Specialist mental health support for chronic pain and mind body symptoms.
Welcome. I am Dr Isabelle Straw, Clinical Psychologist.
Online psychological therapy and online Pain Reprocessing Therapy in the UK.
I specialise in helping adults overcome a wide range of psychological and physical health difficulties to thrive and live fulfilling lives.
If you are reading this, you may be struggling to cope or wondering how much longer you’ll be able to keep functioning as you are. Perhaps you are experiencing some of the following:
Chronic pain/chronic illness/physical signs of stress.
Recurrent low mood, depression or negative thoughts about yourself.
Generalised anxiety, panic attacks, or constantly feeling on high alert.
Sleep issues (finding it hard to fall or stay asleep).
Feeling emotionally reactive or easily triggered.
Struggling to say “no’’ or set healthy boundaries.
Using coping strategies that help in the moment but lead you feeling worse later.
Why do we develop chronic symptoms?
Many of us go through adverse childhood experiences (e.g., divorce, loss, illness in the family, emotional and physical abuse) without the emotional support needed to deal with such adversity. This often leads to the development of unhelpful coping mechanisms such as perfectionism and people-pleasing, as well as difficulties understanding and expressing our emotional needs.
These very common and understandable responses to unresolved traumatic and stressful life events can create deregulation in our mind-body system, leading to many physical and emotional symptoms that impact our quality of life daily. The good news is that many chronic health conditions can be entirely resolved or significantly improved with therapies such as Pain Reprocessing Therapy. This is effective in the treatment of chronic pain conditions and other chronic health symptoms such as anxiety, migraine, dizziness etc. I have trained in Pain Reprocessing Therapy because I have used it personally to overcome chronic mind-body symptoms. I have seen how this approach can work effectively in recovering from chronic and debilitating conditions.
You may have been told that you just have to learn to manage your chronic symptoms, but that simply isn’t true. I use my professional skills as a clinical psychologist and lived experience to help guide you to the other side and reclaim your life.
Working together, I will help you to:
Overcome chronic stress-related symptoms (such as chronic pain).
Overcome chronic anxiety, depression and shame.
Free yourself from limiting beliefs and self-critical though that lock you into a fight, flight or freeze response.
Learn to soothe yourself by feeling physical and emotional sensations.
Learn how to rewire your brain's neural pathways for safety and wellbeing.
Develop increased self-worth, confidence and trust.
Learn to identify and meet your own needs without guilt.
As a Clinical Psychologist, I am trained in evidence-based therapeutic modalities, including Pain Reprocessing Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Compassion Focused Therapy. More information on these therapies is outlined below.
When working with you, I draw on aspects from the above that I carefully tailor to your specific situation and desired outcome.
The therapeutic relationship is a really important factor and to help you get the most out of therapy, I will aim to create a compassionate, safe space where you feel listen to without judgement.
