Break The Cycle Of Pain
Consultation
Our counseling approach has been designed to assist you with tapping into your full potential throughout your pain management experience. We will provide you with the added insight you need to set personal or professional goals, which will give you the life you really want.
Compliance
We can assist you throughout your pain management experience with adhering to your doctor’s recommended course of treatment. We understand that there are many factors that lead to non-compliance; several of which, can be unforeseen and out of your control. However, most of the factors that lead to non-compliance can be changed with little effort.
Community
We provide workshops aimed to foster a sense of community and provide valuable support for individuals grappling with chronic pain by creating a space for shared experiences and collaborative strategies.
Helping you take control of your chronic pain
Pain is an all-too-familiar problem and the most common reason that people see a physician. Unfortunately, alleviating pain isn't always straightforward.
At least 100 million adults in the United States suffer from chronic pain, according to the Institute of Medicine. The American Academy of Pain Medicine reports that chronic pain affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined.
Understanding and managing the thoughts, emotions and behaviors that accompany your discomfort can help you cope more effectively with your pain — and can actually reduce the intensity of your pain.
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Reflections on the Implicit Association Test (IAT)
Reflections on the Implicit Association Test (IAT)
Taking the Implicit Association Test (IAT) was an eye-opening experience. I completed the Race and Gender IATs and found the process intriguing but also somewhat skeptical due to how reaction time influences the results. I understand the purpose of using reaction time to measure implicit associations, but I also wonder how age and cognitive processing speed, especially at age 59, might influence outcomes. That said, the IAT did help raise my awareness of how automatic responses might not always align with conscious beliefs.
Interestingly, my implicit associations aligned with my conscious beliefs. This was reassuring and supports my belief that exposure, education, and lived experiences can bring implicit and explicit attitudes into closer alignment. Still, I was initially skeptical of the results—not because I disagreed with them, but because I questioned the accuracy of a tool that relies so heavily on milliseconds of reaction time. Even so, I see value in the IAT as a tool for self-reflection.
My implicit thoughts have been shaped by my family, religion, cultural environment, and military service in the U.S. Air Force. Recognizing these influences is important, especially in healthcare, where biases, whether conscious or unconscious, can deeply affect diagnosis, treatment, and overall patient care. Poor understanding of individual patients due to bias can lead to inaccurate assessments and widen existing health disparities.
My experience with bias, particularly around my height, has shown me how assumptions can impact how one is perceived and treated. While less of an issue now, it was a significant challenge during my youth. As healthcare professionals, we must be aware of the biases, especially around race, gender, disability, and more, that can affect clinical decision-making. It's appropriate to consider aspects like race or religion in care only when it's patient-informed and relevant to their treatment goals.
"Pain is not in your head, and the solution is not in your body."
-Dr. Howard Schubiner, MD
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