From Pain to Possibility: A Nervous System Approach to Chronic Pain
Pain that lingers can start to shape everything. How you move, how you sleep, how you relate, how you get through a day.
Sometimes it persists even when there's no clear structural cause, and the usual advice to fix it or push through hasn't brought relief.
This recording offers a different way of understanding what's happening, and why the nervous system matters.
What You’ll Learn
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The types of pain
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Why pain can persist even when there is no clear structural cause
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The role of the nervous system in chronic and nociplastic pain
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How protective survival responses can create and maintain pain cycles
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The connection between chronic pain, trauma, and addiction patterns
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Why some treatments provide temporary relief but fail to create lasting change
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How a lack of felt safety in the body can limit healing and regulation
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What it means to begin relating to pain as a signal rather than just a symptom
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Practical, compassionate approaches that support nervous system regulation and open pathways toward relief
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Who This Is For
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Individuals living with chronic or unexplained pain who feel stuck, dismissed, or discouraged
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People who have tried multiple treatments without lasting relief and are searching for a new understanding
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Those navigating the overlapping challenges of pain, trauma, and/or addiction
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Therapists, coaches, and practitioners who want to better understand nociplastic pain and support their clients more effectively
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Professionals seeking a nervous system-informed framework that bridges pain science and trauma healing
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About Our Panelists
Les Aria
Les Aria, PhD is a pain psychologist with over 23 years of experience in nervous system–informed care for trauma, addiction, and chronic pain. Integrating the Polyvagal Framework, Pain Reprocessing Therapy, the Safe and Sound Protocol, and HRV training, his work is grounded in the belief that all three conditions share a common root in autonomic dysregulation, and that building nervous system resilience is where lasting recovery begins. He serves as Chief Psychological Officer at The Pointe Malibu Recovery and is a board member of the Polyvagal Institute.
Mel Pohl
Mel Pohl, MD, DFASAM is a Family Practitioner and the Chief Medical Officer of The Pointe Malibu Recovery Center. He is certified by the American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM), and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). Dr. Pohl is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the U of Nevada School of Medicine. He is author of several books including A Day Without Pain and The Pain Antidote -Stop Suffering from Chronic Pain, Avoid Addiction to Painkillers, and Reclaim Your Life with Kathy Ketcham from DaCapo Press. Dr. Pohl filmed a special for PBS called “The Pain Antidote” which aired around the country in 2016, and he is a nationally known public speaker.
Ragna Reiske
Ragna Reiske is Germany-based Certified FSPM Facilitator, nervous system coach, and Naturopathic Doctor working with trauma-related mind-body challenges and highly receptive nervous systems. As well as being a Focusing Trainer, Ragna has additional training in Liebscher & Bracht Pain and Movement Therapy, Neural Somatic Integration and Pain Reprocessing Therapy.