Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for managing chronic migraine pain

Hi. I don't have a therapist to recommend, but as a peer of yours wanted to share my story with you as a migraine sufferer. Migraines run in my family and at the age of 12, around puberty I began experiencing them. It was only a few at first, but at age 16 they would happen once a month and shut me down for days and only a trip to the E.R. could remedy the worst ones, (there were none of the currently available meds at that time to treat them.) My own personal feeling is that they are seriously tied to hormonal fluctuations for women, AND really tied to our stress level and emotions. I also don't think it is fair to tell women that they are "all in our head" either, because they certainly are not, even if our emotional state contributes to them!!!! I was a very Type A person in high school, involved in way too many activities, constantly juggling academics and my leadership roles and working part time. My own family was stressful and I really did not know how to manage any of it. It seemed that I was really pulled together on the outside, but on the inside, I worried and hid so much from my own family. I think that is really what made my migraines soooo bad. When I left for college, I decided not to join any clubs or groups, and I was out of reach of my parents and all of their expectations, and I started being a little bit of a "bad girl"(but it was all very tame by today's standards- ha ha) and you know what? My migraines stopped. I think also that my hormones had leveled off as well, but letting go, not having a really high stress level with the pressure to succeed and also starting to see a therapist to work out old issues helped me as well. I know that hormones and stress are my biggest triggers, but every woman is so different. I really wish that CBT had been offered to me as a teen, it would have helped me so much. I think it is a great avenue to explore, and I wish you both luck- there are gonna be some great therapists in this area who specialize in this! I hope some other posters can share names with you. best...

Hi Susan. I saw your message and had to reply. There is a child psychologist in Berkeley who specifically does CBT with teens who have migraines and chronic pain named Dr. Rachel Zoffness. I heard about her from my daughter's friend's mother when I was looking for a CBT therapist who works with kids. She has stellar training (Brown U, Columbia U, UCSD) and has a PhD in Psychology. Website has all the info, www.zoffness.com. It's such a specific niche I felt silly having this info and not sharing it with you. I hope your daughter gets the help she needs and feels better soon!! Best of luck to you... PT.