Resources for Healing

Sarah Rainwater contributed hugely to this Resources Section. Thank you so much Sarah!

By now, there are some resources available that are tuned in especially on Long Covid. Very many resources however focus on the underlying mechanism for a whole array of symptoms: TMS or Mind Body Syndrome.

Books
Practitioners & Experts
Terminology
Documentaries
Apps
Podcasts
Facebook Groups
Websites
Programs
Articles
Lecture Videos
YouTube Videos
Science

Mind Body Syndrome - CFS and Long Covid specifically

  • Breaking free from Chronic Fatigue and Long Covid Symptoms - A guide to recovering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Long Covid Symptoms by Jan Rothney: this book is right on spot if you ask me, as to how these symptoms appear, how they persist and become chronic and how you can fully and completely recover from them. Here's a more detailed descpription of what the book covers by Jan herself: https://www.resettothrive.co.uk/breaking-free-jan-rothney

TMS / Mind Body Syndrome - General resources

  • Unlearn Your Pain by Dr. Schubiner. "Do you suffer from chronic pain that appears to have no medical cause? Many of us suffer needlessly from pain diagnosed as migraines, tension headaches, fibromyalgia, or chronic neck, back, abdominal, and pelvic pain, when the real cause is Mind Body Syndrome.Using cutting-edge research, this book demonstrates that the underlying reason for much chronic pain is nerve sensitization and learned nerve pathways, rather than actual tissue destruction. Dr. Schubiner has used this new understanding to develop a unique program to actually reverse pain and research studies support the effectiveness of the program. By reading this book, you’ll be able to determine if you have this syndrome and then learn how to overcome it. The program in this book gives you therapeutic writing exercises, a CD with four meditations, and everything else you need to unlearn your pain." You can order the book here.
    A documentary with Schubiner is linked below in the “Documentaries” section called This Might Hurt. He also writes a blog on Psychology Today. 
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  • Hidden From View by Howard Schubiner and Allan Abbass Mostly written for other doctors and how to talk to patients about their neural pathways.
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  • The Mind Body Prescription, Healing the Body, Healing the Pain by Dr. John Sarno.
    "    Dr. Sarno reveals how many painful conditions-including most neck and back pain, migraine, repetitive stress injuries, whiplash, and tendonitises-are rooted in repressed emotions, and shows how they can be successfully treated without drugs, physical measures, or surgery."
    Note: You will notice that Dr. John Sarno will be mentioned in a lot of these pieces. He is the pioneer, and like I mentioned earlier, more sophisticated brain imaging has shed light on this subject and the vocabulary and information is more vast now, than it was with Sarno, but whatever... he was a genius and did not get the credit he deserved. Also, there are many other books on the topic. 
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  • "The Divided Mind is the crowning achievement of Dr. John E. Sarno's distinguished career as a groundbreaking medical pioneer, going beyond pain to address the entire spectrum of psychosomatic (mindbody) disorders. The interaction between the generally reasonable, rational, ethical, moral conscious mind and the repressed feelings of emotional pain, hurt, sadness, and anger characteristic of the unconscious mind appears to be the basis for mindbody disorders. One of the most important aspects of psychosomatic phenomena is that knowledge and awareness of the process clearly have healing powers. Thousands of people have become pain-free simply by reading Dr. Sarno's books."
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  • Healing Back Pain, The Mind-Body Connection by Dr. John Sarno. More than simple back pain information, full of education for many chronic ailments. "After identifying stress and other psychological factors in back pain, he demonstrates how many of his patients have gone on to heal themselves without exercise or other physical therapy. Find out: Why self-motivated and successful people are prone to TMS; How anxiety and repressed anger trigger muscle spasms; How people "train themselves" to experience back pain; How you may get relief from back pain within two to six weeks by recognizing TMS and its causes. With case histories and the results of in-depth mind-body research, Dr. Sarno describes how patients recognize the emotional roots of their TMS and sever the connections between mental and physical pain... and how, just by reading this book, you may start recovering from back pain today."
