
photo: Andrew Kovalev
I am a physical therapist by training, but have become a psychologist by experience. Working with people from 9 to 90 years old and from the peak of athletic performance to the lows of neural rehab, I have come to see pain, emotion, attitude and perception in a new light. I have seen 250 pound rugby players squirm at the thought of a needle and polite 70 year old English ladies drop F-bombs while I loosen their hip. I have seen confident CEOs get lost in pain and happy go lucky blue collar workers shift into deep depressions after car accidents and battles with insurance companies. Chronic pain can have many sources and only some of them are physical; unfortunately it is usually only the physical issues that get addressed and the people that could use some help cognitively are the least likely ones to pursue that type of care.
This website is geared toward helping you with the physical side of pain, posture, prevention and performance, but to get the most out of it you will need to be mentally open to change in your body. I have created a page on the right side bar called Books to Read that recommends books that I have found particularly helpful. Here they are again for you:
The following are books that I have read and found very useful in my life. To understand your body and your pain you first need to understand yourself and make sense of your life; this is a missing element in many people that suffer from chronic pain. Most people are open to seeking physical therapy for their pain issues, but much more reluctant to seek any cognitive therapy. I recommend the following books to help you:
Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation