Therapy for chronic pain and illness in NYC

Medicine often separates the body from the mind - emphasizing medical doctors for the physical symptoms and mental health providers for thoughts and feelings. In reality, however, physical and mental health are deeply entwined and supporting your mental health can offer relief for a range of physical symptoms.  

Living with a chronic illness or chronic pain condition is taxing and requires a constant balancing act between active coping and radical acceptance. Navigating a new diagnosis or maintaining harmony in life with an existing condition can feel challenging.

Working with a trained chronic pain or illness psychotherapist can help relieve stress associated with health conditions, learn new and effective coping skills to reduce symptoms or pain levels, and improve your overall quality of life. If you’re interested in learning more about therapy for chronic pain and illness, book a free 15-minute consultation today.

 

Why therapy for chronic pain is important

Chronic pain affects roughly 1 out of every 5 adults in the United States, leading to difficulty maintaining hobbies, relationships, family obligations, school or work performance, and basic self-care tasks. Despite high prevalence rates and the undeniable burden individuals with chronic pain conditions must manage, chronic pain is often dismissed and undertreated.

While chronic pain has historically been treated by medical professionals only, current research has clarified that chronic pain is caused and maintained by both physical and psychological factors. Since chronic pain involves both the mind and the body, the treatment of chronic pain requires more than just medical care for pain management.

Psychotherapy for chronic pain can help reduce the frequency and intensity of pain signaling, provide tools and strategies to help manage pain symptoms, and improve quality of life. Beyond pain management, therapy can also address the ways in which pain symptoms impact other areas of your life - relationships, work, self-esteem, and beyond.

 

Understanding therapy for chronic illness

Chronic health conditions that can impact mental health

Many health conditions can actually first show up as mental health conditions, presenting as symptoms of depression and anxiety, disrupting sleep or causing nightmares, altering mood and energy levels, or impacting concentration and memory. 

Some chronic health conditions with co-occurring mental health symptoms:

  • Autoimmune conditions (e.g, IBD, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis) 

  • Chronic viral conditions (CFS/ME, Long COVID)

  • Headache and migraine conditions

  • Chronic pain, musculoskeletal conditions, hypermobility conditions

  • Dysautonomia & POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome)

  • Endometriosis, PCOS, CPID, other women’s health conditions 

  • Thyroid disorders

  • Cardiovascular conditions

 

Effects of chronic pain & chronic illness on your mental health

  • Self-denial & self-criticism

  • Feeling shame or like a burden or failure

  • Difficulty adjusting to new diagnoses

  • Depression and anxiety

  • Impaired sleep due to symptoms and pain

  • Medical gaslighting, medical trauma, and complex PTSD

  • Invalidation from friends, loved ones, and colleagues (e.g.,“But you don’t look sick”)

  • Health anxiety and avoidance of health-maintaining behaviors

  • Social isolation

  • Reduced quality of life

  • Kinesiophobia (fear/avoidance of exercise and movement)

  • Worries about the future and difficulties being present

  • Grief about physical limitations, illness progression, or quality of life changes

  • Body image challenges due to physical changes (e.g., hair loss, weight fluctuations, scarring, wearable medical devices, mobility changes)

  • Self-gaslighting due to unclear diagnoses or normal test results

 

How can talk therapy help with chronic pain & chronic illness?

Example therapy goals

  • Nervous system regulation practices to improve distress tolerance and reduce pain sensitization

  • Relaxation training techniques to reduce muscle guarding and chronic tension

  • Targeting kinesiophobia (fear/avoidance of movement and exercise) to improve physical conditioning

  • Increasing understanding of invisible illnesses and dynamic disabilities

  • Challenging internalized ableism

  • Developing individualized pacing strategies to manage energy levels and reduce symptom flares

  • Mindfulness and meditation to reduce chronic pain

  • Increasing self-acceptance and improving body image

  • Practicing self-advocacy and identifying appropriate accommodations for work/school

  • Growing your support network and building an understanding healthcare team 

  • Identifying unique strengths and developing healthy emotional resilience

 

Types of therapy for chronic health conditions

Mindfulness

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Integrative Therapy

Multicultural Therapy

 

Chronic pain & illness mental health therapists in NYC

Working with a therapist who understands the nuances of chronic pain is vital to finding relief and improvement. Oftentimes, providers lack the adequate knowledge to understand chronic panic leading to feelings of self-doubt.

Not only can invalidation actually worsen pain symptoms and contribute to depression and anxiety, but these experiences also drive many chronic pain patients away from medical settings, altogether. Avoiding care isn’t the answer and we want you to feel seen, heard, and cared for with well-informed, professional support.

While your physician may be working with you to find ways to address the pain itself, our team of psychologists at Manhattan Therapy Collective are trained in a range of evidence-based therapy approaches to help you address the mental health side of chronic health conditions. We encourage you to reach out for support - we’d love to connect with you and answer your questions.