Therapy for Chronic Pain in Evanston, IL

Somatic Trauma Therapy for Chronic Pain & Chronic Illness

Body-based therapy for adults living with persistent pain, nervous system dysregulation, and trauma. Available in Evanston and online throughout Illinois.

If you live with chronic pain, you may have heard:

“It’s stress.”
“It’s anxiety.”
“It’s in your head.”

Chronic pain is real.

And it is deeply connected to the nervous system.

I provide specialized therapy that addresses chronic pain using somatic trauma therapy and EMDR to support adults navigating persistent pain, medical trauma, and chronic illness.

How is Chronic Pain Addressed in Therapy?

In our sessions, chronic pain is not about dismissing medical causes.

It is about addressing the nervous system patterns that can amplify pain signals long after an injury, illness, or stressor has occurred.

Research in pain neuroscience shows that trauma and prolonged stress can increase central sensitization — a process in which the brain and spinal cord become more reactive to pain signals.

Institutions such as Harvard Medical School and Stanford University School of Medicine have contributed to research exploring how stress physiology impacts pain perception.

In therapy, we focus on calming the survival response that keeps the body braced and inflamed.

The Trauma–Chronic Pain Connection

The landmark Adverse Childhood Experiences research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention demonstrated strong correlations between early trauma exposure and increased risk of chronic pain and inflammatory conditions in adulthood.

Trauma can alter:

  • Autonomic nervous system regulation

  • Stress hormone patterns

  • Immune system functioning

  • Pain processing pathways

When the nervous system remains in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn for extended periods, muscles guard, inflammation rises, and pain thresholds decrease.

This does not mean pain is “psychological.”
It means pain is neurobiological.

Complex Trauma & CPTSD

Conditions Often Linked to Trauma & Nervous System Dysregulation

Therapy for chronic pain can support individuals living with:

  • Fibromyalgia

  • Chronic migraines or tension headaches

  • TMJ

  • Pelvic pain

  • Chronic neck and back pain

  • IBS and digestive disorders

  • Endometriosis

  • Autoimmune-related pain

  • Chronic fatigue

  • Long COVID–related nervous system symptoms

Not all chronic pain originates from trauma.
But unresolved trauma can intensify and prolong pain cycles.

How Somatic Trauma Therapy Can Help Reduce Chronic Pain

Somatic trauma therapy works with the body rather than against it.

In therapy, we focus on:

  • Reducing muscular guarding

  • Increasing nervous system flexibility

  • Supporting vagal tone and regulation

  • Processing medical trauma

  • Decreasing fear-based pain spirals

  • Building pacing and energy awareness

Clients often report:

  • Decreased intensity of pain flares

  • Faster recovery from stress

  • Improved sleep

  • Reduced anxiety around symptoms

  • Greater sense of control and embodiment

This work complements — not replaces — medical care.

Somatic Trauma Therapy

EMDR Therapy for Chronic Pain & Medical Trauma

When chronic pain is connected to:

  • Injury trauma

  • Surgical trauma

  • Medical gaslighting

  • Repeated invasive procedures

  • Sudden illness onset

EMDR therapy can help process the nervous system imprint of these experiences.

I integrate EMDR with somatic stabilization to ensure trauma processing does not overwhelm the body.

Learn more about EMDR Therapy & Intensives

EMDR & Intensives

ADHD Burnout & Chronic Pain

Adults with ADHD are often living in chronic stress cycles.

Years of masking, overcompensating, and pushing through exhaustion can contribute to:

  • Muscle tension

  • Headaches

  • Digestive issues

  • Immune vulnerability

  • Burnout-related pain

Therapy for chronic pain within a neurodivergent-affirming framework addresses both the physiological stress patterns and identity-based exhaustion.

Explore ADHD Burnout Therapy for additional support.

ADHD & Burnout Therapy

What Sessions Are Like

Therapy for chronic pain is paced and collaborative.

We may use:

  • Gentle nervous system regulation exercises

  • Sensory tracking

  • Breathwork adapted for pain conditions

  • Micro-movement

  • Trauma processing (when appropriate)

  • Psychoeducation on pain neuroscience

You remain in control of the pace.
We prioritize safety and stabilization.

