Chronic Pain & Physical Disability
Articles in this section focus on work with clients whose bodies place ongoing, non-negotiable demands on their psychological worlds. They dive into complex topics, including grief over lost abilities, medical trauma, ableism, and how physical conditions intersect with depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns. Contributors explore practical frameworks and case-based reflections to help clients renegotiate their relationship with pain and restore agency.
Despite its pervasiveness, medical trauma often goes unrecognized. Read more
If most chronic pain is maintained by complex mind–body interactions, how can therapists help treat it? Read more
Only one percent of patients suffering from acute back pain have a significant structural abnormality in their back, and a remarkably low percentage of back... Read more
This is the story of one of the most turbulent storms in my personal and professional life. After the storm, I learned there’s something about healing from... Read more
When Maggie Phillips and Peter Levine co-authored Freedom from Pain, they aimed to explore what’s been missing from the field’s treatment of chronic... Read more
Coauthor of Freedom from Pain, Maggie has found that Attachment Theory is a useful framework for understanding the unreleased trauma that often lies at the... Read more
Maggie Phillips describes how attachment issues can play a big part in unreleased trauma. Read more
More and more chronic pain patients are being referred to therapists after their physicians conclude that they show every appearance of being healed. Read more
Families facing a disabling illness often take refuge in a collective folie. Read more
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