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  • Chronic Pain: Your Key to Recovery by Georgie Oldfield MCSP can be ordered here.
    ‍    " Current treatment approaches for chronic pain are aimed at ‘management’ based on the belief that pain is due to a physical abnormality. However, the concept on which this cutting edge book is based is on the understanding that our body has an innate ability to heal itself and that persistent pain is part of a learned response via the brain and nervous system as part of an automatic, but maladapted, stress response. The concept and self-empowering approach explained in the book is backed up by ground-breaking research that supports the body’s response to stress as a plausible root of many common complaints, including; back pain, sciatica, migraines, fibromyalgia, repetitive strain injuries, digestive disorders and many medically unexplained symptoms. The life-changing approach explained in this book has inspired many health care professionals and sufferers alike, providing a radical and practical self-help tool to assist in the identification of causes of pain and putting you on the all-important path to recovery."
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  • The Meaning of Truth by Nicole Sachs Focuses is on unconscious mind journaling and more. People love her! When you read this book, it almost sounds as if Nicole is speaking to you directly. It is so powerful and full of understanding.
    "Aches and pains, worries and obsessions, fear and shame can be our constant companions, and we so seldom take the time to focus on why they stick around. There are reasons - real, medical ones, that you have problems and conditons that you can't seem to kick. There are also possibilities you haven't yet discovered on how to heal yourself, completely. Sickness is not a given, although we are often led to believe it is. This book is an invitation for you to decide. You can be your greatest champion, and do something different to affect the way you think and feel."
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  • Dr. Joshua Pate will be publishing a series of children's books soon. Here is Ted-Ed with Dr. Pate: "The mysterious Science of Pain". Also, two books I recommend for teaching kids (and you) about their brain, specifically their amygdala, are Hey Warrior and Hey Awesome. The authors break this science down well. 
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  • They Can’t Find Anything Wrong by David D. Clarke. Argues that the cause of a variety of health problems is stress and offers case studies and information on treating physical symptoms that occur in the body from high levels of stress.
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  • The Great Pain Deception (Faulty medical advice is making us worse) by Steven Ray Ozanich. Back pain, knee pain, shoulder pain, hand and foot pain, rarely come from herniated discs and joint failures. Pain, such as fibromyalgia, is a deception of the mind created by the brain to keep dark, threatening, and sad emotions from entering consciousness. The vast majority of pains and symptoms emanate from a mindbody process stemming from a personality of perfectionism. However, pain is not "in the mind" of the sufferer--and is often misrepresented as such by people who reject a mindbody process for reasons of ego and monetary gain. Symptoms inside and outside of the body are primarily the result of emotional conflict hidden within the body and outside of awareness. Inside The Great Pain Deception Steve tells his compelling story of a 30-year battle with pain and ultimate healing after discovering Dr. Sarno’s work. After 10 years of research, Steve has conveyed an amazing testimonial of triumph over tragedy, an inspiring story of healing that is a must read if you suffer from any ailment from mild to severe.
