Learn skills to "rewire" your brain for lasting relief from pain--now and in the future.
Do you hurt all the time? Chronic pain--the kind that lasts long after the normal healing period is over--can be devastating, especially if you're a teen. You may feel anxious, scared, or sad as a result, and long to return to the normal activities of being a teen. And if the pain does go away for a time, you may worry about it coming back. So, how can you manage chronic pain and take back your life?
This engaging, interactive workbook offers cutting-edge techniques from pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) to help you literally retrain your brain for better pain management. By leveraging the power of your brain's neuroplasticity, you'll learn how to interrupt and reinterpret pain signals--leading to quick, lasting relief. You'll also learn how to:
- Interrupt the cycle of chronic pain
- Accurately interpret and respond to physical signals
- Put brain and body back on the same page
Chronic pain is caused by your brain misinterpreting safe signals sent from your body as some kind of danger. This workbook can help you harness the power of your own neural pathways to manage pain and get back to living your life.
In these increasingly challenging times, kids and teens need mental health resources more than ever. With more than 3 million copies sold worldwide and translated into 260 languages, Instant Help Books are easy to use, proven-effective, and recommended by therapists.
About the Author :
Daniella Deutsch, LCSW, is cofounder, content developer, and lead trainer at the Pain Reprocessing Therapy Center, where she trains and certifies thousands of mental health clinicians and practitioners across various health disciplines. She has presented on pain treatment at international conferences and training events, and is actively involved in ongoing pain research. In addition to her work at the center, she runs a private practice--WellBody Psychotherapy--where she has guided hundreds of patients toward recovery, and leads a team of dedicated therapists and pain coaches. Daniella lives in Los Angeles, CA, with her husband and their three daughters.
Penina Zilberberg, PhD, is a clinical psychologist with over twenty years of experience working with children, adolescents, and families. She specializes in treating anxiety, chronic pain, emotion regulation difficulties, impulse control disorders--and helping teens and young adults navigate key developmental transitions toward independence and self-efficacy. As a parenting expert, she provides parent training that empowers parents to foster emotional tolerance, coping skills, and confidence in their children. She has lectured on a wide range of topics related to parenting and child development, and has conducted parent and teacher workshops in local schools. Zilberberg maintains a private practice in Cedarhurst, NY.
Paulina Soble, LCSW, is cofounder of the Pain Reprocessing Therapy Center, and coexecutive director of WellBody Psychotherapy. As a psychotherapist in private practice, Paulina helps patients unlearn pain by understanding their mind-body connection, and deactivating fear signals in the brain. Paulina presents at pain conferences, trainings, universities, and hospital systems, aiming to build a comprehensive network of pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) practitioners to treat the millions who suffer from chronic symptoms. Paulina spearheads the development of new initiatives, professional trainings, and educational resources to expand the reach of PRT and improve access to providers and patients.
Illustrator Aliza Zilberberg is an art history student at Macaulay Honors College in New York, NY, with a passion for using art to foster comfort and connection. Inspired by her work with pediatric patients through her organization, Make it Home, Aliza illustrated this book to help teens navigate pain and anxiety.
Foreword writer David Schechter, MD, is a physician in Los Angeles, CA. With more than thirty-five years of experience as a family and sports medicine physician, Schechter specializes in mind-body medicine, preventive medicine, and chronic pain.
Review :
"The Pain Reprocessing Therapy Workbook for Teens is a fantastic resource! It is chock-full of the latest science about pain in an accessible and interesting format. It helps teens understand their own pain and provides a comprehensive guide for recovery. It should be the first book any teen with chronic pain reads!"
--Howard Schubiner, MD, clinical professor at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, and author of Unlearn Your Pain
--Howard Schubiner, MD
"As someone who suffered from chronic pain from an early age, a resource like this would've been invaluable. Now, as a therapist specializing in neuroplastic symptoms, I confidently recommend it to my young patients. Packed with practical tools, creative activities, relatable language, engaging visuals, and a big dose of hope, it helps teens take charge and build confidence, resilience, and lasting relief. This workbook is a long-awaited, essential addition to the mind-body medicine landscape."
--Christie Uipi, LCSW, founder and executive director of The Better Mind Center
--Christie Uipi, LCSW
"Finally! A workbook that explains the new neuroscience of pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) to resolve chronic pain--in language that makes sense to teens. I've worked in clinics, hospitals and ICUs for thirty years. Medically unexplained pain is a very common problem that now has a solution. Parents, by this book! Help your teen get back to the awesome human being that you know they really are."
--Brad Fanestil, MD, board-certified doctor of internal medicine at the Boulder Institute for Mind Body Medicine
--Brad Fanestil, MD
"I recently asked a crowded high school auditorium how many students experienced persistent pain--surprisingly, nearly every hand went up. Adolescent chronic pain is a hidden epidemic. This book meets that overwhelming need, giving young people a hopeful and practical road map to lasting relief."
--John Gribbin, CEO of Curable Health
--John Gribbin
"PRT is paradigm shifting. In data from my lab and my colleagues' labs, we are seeing people recover from chronic pain by understanding neuroplasticity and working to shift beliefs, behaviors, and emotions. This wonderful adaptation for teens offers a practical and compassionate path forward. Engaging exercises and guidance empowers teens--and those who support them--to understand, and change, their pain."
--Yoni K. Ashar, PhD, assistant professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, and director at its Pain and Emotion Research Laboratory
--Yoni K. Ashar, PhD
"Reading this workbook feels like having a smart, encouraging friend by your side. Someone who gets what it's like to be a teen living with chronic pain. The science is approachable and compelling, cleverly inviting curiosity over pressure. As a parent, I loved how the stories captured a teen's experience, while empowering them to recover. You'll feel understood and supported as you learn to trust your mind and body again."
--Charlie Merrill, MSPT, mind-body physical therapist, athlete, content creator, and consultant
--Charlie Merrill, MSPT
