_edited_edited.png)
Reduce or eliminate physical and psychological pain
Get back to the activities that bring you joy and fulfillment
.png)
Quiet your inner critic and learn to embrace your true self
%20(1).jpg)
Jessica Leavell, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Certified Pain Reprocessing Psychotherapist
I specialize in the psychotherapeutic treatment of chronic pain and other chronic physical conditions as well as anxiety/stress reduction and depression. My psychological approach integrates the latest evidence-based therapies proven to provide relief from painful conditions once thought to be untreatable.
I am certified in Pain Reprocessing Therapy. I also integrate Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy, mindfulness, and cognitive-behavioral techniques proven effective for mind-body conditions. I also have specialized post-doctoral training in neuropsychology.
Mind-body conditions (MBC) are very real, chronic and debilitating
emotional and physical symptoms that develop due to stress, trauma, and
other psychological causes.
Our internal stress response system creates pain, anxiety, and other physical symptoms to alert us to danger. Breakthroughs in neuroscience have taught us that the brain interprets internal, emotional distress in the same way as external physical threats. When we experience long-term emotional distress, the brain stays in danger mode and symptoms become chronic.
Learn More About:
Wondering if mind-body therapy is right for you?
-
Have your symptoms lasted for months or years without improvement?
-
Have medical providers been unable to find concrete answers or offer vague explanations?
-
Do you have symptoms throughout your body or, have they worsened, moved, or spread over time?
-
Did symptoms begin during a stressful time, with no obvious physical trigger, or persisted beyond expected healing time for an injury?
-
Are you in a constant state of hypervigilance or avoid activities due to fear of triggering your symptoms?
-
Do you have a history of early childhood adversity, trauma, chronic long-term stress, or perfectionism?
If this resonates with you, healing is within reach. We will work together to break the thinking, emotional, and behavioral patterns that keep your brain on high alert. You will learn brain retraining strategies to calm anxiety, break the pain-fear cycle and assess uncomfortable sensations and feared activities through a lens of safety.
I understand your struggle
because I’ve been there.
I believe in mind-body psychotherapy because it healed my pain
This psychological approach has been found effective for:
-
Back, neck, or shoulder pain
-
Migraine
-
Some forms of arthritis
-
Pain lingering after a physical injury has fully healed
-
Fibromyalgia
-
Facial and occipital neuralgias
-
Irritable bowel syndrome
-
Chronic fatigue
-
Pelvic pain
-
Anxiety
-
Depression