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  • Back in Control by David Hanscom. In Back in Control, Dr. Hanscom focuses on an aspect of chronic pain that the medical world has largely overlooked: you must calm your nervous system in order to get better. Beyond any other book about back pain, Back in Control reveals how to quiet a turbocharged central nervous system and make a full recovery. His life-changing system has helped hundreds of patients heal their pain. These patients’ stories, as well as his own, show that you can take charge of your care and set yourself on the road to a healthy, rich and full life.
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  • Painless: A Novel about the Chronic Pain and the Mind Body Connection 
    ‍    Curious about the sudden disappearance of her debilitating back pain, Deborah dives deep into an international adventure to discover the truth about the Mindbody connection. Can she navigate the medical maze and demystify the experience of chronic pain for others? Will they believe that Thought is the 'Missing Link'? Painless is an inspiring novel about the connection between stress, chronic pain, and the gift of thought.“Painless” has the potential to awaken fresh hope to the millions of people worldwide who spend the majority of every day enveloped and overwhelmed by their experience of pain. This state when left unabated often results in permanent disability and all too often in suicide. Chana does this with a clarity and certainty that would make Candace Pert Ph.D., the late pioneer in the oneness of the body-mind phenomenon, proud. William F. Pettit Jr, M.D., Retired Psychiatrist, Board Certified in Psychosomatic Medicine.
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  • When the Body Says No by Gabor Mate. Drawing on scientific research and the author's decades of experience as a practicing physician, this book provides answers to important questions about the effect of the mind-body link on illness and health and the role that chronic stress and one's individual emotional makeup play in an array of common diseases.
    Complete with The Seven A's of Healing – Once you’re ready to acknowledge underlying stress, Dr. Mate guides you forward with principles of healing, management, and the prevention of illness from hidden stress. Discover dozens of enlightening case studies and personal stories, including familiar names such as Lou Gehrig (ALS), Betty Ford (breast cancer), Ronald Reagan (Alzheimer's), Gilda Radner (ovarian cancer), and Lance Armstrong (testicular cancer). An impressive contribution to research on the physiological connection between life's chronic stress cycles, anxiety, and emotions and the body systems governing nerves, immune apparatus, and hormones.
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  • Alan Gordon LCSW and Alon Ziv, recently published a new book about pain reprocessing therapy called The Way Out ; A Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven Approach to Healing Chronic Pain.
    ‍    Alan Gordon, a psychotherapist and the founder of the Pain Psychology Center in Los Angeles, was in grad school when he started experiencing chronic pain and it completely derailed his life. He saw multiple doctors and received many diagnoses, but none of the medical treatments helped. Frustrated with conventional pain management, he developed Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), a mind-body protocol that eliminated his own chronic pain and has transformed the lives of thousands of his patients.PRT is rooted in neuroscience, which has shown that while chronic pain feels like it's coming from the body, in most cases it's generated by misfiring pain circuits in the brain. PRT is a system of psychological techniques that rewires the brain to break out of the cycle of chronic pain.The University of Colorado-Boulder recently conducted a large randomized controlled study on PRT, and the results are remarkable. By the end of the study, the majority of patients were pain-free or nearly pain-free. What's more, these dramatic changes held up over time. The Way Out brings PRT to readers. It combines accessible science with a concrete, step-by-step plan to teach sufferers how to heal their own chronic pain.
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  • The body keeps score (Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma) by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk. Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world’s foremost experts on trauma, has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.
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Practitioners for personal guidance (Long Covid specifically):

