Trauma and Chronic Pain Treatment Go Hand in Hand

If you’ve experienced a traumatic event and now have chronic pain issues, the two situations may be related. Traditional pain management approaches, such as physical therapy or daily medications, often don’t work as well as you’d like when the root cause of your discomfort is psychologically based. Thankfully, a comprehensive care approach with a clinical psychologist in Boise can help you finally find relief.

Understanding the Connection Between Trauma and Chronic Pain

One of the most common health issues experienced by people diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or complex post traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) is chronic pain. Whether the physical symptoms are uncomfortable flashbacks to pain incurred during a traumatic event, or they stem from physical reactions (muscle constriction, blood pressure elevation, lack of sleep, etc.), intrusive thoughts, or bad memories, they can be debilitating.

People who experience chronic pain from an illness or injury may also eventually develop depression and anxiety. Some people experiencing chronic pain for an extended period begin to grieve their lost abilities and wellness. Any time our expectations of life, and the reality of where we are, become vastly different, we grieve our hopes, dreams, and expectations.

Working with a skilled clinical psychologist can break the trauma-pain cycle, allowing you to get back to the activities that matter to you-perhaps quality sleep or being present with loved ones engaging in what you thought you’d have to give up forever-hiking, biking, skiing. With treatment we work to change the way that pain runs your life.

Understanding the Biopsychosocial Roots of Chronic Pain

Understanding the roots of your pain gives you new strategies for relief. This means looking closer at how you’re thinking and behaving, while managing pain. Pain can alter how you process information, disrupt work, limit physical abilities, and threaten independence.

A biopsychosocial approach to chronic pain management differs from your visits with your primary care physician, pain management doctor, or other healthcare team members who focus on physical pain reduction through movement, surgeries, or medications. These methods, although helpful to an extent, don’t acknowledge the psychological components of pain.

What is Pain Psychology?

Pain psychology is a specialized area of psychology that focuses on helping people with negative sensory and emotional experiences associated with chronic pain. We know that how we think and what we think directly affects how the brain processes pain.

A clinical psychologist can help you:

• Process traumatic thoughts, making them have less impact
• Understand how your emotions interact with pain
• Develop ways to relax and be more mindful
• Desensitize you to triggering memories that cause pain
• Identify what makes life meaningful, and set goals for increased integration
• Learn practical coping strategies when feeling pain
• Gain a sense of control over your chronic pain

Trauma affects pain perception. The nervous system stays in “alert” mode, which triggers stress hormones, causing inflammation and body sensitivities, amplifying common aches and pain. We can work together to get to the psychological roots (often based in trauma) of your chronic pain.

The Role of a Clinical Psychological Assessment in Pain Treatment

To get started with treatments, you’ll visit with Dr. Melissa Kremer for a psychological intake assessment. This helps us clearly understand your situation so we can offer compassionate support and a treatment plan designed to build your resilience both physically and emotionally.

This assessment becomes part of your healthcare toolbox, supplementing what you’re already doing with your healthcare team, to ultimately improve your health faster.

Chronic Pain Conditions We Treat in Boise

At Idaho Neuropsychology, we assist professionals experiencing chronic pain with potential trauma connections. We offer rapid access to specialized expertise around chronic pain management and comprehensive care.

Here are a few of the chronic pain conditions and situations we work with in our Boise clinic daily.

1. Post-Traumatic Pain Syndromes

A post-traumatic pain syndrome develops after you’ve experienced a physical injury or a trauma affecting your physical, cognitive, or emotional health. One example is complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), where the nervous system becomes hypersensitive after an injury or trauma. When someone develops CRPS or similar chronic pain conditions, psychological trauma and PTSD often develop alongside the physical symptoms. That’s what we treat—the co-occurring psychological conditions. Our therapies help you process trauma, develop effective coping strategies, and calm your nervous system’s heightened stress response, reducing how much pain controls your life.

2. Pain Following Medical Trauma or Accidents

If you’ve experienced a negative situation while being treated by a medical professional, or aren’t managing long-term chronic pain medical treatments well, you’re likely experiencing PTSD or C-PTSD. We can help you understand the root of the trauma, and heal.

