Nancy may be an asset for those of you besieged by chronic pain caused primarily by sitting/lying/standing in bad positions. That's about the only "positive" I can say.
I know Nancy wants to help, but she had me in tears by our 3rd appointment. By way of background, I have been diagnosed (yes, officially, by real doctors) with multiple herniated discs, myofascial pain syndrome and fibromyalgia. Nancy did not "believe" that herniated discs can cause pain (ever) or that I had fibromyalgia (which often accompanies myofascial pain syndrome and painful conditions of many kinds - either fibromylagia or central nervous system sensitization problems.)
Her approach was too simplistic and harsh for me. She wanted me to sit a certain way and lay in bed a certain way AT ALL TIMES and of course, this dramatic overnight change caused a big pain flare (like, huge) because yes, you're retraining your muscles to support you in ways they're not used to (and that's a positive) but doing it so suddenly and without cease is very hard on those muscles. She has no sympathy for this.
When I told her I had to take more prescribed pain medication because I couldn't get through my day (school/work) at a desk sitting up completely straight in this one position, she told me that anyone who takes prescription pain meds is an "addict." I told her i was not that, because I was using the meds to ENGAGE in life, not to check out and "get high." I told her that responsibly using prescribed pain medication to function is NOT SAMHSA's definition of an addict, and I did not appreciate being called this.
She was also rather angry and harsh with me verbally (and even physically on the table at one point - doing trigger point work - she put her hand over my mouth to shush me). She would become incredibly frustrated if I would so much as talk about having fibromyalgia too, or herniated discs (which my MRIs show) etc. and of these being factors in my pain as well. She called me a "victim of medical imaging technology."
She told me that if I didn't trust her and her process completely and implicitly "this won't work" (about getting pain free), and this was after a week of having met her. This was brought on by my attempting to discuss the type of pain flares I was having and how there may be a hormonal connection - in order to further silence me. She told me pain was in my mind. She also brought her religion into it and gave me a Christian book she reccomended (i think she gives them out to all patients?)
She told me to "just dance away my pain" (to get up and dance whenever I was in severe pain.
She became upset when I applied chapstick in her office (?!)
When I asked what kind of ergonomic chair i should buy for my home, she snapped at me to "use my head." I found myself arguing with her and asking her to please speak to me in a kinder manner so much during our 3rd session that it just wasn't worth my time.
I think it's easy for those of us with chronic pain to want to believe that sometimes "tough love" will help us overcome very difficult and complex conditions. We have "tried everything" and so are willing to buy into some level of "no pain no gain" strategy. But Nancy's approach can be harmful, psychologically and otherwise.
I DID take some helpful information from her - about how to sit, stretches to do, and to eat less sugar and more veggies. But the general harshness wasn't worth it. Crying in so much pain that I could barely breath and then being called an addict for taking the pain medication I need to function, and being spoken down to and blamed for the pain (and told the pain didn't really exist and that i didn't really have the diagnoses I have) - yeah, no thanks!!
Oh also, I was told by the Certification Board for Myofascial Trigger Point Therapists (CBMTPT), after contacting them to see what the deal is, that she is NOT certified with them, despite what she has listed online. read more