  • Lorna Nicholson from the UK offers an online service for Long Covid, as well as 1:1 sessions. Be sure to check out her You Tube clips, full of supportive and useful information and I'm sure you will appreciate her efforts for us (former) long-haulers as much as I do! Thank you Lorna. Here's her website.
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Practitioners for personal guidance (TMS and Mind Body Syndrome - general):

Other leading experts in the field of Mind Body Medicine:

  • Dr. John Sarno. Unfortunately he is no longer with us, but he is considered the founder of this work and we owe him credit for that, big time. He was wise enough to simply look at the physical complaints a patient would present to him and see the whole person, with their personalities and life stressors and see how these two (body and mind) interact with one another. Genius! http://www.thankyoudrsarno.org/
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  • Dr. Howard Schubiner. The next great expert in this field. Carried on Sarno's work en took it to the next level. Is doing loads of research on neuroplasticity and designed his own program for healing mind body syndrome, you can find it in de 'Program'-section. https://unlearnyourpain.com/
    ‍    Here is a link to Dr. Schubiner’s blog pieces in Psychology Today.
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  • Professor Lorimer Mosely is a clinical scientist investigating pain in humans. Check out this wonderfully illustrated website
    ‍    https://www.tamethebeast.org/#tame-the-beast
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  • Dr. Apkar Apkarian (Northwestern University). I’ve heard this guy is very popular right now in chronic pain studies using brain imaging.http://apkarianlab.northwestern.edu/
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  • Dr. David Hanscom
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  • Alan Gordon LCSW
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  • Nicole Sachs LCSW, “Disciple” of Sarno and lots of great content on Youtube, Facebook, podcast and Website. Seriously, many many people have healed with her work. She's a life saver, she saved mine that's for sure!
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  • Dan Buglio: Take the pain test: https://www.danbuglio.com/paintest
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  • Steven Ray Ozanich 
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  • Dani Fagan (She does great work with TMS related rehabilitation and her website has good information. Her program is listed in the “Programs'' tab.
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  • Dan Ratner:  https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/
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Note: There are many many many other doctors in this field and it is growing fast. Check out the Curable app and go to “Expert Interviews,” it’s a great start. Also, go to the “Lecture Videos” tab. Research on neuroplasticity has come a long way since Sarno. Yay! Check out the podcast Like Mind Like Body for other researchers and doctors on this subject too (it’s connected with the Curable app’s “Expert Interviews”).

