Psychotherapy for Chronic Pain & Somatization in Washington, DC,

When the medical system hasn't found an answer — there may be one worth exploring.

The Revolving Door

You've had the tests. You've seen the specialists. Everything comes back normal, or close enough to normal that no one can explain why you're still in pain. And yet the headaches, the back pain, the fatigue, the GI problems — they persist, often for years.

This is one of the most frustrating and isolating experiences a person can have. The pain is real. The impact on your life is real. But without a clear physical cause, it can be easy to feel dismissed — or to start wondering, as others may have implied, whether it's somehow "all in your head."

It isn't. But the mind and body are more deeply connected than standard medical care typically accounts for — and that connection is often exactly where the answer lies.

UNDERSTANDING THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION

When emotional stress, unresolved conflict, or trauma cannot be fully processed, the nervous system doesn't simply absorb it. It routes it — often into the body, where it manifests as physical symptoms. This process, known as somatization, is well-documented and accounts for a significant proportion of chronic, treatment-resistant physical complaints.

This isn't about symptoms being imaginary or exaggerated. It's about recognizing that the body and mind are not separate systems, and that pain — real, physical pain — can be generated and maintained by processes that no MRI or blood test will detect.

Common presentations include:

  • Chronic back pain, joint pain, or body aches without clear structural cause

  • Tension headaches or migraines

  • Fibromyalgia

  • Gastrointestinal problems — IBS, reflux, stomach pain

  • Chest tightness or heart palpitations

  • Chronic fatigue

  • Dizziness or neurological symptoms that haven't been explained

If you've been told everything looks normal and you still feel anything but — this work may be worth considering.

HOW I WORK

Getting to the emotional drivers

My approach draws on ISTDP and somatic methods to identify and work with the specific emotional processes maintaining physical symptoms. Research in this area is clear: when deeply held, previously avoided emotions are accessed and experienced — rather than suppressed or routed through the body — somatic symptoms frequently diminish or resolve.

This isn't pain management. It's working with what's actually generating the pain.

In practice:

  • We explore the emotional conflicts, stressors, and unresolved experiences that preceded or coincide with symptoms

  • We work directly with what's happening in the body in real time — tracking sensation, tension, and physical response as a window into underlying emotional experience

  • We pay attention to what happens to symptoms as emotional material is processed — often the body's response itself becomes diagnostic, confirming the connection between emotional and physical experience

This work requires curiosity and a willingness to consider the mind-body connection seriously. It is not for everyone. But for people who have exhausted medical explanations and are open to a different kind of inquiry, it can produce change that nothing else has.

People who do this work often experience reductions in pain frequency and intensity that they hadn't achieved through medical treatment alone. Beyond the physical relief, there's frequently a broader shift: less anxiety, greater emotional range, improved sleep, and a clearer sense of what they're actually feeling and needing — things that chronic pain had quietly suppressed for years.

The goal isn't to prove that your pain was psychological. It's to help you feel better — in your body, and in your life.

What Therapy Can Offer

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? Take a look at the FAQ or reach out anytime.

  • Therapy can help by addressing emotional stress, nervous system dysregulation, and psychological factors that contribute to the persistence of pain.

  • No. Chronic pain is real and complex. Therapy recognizes the interaction between emotional processes, the nervous system, and physical symptoms.

  • I work with stress-related pain, tension headaches, migraines, fibromyalgia, and pain that persists despite medical treatment.

  • Yes. Many clients experience reductions in pain intensity, improved functioning, and better quality of life through therapy

  • Yes. I provide chronic pain-focused teletherapy for adults in Washington, DC

Get Help Today
Get Help Today