches

These therapies focus directly on the body’s responses to pain and stress. Techniques like somatic practices, polyvagal theory, and clinical hypnosis help regulate the nervous system, allowing for physical and emotional healing. See more.

What You Get from an Integrative Pain Psychologist

  • A Holistic Approach to Healing

    Chronic pain isn't just physical—it affects your mind and emotions, too. Working with a chronic pain specialist means you’ll address all of these aspects in an integrated way, bringing together somatic practices, mindfulness, and therapy to help you heal from the inside out.

  • Build a Stronger Connection to Your Body

    Somatic practices help you tune into the physical sensations of your body, which allows you to better understand how pain and emotions are held physically. This awareness empowers you to release tension, reduce stress, and invite more ease into your life.

  • Rewire Your Nervous System for Calm

    Your nervous system is key in how you respond to pain. Polyvagal Theory provides a framework to help you understand and regulate your nervous system, allowing you to feel safer, more grounded, and better equipped to manage the emotional and physical components of chronic pain.

  • Heal with Compassion, Not Criticism

    Many people living with chronic pain also struggle with self-criticism. Self-compassion helps you relate to your pain in a gentle, caring way, instead of harsh judgment. It’s a key ingredient for healing because it allows you to accept where you are and move forward without adding more emotional suffering.

  • Learn to Respond with Intention

    Mindfulness helps you be present in the moment, so you can tune into your pain without getting overwhelmed by it. By practicing mindfulness, you can learn to respond to your physical sensations and emotions with intention rather than automatic, reactive behaviors. This creates space for better choices and more peace.

  • Shift Your Perspective on Pain

    Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) allows you to change unhelpful thought patterns that contribute to your pain. By shifting your mindset, you’ll begin to view pain differently—less as something that controls you, and more as something you can influence. CBT helps create mental clarity and flexibility in how you approach pain and life.

  • Move Toward What Matters Most

    Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages you to accept discomfort while still moving toward your deeper goals. Rather than focusing solely on pain reduction, ACT helps you create a meaningful life based on your values, no matter what challenges you face. This mindset allows you to keep moving forward even when things aren’t perfect.

  • Break the Cycle of Fear-Based Pain

    Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) focuses on changing how your brain interprets pain signals. By shifting the way your brain responds to pain-related fear and anxiety, PRT reduces the intensity and frequency of chronic pain, helping your brain learn to interpret sensations as safe rather than threatening.

  • Unlock Deep Healing Through Hypnosis

    Clinical hypnosis uses relaxation and intentional focus to shift your brain away from pain. It activates neural pathways that promote comfort and relief, helping you experience pain less intensely and allowing your body to heal more effectively. It’s like a reset for your nervous system, making it easier to move toward well-being.

  • Find Harmony Between Your Inner Parts

    Internal Family Systems (IFS) helps you recognize and work with the different parts of yourself that influence how you experience pain, such as the protector or the critic. By creating internal harmony and integrating these parts, IFS helps reduce inner conflict and promotes a sense of balance and peace.

  • Gain Insight Your Pain

    Insight-oriented therapy helps you explore the deeper emotional patterns that may be contributing to your pain. By increasing your awareness of the "why" behind your pain, you gain a clearer understanding of its roots and discover new pathways toward healing and lasting change.

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Cognitive and Emotional Therapies

TL;DR — Understanding your patterns and shifting the way your mind responds to pain, stress, and self-doubt.


In session, this might look like:

  • Naming and challenging rigid thought patterns that keep you stuck

  • Practicing more flexible self-talk during a pain flare or emotional spiral

  • Identifying “protector” parts of you that try to manage pain through control, avoidance, or perfectionism

  • Exploring the deeper stories or memories that shaped your current responses

  • Rehearsing new ways of relating to fear, frustration, or sadness — without getting swept away

  • Mapping your values and taking small steps toward them, even when discomfort is present

  • Getting curious about internal conflicts (e.g., part of me wants rest, part of me feels guilty)

  • Learning how your brain may be misfiring danger signals — and how to calm the alarm

comfortable seat and table where you might do cognitive or emotional therapy for chronic pain

Mindfulness and Compassion Practices

TL;DR — Cultivating gentleness, awareness, and presence so you can respond—rather than react.

In session, this might look like:

  • Slowing down and checking in with what’s really happening inside—without trying to fix it

  • Practicing short grounding exercises to help you reconnect when you feel scattered or overwhelmed

  • Meeting your inner critic with kindness, not shame

  • Bringing attention to the breath, the body, or the present moment during hard conversations

  • Exploring the difference between “pushing through” and “pausing with care”

  • Using simple mindfulness techniques to shift out of autopilot and into intentional choice

  • Letting go of rigid expectations and practicing good enough as a brave act of self-respect

tender plant reminding us to be mindful and gentle and compassionate towards ourselves when coping with chronic pain

Body-Based Approaches

TL;DR — Working with your body—not just your thoughts—to support relief, regulation, and reconnection.

n session, this might look like:

  • Noticing where and how your body holds tension, grief, or fear

  • Practicing gentle movements or postures to cue safety to your nervous system

  • Using breath, imagery, or self-touch to downshift from a stress response

  • Exploring what “yes” and “no” feel like physically (so you can honor them more clearly)

  • Rehearsing safe exposure to difficult sensations — helping your body unlearn fear around them

  • Using guided hypnosis to plant seeds of comfort, relief, or self-trust in the subconscious

  • Learning to track your nervous system state (Are you in fight/flight? Shut down? Safe enough?)

  • Reclaiming your body as a source of wisdom, not just a site of pain

woman gently touching her shoulder like she is doing a somatic practice for healing

Interested in learning more?

Every method I use is built on understanding and flexibility, allowing us to explore solutions that truly resonate with your unique experiences and aspirations.

To learn more about how my personalized approach to therapy can support your healing journey, schedule a free 15-minute video consult or reach out with questions.