  • This Might Hurt  Trailer HIGHLY RECOMMENDED if you are new to this. Focuses on Dr. Schubiner There are also live streaming events that I believe are free, and you can hear a Q&A with the directions and Dr. Schubiner at the end. Watch the film here. The website also has a great Long Covid recovery resources page: https://www.thismighthurtfilm.com/long-covid. During Q&As for the film This Might Hurt, Dr. Schubiner has reported that he has seen a few patients with Long Covid and has helped them recover using the same mind-body paradigm we explore in the film. He is cautiously optimistic that a significant portion of the millions with Long Covid have a neuroplastic, reversible condition. The film's makers Kent Bassett and Marion Cunningham also put together a very useful long covid neuroplastic and mind-body resources page: https://www.thismighthurtfilm.com/long-covid
  • All the Rage: Saved by Sarno Trailer. Focuses on Dr. Sarno Watch the film here.
  • What on Earth is Going On? An undeniable truth. A documentary on Thomas Overvik's recovery from ME/CFS. I had already seen some documentaries and I had a hunch this story would end well, but I still found it abolutely gripping and impressive to see what the mind can do. Also contains good explanations by Phill Parker (Lightning Process) and Vanessa Cecil. https://www.recoverynorway.org/an-undeniable-truth
  • Pain Brain Trailer I’m not sure, but I think it will focus on Alon Gordon. Features some of the Psychophysiologic Disorder Association team. That association is listed under the “Programs” tab.
  • Placebo Effect As Good As Surgery
  • BBC Documentary with Lorimer Mosely. This is only a clip, I’m trying to find the full documentary.  https://www.youtube.com/watch
  • Curable--Is a great app with awesome expert interviews. The scientific advisory board is outstanding! Dr. Sacks and Schubiner are on it, as well as many other great doctors. Also, check out the “Success Stories” on this app too. I was thrilled when I saw this venture start up! And Curable is probably one reason Mind Body programs are becoming more widespread (Nicole Sachs has been an important advocate as well in pushing this forward). They offer some outstanding programs and workshops. Yay! https://www.curablehealth.com/
  • The Cure for Chronic Pain with Nicole Sachs, especially Episode 122 - Recovery From Covid Long Haul with Lieke. https://podcasts.apple.com/is/podcast/episode-122-recovery-from-covid-long-haul-with-lieke Nicole focuses a lot on expressive writing, but all of these resources are related. She worked directly with Sarno. She has a lot of healed people on her show and that helps a lot with belief. Belief is a significant step in healing (see the healing process of Sarah Rainwater on the Homepage).
  • Or listen to this great podcast of Nicole Sachs with Kurt, a conversation between two wise people that can really help you "put BOTH feet into the emotional realm" and Accept that this is how it works:
    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-159-recovery-from-long-covid-with-kurt
  • And another podcast by Nicole Sachs with Jessica on her long covid recovery and releasing fear: this is so powerful!: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-169-long-covid-recovery-and-releasing-fear
  • Here's Lorna Nicholson, talking to Jackie Baxter on the Long Covid Podcast, about what she believes is the cause for Long Covid, and I couldn't agree more, it's so insightful and bright, listen to it on: https://www.buzzsprout.com/
  • And here's Esther's recovery story on the Long Covid Podcast with the lovely Jackie Baxter, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/32-esthers-recovery-story. This podcast has many more helpful episodes that you may wanna listen to.
  • Tell Me about your Pain with Alan Gordon. People love this podcast. They are doing a great job with neuroplastic brain work education. For you analytical skeptics types... you will probably like this podcast. His focus on making your brain feel safe. A lack of unconscious safety is, more or less, making your brain “stuck”, and that shows up as physical pain. 
  • Like Mind Like Body with Curable. Fabulous expert interviews. Really great digestible education for this approach to healing. They focus a lot on somatic tracking.
  • The Mind and Fitness Podcast with Eddy Lindenstein I've not listened to this myself, but it’s another place to get good information. People seem to really like it. I also think Eddie focuses on people who want to get back to sports, fitness, and physical activities. 
  • So here is a podcast we've been waiting for! It's solely focuses on Long Covid and positively geared towards recovery, check out Jackie Baxter's Long Covid Podcast here https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/long-covid-podcast
  • And here's a transcript of Dr. Lorimer Mosely's podcast on the Biopsychosocial model of pain. https://integrativepainscienceinstitute.com/latest_podcast/the-biopsychosocial-model-of-pain-with-dr-lorimer-moseley-2/
  • Note: With all of these, you might benefit from starting from the beginning of the podcast series as they lay the groundwork for brain science. Many of them are related and are mentioned in each other’s work.
  • Here's a Facebook group, for Long Covid recovery, with lots of resources, by Lorna Nicholson from the UK, which is very helpful and supportive: https://www.facebook.com/.
  • Curable-- group with expert interviews, information, and videos with the amazing Dr. Stracks.
  • Curable Community-- place for people to talk about their ailments and support each other.
  • Tell Me About Your Pain-- science behind neurology and chronic issues. Alan Gordon is doing great work here.
  • Tell Me About Your Pain Community-- place for people to talk about their ailments and support each other.
