KAP and Chronic Pain

When it comes to chronic illness, it can be hard to find any kind of relief. The physical pain adds to our emotional pain, and the emotional pain makes our physical pain almost unbearable. So with all this pain, it’s natural to wonder: When will the pain stop, and what do I have to do to make that happen as soon as humanly possible? 

One unconventional way that people are finding relief from their chronic pain is by going to therapy. As much as we try not to take it personally, sometimes, it is our mind that is responsible for worsening the pain and suffering we feel. There’s one type of therapy in particular that’s showing excellent results for patients with chronic pain, and that’s ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP).

Can Therapy Treat Your Chronic Pain? 

Yes, therapy offers unique relief for patients struggling with persistent pain and chronic illnesses. While therapy may not eliminate the underlying medical condition, it can significantly reduce suffering, improve functioning, and help restore a sense of control.

• • When You Heal The Mind, You Heal The Body. When we begin to regulate the nervous system, process unresolved emotional wounds, and shift unhelpful thought patterns, the intensity of pain often decreases. Clients frequently report not only emotional relief, but also a noticeable reduction in physical symptoms. Our minds and bodies have a symbiotic relationship, and when we lift the burden from one of them, both can flourish. 

• We Can Accept The Things We Cannot Change. There is a process of grieving when it comes to having a chronic illness. It makes sense to mourn the loss of function in the body or the change in plans for your future. It’s necessary to accept these situations and the feelings they cause, even if we might not approve of them. When we live with the loss rather than deny it, we can move forward with honest wisdom instead of traumatized reactions. Accept the emotions as they are without attributing shame to them. When we shame our emotions, it stops them from processing through the body and can worsen our physical pain.

• We Can See A Therapist Who Specializes In Chronic Pain. Not all therapy is the same. Working with a therapist who understands chronic illness can make a meaningful difference. These clinicians are trained to recognize the complex relationship between trauma, stress, the nervous system, and physical symptoms. In St. Petersburg, Integrative Counsel offers empathetic and specialized therapy for patients with chronic pain.

What Types of Therapy Are Best For People With A Chronic Illness? 

 Integrative Counsel therapists are interdisciplinary experts. They borrow from philosophy and ancient wisdom, lived experience, and of course, the different science-based disciplines of therapy. By meeting with you in-session, our team can determine what type of therapy can best address your individual symptoms, but these are the most impactful therapies for patients with chronic illness:

Somatic Therapy.

Somatic therapy focuses on the body as a primary entry point for healing. Rather than only talking about pain, this approach helps you track sensations, regulate your nervous system, and gently release stored tension. For many individuals with chronic illness, the body has learned to stay in a prolonged state of stress or threat. Somatic work helps signal safety back into the system, which can reduce both emotional distress and physical pain over time.

Trauma-Informed Therapy.

Chronic pain and trauma are often deeply intertwined. Whether it’s early life experiences, medical trauma, or the ongoing stress of living with illness, the nervous system can become sensitized. Trauma therapy helps process these experiences so the body no longer has to carry them in the same way. As the nervous system becomes less reactive, many clients notice a decrease in pain flare-ups and an increased ability to cope with discomfort.

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy.

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) is a powerful option for individuals who feel stuck in cycles of pain, depression, and hopelessness. It works by creating a temporary shift in consciousness that allows clients to access new perspectives, process emotions more freely, and interrupt rigid mental and neurological patterns. When combined with therapy, these experiences can lead to meaningful and lasting change in how pain is experienced.

Where Can I Find A Ketamine Therapist In St. Petersburg?

Lauren Mishkin is a ketamine therapist who treats patients living in St. Petersburg. If you struggle with symptoms like chronic pain, depression, anxiety, trauma-related distress, or a persistent sense of being “stuck,” she can offer a supportive and integrative approach to healing that addresses both mind and body.

This is what Lauren has to offer for patients considering KAP: 

How Does KAP Help With Chronic Pain?

Are you someone who struggles with chronic pain that feels like it will never end? If so, KAP (ketamine-assisted psychotherapy) might be the breakthrough you have been hoping for. KAP can offer relief for chronic pain and corresponding depressive symptoms by working on numerous systems. KAP is especially effective if stuck in survival mode from unresolved traumas, relational wounding, grief, and/or the presence of the pain itself. KAP works from the bottom-up (somatically) through the body and nervous system in combination with a top-down (thinking) insight, negative feedback loops, and existential (meaning making). 

KAP can help in processing the isolation that chronic pain can bring, as well as loss of identity, grief, and anger. KAP can allow for disruption in feedback loops that often come with chronic pain and depression that reinforce one another. Chronic pain can create a sense of hopelessness that amplifies pain, which in-turn amplifies hopelessness. KAP can help loosen and therefore shift rigid neural pathways, how pain is experienced, and reduce default negative thought patterns. This type of therapy allows for a window of neuroplasticity in which shifts in perspective become accessible, anticipatory fear around pain can lessen, and resistance can soften into acceptance. 

KAP doesn’t take pain away forever, but rather allows your relationship with chronic pain to shift into one with less suffering. This is especially true for complex relational trauma layered on top of chronic pain, strong mind-body components like fibromyalgia, autoimmune flare-ups, or unprocessed traumatic events that led to the pain. KAP can create an opening that allows you to grieve what once was, accept what is, and develop hope for what can be. 

You Don’t Have To Do This Alone

Living with chronic illness can feel isolating, exhausting, and at times, defeating. But healing does not have to mean eliminating pain entirely. Healing can mean building a life that feels meaningful, connected, and manageable, even alongside pain.

Therapy offers a space where your experience is taken seriously, your suffering is honored, and your resilience is strengthened. With the right support, it is possible to move from merely surviving to living with greater ease, flexibility, and hope.

If you’re feeling stuck on your healing journey, we can help you get unstuck. Our intake specialist will take the time to understand your needs and connect you with a therapist who is the right fit. Schedule your free 15-minute consultation.

Sunny Ebsary is an educator, multi-modal artist, and writer specializing in the intersection of myth and mental health. Sunny’s writing walks the line between poetic and logical, giving readers a chance to interface with the mind and imagination. Sunny’s been putting pen to paper since he was a child, writing everything from albums, novels, and plays, to essays, interactive games, and of course, many articles! While studying both psychology and writing, he realized his real passion in life was helping others unlock their creative spark. Whether he’s leading a D&D game, directing a production, or diving deep into the brain, you can be sure Sunny will be ushering you toward finding meaning in your life.