3. Complex Pain Disorders

Complex chronic pain disorders such as neuropathy, chronic migraine, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis often cause widespread pain in the body, affecting many systems. This can lead to cognitive dysfunction, sleep issues, and mental stress. We work to diffuse these psychological side effects, to reduce the impact of your pain, however, we do not medically treat the disorder.

Why Choose a Clinical Psychologist for Chronic Pain in Boise

When you’re ready to stop feeling frustrated, and get to the root of your chronic pain, the talented team at Idaho Neuropsychology would love to meet with you. It’s time to look at the impact trauma, illness, or injury has on your body through the lens of psychology.

Board-Certified Expertise

We work as a team at Idaho Neuropsychology to problem-solve and offer ideas about how the brain and body work together. You’ll get top-quality care from our physicians and support staff.

Dr. Joseph “Audie” Black is the founder of Idaho Neuropsychology and a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist. Before founding the clinic in 2023, he worked at a level 1 trauma center in Pennsylvania and served as the lead neuropsychologist for several programs at St. Luke’s Health System.

Dr. Melissa Kremer is the Trauma Treatment Program Director and a Trauma (PTSD) Psychologist. She spent almost 15 years treating PTSD, pain and other diagnoses at the Boise VA Medical Center (VAMC), and was integral in building both outpatient and residential PTSD treatment programs. Additionally, Dr. Kremer built the telemental health (TMH) program at the Boise VA to expand care and access throughout the state, and train behavioral health providers on how to provide effective TMH care.

Rapid Access Without Referral Requirements

At Idaho Neuropsychology, you can book an appointment directly, and move forward with an assessment. We do not require preauthorizations or recommendations from other healthcare professionals to schedule an appointment for you.

Personalized Treatment Without Insurance Limitations

Your healing shouldn’t come with limits. That’s why we offer a private-pay model so you can schedule as many appointments as you need to reach your mental health goals. This approach means you won’t need prior authorization from an insurance company—and won’t reach insurance visit maximums. Instead, you get a personalized, comprehensive care plan, with as many or as few sessions as you need.

What to Expect from Your Chronic Pain Assessment

The first step is visiting for an intake appointment, where we will get to know one another and your situation. Then, we can draft a treatment plan that’s personalized for your situation and healing goals.

Initial Consultation Process

Together, we will review your medical records and background information. Then we can have a candid chat about your concerns and goals for healing.

This initial consultation process usually happens in one appointment, but may extend to a second appointment if more time is needed.

Assessment Components

During our visit(s) we will assess your levels of attention, memory, and problem-solving as well as evaluate your mood, language, and behavior to get a well-rounded view of how your chronic pain is impacting your life.

Creating Your Pain Treatment Plan

About a week later, we’ll meet for a feedback session where we discuss our findings and suggest an approach where we can work on healing together.

This may include evidence-based treatments specifically designed for chronic pain, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for chronic pain, or clinical hypnosis to help with nervous system regulation—a particularly effective approach for addressing the heightened stress response that often accompanies chronic pain. When a trauma component is identified, we’ll also consider specialized adaptations of trauma-focused approaches. Before starting treatment, we’ll explain the method(s) we’re using in detail, so you understand exactly how we’ll work together toward your pain management goals.

Subsequent follow-up visits will help us stay on track with your goals. For your convenience, we can meet in person at our Boise office or via telehealth from your home or office.

Getting Started with Chronic Pain Treatment in Boise

It’s time to thrive. Once you understand the psychological roots of your pain, you can learn practical coping strategies to relax the body, explore a new mindset to boost positive emotions, and get back to enjoying time with loved ones, your career, social activities, and personal hobbies.

Schedule a confidential appointment to assess your chronic pain and trauma at Idaho Neuropsychology. You can request an appointment through our website or give us a call at (208) 789-0910. You don’t have to go through this alone. We’re here to help you understand and alleviate your chronic pain.