Who Is a Good Fit for Chronic Pain Therapy?

This approach may be a good fit if you:

  • Live with persistent pain despite medical treatment

  • Notice pain worsens with stress

  • Feel dismissed or invalidated by providers

  • Have a history of trauma or medical trauma

  • Experience ADHD burnout alongside pain

  • Want body-based therapy, not just cognitive coping tools

Frequently Asked Questions About Chronic Pain & Somatic Therapy

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If you are searching for therapy that supports treatment for chronic pain, integrates somatic trauma therapy and EMDR, this approach addresses both the physical and nervous system components of persistent pain.

  • Yes. Research shows that trauma and prolonged stress can alter the nervous system and increase pain sensitivity. When the body remains in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn for extended periods, muscles may stay braced and the nervous system can become sensitized.

    Large-scale findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study demonstrate correlations between early trauma exposure and increased risk of chronic pain conditions in adulthood.

    This does not mean pain is “psychological.” It means pain is influenced by neurobiology.

  • Somatic therapy works directly with the nervous system. Chronic pain is often intensified by ongoing stress activation, muscular guarding, and central sensitization.

    Somatic trauma therapy may help by:

    • Reducing fight-or-flight activation

    • Increasing nervous system flexibility

    • Decreasing muscular tension

    • Supporting vagal regulation

    • Reducing fear-based pain spirals

    This approach complements medical treatment rather than replacing it.

  • Central sensitization is a nervous system process in which the brain and spinal cord amplify pain signals, even after an injury has healed. Research from institutions such as Stanford University School of Medicine has explored how stress physiology impacts pain processing pathways.

    When the nervous system is dysregulated, pain thresholds may lower and flare-ups may occur more easily.

    Somatic therapy helps calm this amplification response.

  • Somatic therapy may support individuals living with fibromyalgia, autoimmune conditions, IBS, migraines, and other chronic pain disorders by addressing stress-related nervous system activation.

    While therapy cannot cure medical conditions, reducing chronic stress reactivity can decrease symptom intensity and improve resilience.

  • Living with chronic illness can involve medical trauma, repeated procedures, diagnostic uncertainty, and experiences of dismissal by providers. These experiences can impact psychological safety and nervous system regulation.

    Trauma-informed therapy can help process these experiences and reduce secondary stress.

  • EMDR can be effective when chronic pain is connected to traumatic injury, surgical trauma, medical procedures, or distressing health experiences.

    I integrate EMDR with somatic stabilization to ensure trauma processing is safe and regulated for the nervous system.

  • Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, increasing inflammation, muscle tension, and pain perception. When stress becomes chronic, the body may struggle to return to baseline.

    Somatic therapy helps retrain the nervous system to move out of survival mode more efficiently.

  • No. Chronic pain is real and measurable. However, the brain and nervous system play a central role in how pain is processed and amplified.

    Research in pain neuroscience demonstrates that psychological stress and trauma exposure can alter pain pathways — but that does not make the pain imaginary.

    A trauma-informed, somatic approach addresses the nervous system component of pain.

  • Somatic trauma therapy may support individuals experiencing:

    • Chronic migraines

    • Tension headaches

    • TMJ

    • Pelvic pain

    • Chronic back or neck pain

    • IBS and gut-brain conditions

    • Fibromyalgia

    • Stress-related autoimmune flares

    Not all chronic pain is trauma-based, but nervous system regulation can reduce amplification.

  • No. Even without a clear trauma history, chronic stress, burnout, or prolonged illness can dysregulate the nervous system. Somatic therapy supports regulation regardless of the original cause.

Therapy for Chronic Pain in Evanston & Online in Illinois

  • In-person chronic pain therapy in Evanston

  • Online therapy throughout Illinois

  • Integrated somatic therapy + EMDR

  • Neurodivergent-affirming and LGBTQ+ affirming care

You Deserve Relief That Addresses Your Entire Nervous System

Chronic pain is exhausting.

Not just physically — emotionally.

If you are ready to explore a trauma-informed, body-based approach to chronic pain therapy in Evanston, schedule a consultation.

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