Learn to Master TMS/Chronic Pain/ Neuroplastic Symptoms

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Are you overwhelmed by chronic pain or other persistent symptoms—and frustrated that, despite seeing doctors and trying different treatments, you still don't have the answers or relief you're looking for?

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You are not alone. And your symptoms are real.

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My name is Mike “Web” Webster, MSc, MHC, RT, and I’m a mental health counselor specializing in a mindbody approach to chronic pain and other persistent symptoms.

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I know what chronic pain can take from a person because I’ve lived it myself.

For decades, I struggled with chronic pain and a long list of confusing and frightening symptoms. I spent years searching for answers, seeing doctors, trying treatments, and wondering if I would ever get my life back. Eventually, I discovered a different way of understanding chronic symptoms—one that changed my life.

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Today, I help others explore that same possibility.

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Your Symptoms Are Real—Understanding Them Can Be the Beginning of Change

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One of the most important things I want my clients to know is this:

Your symptoms are real. They are not “all in your head.”

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At the same time, modern pain neuroscience has shown us that the brain and nervous system play a powerful role in how we experience and maintain pain and other symptoms. Our physical experiences are deeply connected with our thoughts, emotions, nervous system, relationships, and sense of safety.

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This is where the mindbody approach can offer a new perspective.

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The goal isn't simply to learn how to live with your symptoms. The goal is to understand them.

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When we develop a deeper understanding of why symptoms began, what triggers or intensifies them, and what may be keeping them going, we can begin changing our relationship with those symptoms and reducing the fear and threat surrounding them.

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And as that understanding develops, the nervous system can begin to respond differently.

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Greater symptom understanding can lead to less fear, less symptom reinforcement, and ultimately symptom reduction and alleviation.

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My approach draws from contemporary pain neuroscience, neuroplasticity research, and evidence-informed mindbody approaches, while also incorporating the warmth, humor, empathy, and understanding that come from my own lived experience.

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My Own Journey With Chronic Symptoms

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I understand how difficult it can be to hear that your symptoms may be connected to the mind and nervous system—especially after being told that something is structurally wrong with your body.

I have personally experienced and recovered from a wide range of chronic symptoms, including:

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• Fibromyalgia

• Unexplained stomach pain

• Neck pain

• Arm pain and tingling

• Back pain and sciatica

• Headaches

• Tinnitus

• Knee pain following a compound leg fracture and three surgeries

• “Bone-on-bone” knee pain

• Foot and heel pain

• Hand pain

• Shoulder pain and painful muscle knots

• Tendonitis/tennis elbow

• Symptoms associated with a diagnosis of degenerative disc disease

• Symptoms attributed to Tarlov cyst disease, including a period when I was bedridden for three years

 

I know what it feels like to be frightened by your symptoms, to constantly monitor your body, to search for the next answer, and to wonder whether you'll ever feel like yourself again.

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My goal is not to convince you that your symptoms aren't real. My goal is to help you understand why they may be happening—and to use that understanding as a pathway toward reducing and alleviating them.

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The Columns Work Approach

My work has been strongly influenced by Dr. John Sarno and by my training with pain psychologist and mindbody expert Dr. Dan Ratner, whose Columns System provides a comprehensive framework for understanding persistent symptoms.

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The Columns approach explores three interconnected areas:

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1. Emotions

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What emotional experiences, conflicts, pressures, or patterns may be operating beneath the surface?

Sometimes symptoms appear or intensify during periods of emotional stress—even when we aren't consciously aware of what we're feeling.

Rather than simply asking, “What is wrong with me?” we begin asking:

“What was happening in my life, relationships, or emotional world when this symptom began or became worse?”

Understanding these connections can help take some of the mystery out of symptoms and provide important clues about why they may be occurring.

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2. Doubt

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Chronic symptoms can create an enormous amount of fear and uncertainty.

What if this never goes away?
What if something is seriously wrong?
What if I make it worse?
What if I'm stuck like this forever?

These fears can keep the nervous system on high alert and reinforce the brain's perception of threat.

Together, we work toward understanding and reducing the fear, doubt, and symptom-focused attention that can keep the cycle going.