  • TMS The Mind Body Syndrome-- smaller group, but one of the first, and the one I have been a part of the longest. Mostly focused around Sarno’s work. Since this group has been around the longest, I’ve noticed that there are more people in this group who are healed than there seems to be in the other groups, so you might find more “veterans” here. Nicole Sachs’s group has been around awhile as well. In order to join this group you have to read one of the main books: Sarno, Schubiner or Ozanich. 
  • Pain Free You
  • John Sarno Support Group
  • Note: Search these groups for your particular ailment. You will most likely find healing/healed people. And people who have healed from other virus neuro-changing events in their life such as Covid. Lyme disease is in these groups often, POTS as well, along with CFS/ME. But don’t forget, you don’t want to get hung up on your symptoms, it’s about your brain, not your pain, so go ahead and search your symptom, but eventually you will need to move past being hung up on your symptom, and instead lean into your emotional state (the emotions got you into this, the emotions will get you out).
  • Here's one of the first programmes that I've heard of that's specifically designed for Long Covid recovery, by Lorna Nicholson from the UK. She's done lots of work on POTS and other stress induced maladies and is now turning her excperience to Long Covid recovery by calming down an overactive nervous system, starting out with your breathing and then more. I'm so happy she reached out to me, so I can tell you about it! Be sure to take a look: http://lornanpilates.co.uk/pots-long-covid-rehab
  • Rosa's experience of the Lightning Process for Long Covid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxHCQ2utoeI
  • The Reset to Thrive online training program by Jan Rothney is another great addition to the growing body of online resources out there, that you can use to fully and completely recover. Jan knows exactly what she's talking about, having lived through Chronic Fatigue herself, and fully recovered from it. And she know this works exactly the same as Long Covid does. Take a look here: https://www.resettothrive.co.uk/online-training-programme
  • Here's George's recovery story using the Gupta Program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIoQohjESJc
  • Curable App A great place to start and maybe all you will need, but you have to be diligent about using it daily, that’s why programs and doctor appointments are sometimes better because you have accountability. They also offer group programs and workshops on their website. 
  • Curable Groups If I was really new to this work nowadays, I would probably try this. You also get a couple of chances to talk with some professional doctors (listed above) in a small group, which I think is really cool.
  • Curable Workshops Cheaper than groups, but more expensive than the basic app. 
  • Nicole Sachs’s programs and retreats Again, she has a huge following with lots of success. Great podcasts with lovely information right from Sarno.
  • Alan Gordons 21 Day Recovery Program Free
  • Freedom from Chronic Pain Schubiner is a part of this… yay! Click on programs and pricing. This looks like an awesome program.
  • Howard Schubiner’s Mind Body Program There are links to research papers, etc. here.  
  • Dani Fagan Yoga and breath work for TMS Great for people with chronic pain issues who are afraid to move their bodies. You will need to move your body because you need to rewire your neural pathways and tell your brain movement is safe, this is a great option for people in this predicament. People seem to love Dani Fagan. She has cool recovery stories on her website, and some good information as well.
  • Here's the wonderful SIRPA products that are available and very applicable to Long Covid as well, by Georgie Oldfield and partners, drawing on dr. Sarno's work. This website also has many recovery stories for your encouragement. Be sure to check it out!
  • The Lightning Process by Phill Parker has many Long Covid recovery stories: https://lightningprocess.com/tag/long-covid/
  • Dr. Stracks. Takes virtual appointments from Chicago. Insurance may reimburse. He has a monthly newsletter with great information and links. And weekly discussion groups with guest speakers. A lot of his stuff is posted on the Curable app Facebook page. He is in Chicago. I believe he does fairly priced group classes as well. And workshops.
  • Tame the Beast Program by Professor Lorimer Mosely from the UK.
  • TMS Coaches They are listed in the TMSwiki or you may have people respond to help you in the Facebook groups.
  • Pain Psychology Center Alan Gordon, mentioned above, is the executive director for this center.
  • Psychophysiologic Disorders Association People link this a lot in the Facebook Groups I am a part of. I do not know much about it, but take a look, you might like it. I believe it will be featured in the film Pain Brain (trailer link in “Documentary” section above).
  • Be your own medicine course. Be Your Own Medicine is a live, 8-week course to teach you how to recover from mind-body symptoms, including Long Covid, chronic fatigue, brain fog, body pain, digestive issues, insomnia, headaches and other symptoms caused by the brain and nervous system. This gentle but systematic program includes brain science, somatic meditations, writing exercises and other ways to regulate your nervous system. Rebecca Tolin is a mind-body coach who recovered from 13 years of ME/CFS.
    Here is Rebecca's own 'story.  And here's a podcast with Rebecca too. 
  • ISTDP Intensive Short Term Dynamic TherapyA lot of people with chronic pain say great things about Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy and it is in line with TMS methods.There is a great podcast with Allan Abbass (wrote Hidden From View) on the Curable app. He mentions this strategy and speaks highly of it. I’ve been meaning to try it myself.
  • EMDR Eye Movement Desensitization and ReprocessingI’ve noticed that a lot of people in the chronic pain Facebook groups mention this strategy as well.
  • Dan Buglio. I hear great things about Dan Buglio’s program also.