Therapists in San Francisco, CA
Dr. Manisha Sudindranath
Psychologist, PsyD
Verified Verified
San Francisco, CA 94105
Some of us experience extremely challenging, even terrible things in life, or we are not able to get over the pain or losses we have experienced in the past. I have studied and trained in the treatment of traumatic disturbances for over a decade and am passionate about helping people resolve symptoms that include: reliving or avoiding memories, negative moods and thoughts, and sometimes "dissociation" (feeling detached from oneself and others). I offer an effective psychotherapy method known as EMDR for addressing such symptoms, along with a compassionate, culturally sensitive approach to issues.
Some of us experience extremely challenging, even terrible things in life, or we are not able to get over the pain or losses we have experienced in the past. I have studied and trained in the treatment of traumatic disturbances for over a decade and am passionate about helping people resolve symptoms that include: reliving or avoiding memories, negative moods and thoughts, and sometimes "dissociation" (feeling detached from oneself and others). I offer an effective psychotherapy method known as EMDR for addressing such symptoms, along with a compassionate, culturally sensitive approach to issues.
Online Therapists
Dr. Ranjan Patel
Marriage & Family Therapist, PsyD, MFT, CPC
Verified Verified
1 Endorsed
Burlingame, CA 94010 (Online Only)
Psychotherapy is a sacred process where you trust the therapist and make a pact to enter a private world of pain. You're visiting this site and seeking help: I admire that you're acknowledging your needs-this reflects your strength and commitment to yourself. Rather than avoiding, you're confronting stuff--it takes extraordinary courage. We are born resilient, and though we might feel deflated, life cannot knock this resilience out of us. With your resourcefulness, you're looking for a therapist . . . you're reading this sentence, and you're taking the first step . . . congratulations!
Psychotherapy is a sacred process where you trust the therapist and make a pact to enter a private world of pain. You're visiting this site and seeking help: I admire that you're acknowledging your needs-this reflects your strength and commitment to yourself. Rather than avoiding, you're confronting stuff--it takes extraordinary courage. We are born resilient, and though we might feel deflated, life cannot knock this resilience out of us. With your resourcefulness, you're looking for a therapist . . . you're reading this sentence, and you're taking the first step . . . congratulations!
See more therapy options for San Francisco
Nearby Chronic Pain Therapists Searches for San Francisco
- Alameda
- Albany
- Berkeley
- Daly City
- Emeryville
- Mill Valley
- Oakland
- Piedmont
- San Bruno
- Sausalito
- South San Francisco
- Tiburon
Chronic Pain Therapists
How does chronic pain therapy work?
Engaging with a psychotherapist to help treat chronic pain does not mean that one’s pain is all in their head. Therapy for chronic-pain patients has been shown to benefit both the mind and the body, targeting physical symptoms and increasing daily functioning. In other words, for many, addressing their emotional health through therapy affects their physical health. A therapist can help a client challenge unhelpful thoughts about pain and develop new ways to respond to it, such as distraction or calming breathing techniques. Studies have found that therapy can be as effective as surgery for certain cases of chronic pain and many doctors recommend trying psychotherapy in advance of considering invasive surgery.
What are the most effective treatment options for chronic pain?
Stress, anxiety, depression, catastrophizing, ruminating, lack of activity, and social withdrawal all make chronic pain worse. Addressing these issues, research shows, can help people gain control over their pain symptoms. Therapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback, and mindfulness-based stress reduction, along with greater pain-management education, have been found to help people reduce fear and disability.
Are there new treatments for chronic pain?
Many cases of chronic pain, particularly those involving back pain, remain medically unexplained. But there is evidence that changes in the brain or nervous system are caused by previous physical ailments such as tissue damage; in such cases, the brain may continue to send out pain signals despite the physical cause having healed. To aid patients under these circumstances, a recently developed treatment known as pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) is designed to help the brain “unlearn” this response. A PRT practitioner helps individuals to reduce the “threat value” of their ongoing pain signals until they can reappraise them as less threatening and fear-inducing. They also help an individual to develop new emotional regulation skills.
How long does therapy for chronic pain take?
There is no set timeline for recovery from chronic pain, especially as there may be a range of physical and psychological causes for any individual’s discomfort, but most patients should expect to see a therapist for a number of weeks or months, typically spanning at least 12 sessions. Studies of pain reprocessing therapy found that many individuals’ experience of pain lessened in eight sessions over four weeks.