As doubt decreases and safety increases, symptoms can become less threatening—and, for some people, less intense and less persistent.

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3. Power

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Power is ultimately about how we relate to ourselves, our symptoms, and the people around us.

It involves empowerment, self-trust, authenticity, boundaries, and learning to feel more comfortable being fully yourself.

Sometimes, as fear decreases and emotional awareness increases, there is another layer to explore:

How do I feel about myself?
How do I relate to my needs?
Where am I holding myself back?
What would it mean to live more authentically?

This can become an important part of understanding the mindbody cycle and moving toward greater symptom freedom.

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Understanding Comes Before Change

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Chronic symptoms can be incredibly confusing.

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You may have been told that your scans are normal—or that they show abnormalities that don't seem to explain the severity of your symptoms. You may have received different diagnoses from different providers. You may have tried medications, procedures, physical therapy, supplements, diets, or countless other approaches.

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And you may still be asking:

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“Why does this keep happening to me?”

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I believe that question deserves a thoughtful answer.

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Rather than simply fighting your symptoms or trying to distract yourself from them, we can become curious about them.

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What are they communicating?
What was happening when they began?
What makes them better or worse?
What thoughts and emotions accompany them?
What does your nervous system believe is happening?
What keeps the cycle going?

The more clearly you understand your symptoms, the less mysterious and frightening they can become.

And that understanding can create the foundation for change.

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More Than Pain Management

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Our work isn't limited to your physical symptoms.

Chronic symptoms can affect your confidence, relationships, work, identity, emotions, and sense of freedom. You may have spent years organizing your life around pain, fatigue, fear, or physical limitations.

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In our work together, you'll have a safe and compassionate space to explore the whole experience of living with chronic symptoms—not just the symptoms themselves.

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Together, we can work toward:

• Understanding the mindbody connection

• Understanding why your symptoms may have developed and persisted

• Reducing fear surrounding symptoms

• Developing a different relationship with pain and physical sensations

• Challenging thoughts and beliefs that keep you feeling trapped

• Identifying emotional patterns that may contribute to symptom flares

• Increasing emotional awareness and expression

• Developing greater self-trust and empowerment

• Reducing the nervous system's perception of threat

• Reconnecting with activities and parts of life you may have lost

• Working toward meaningful symptom reduction and alleviation

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You're More Than Your Symptoms

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I believe you are more than your diagnosis, your pain, or the limitations you've developed around your symptoms.

You don't have to spend the rest of your life wondering, “What's wrong with me?”

There may be another way of understanding what is happening in your body.

The goal is not to dismiss your symptoms, ignore them, or simply learn to tolerate them. The goal is to understand them deeply enough that your brain and nervous system no longer need to produce them in the same way.

You deserve to be seen, heard, understood, and believed.

And you deserve the opportunity to discover what life might look like when chronic symptoms no longer control it.

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My Training & Background

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I hold a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology with a focus in Mental Health Counseling. I have completed extensive training in Dr. Dan Ratner's Columns System approach to chronic symptoms and am a member of the Association for the Treatment of Neuroplastic Symptoms (ATNS).

My approach combines this specialized training with contemporary pain neuroscience, neuroplasticity principles, counseling psychology, and—perhaps most importantly—my own lived experience recovering from chronic symptoms.

I have also had the privilege of helping clients work through a variety of chronic symptoms and emotional difficulties while developing a deeper understanding of themselves and their mindbody connection.

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Could This Approach Be Right for You?

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If you've tried treatment after treatment and still feel stuck…

If you're frightened by your symptoms or constantly monitoring your body…

If you feel like your life has gradually become smaller because of chronic pain…

If you're tired of simply managing symptoms and want to understand why they're happening…

Or if some part of you believes there has to be another way—

I'd be happy to talk with you about whether a mindbody approach may be a good fit.

Understanding your symptoms may be the first step toward changing them.

You don't have to figure this out alone.

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Mike “Web” Webster, MS, MHC, RT
Mindbody Chronic Pain & Symptom Coaching

Phone: (808) 647-4831
Email: mgwebstermindbody@gmail.com

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