Free Resources

Please Note: Items marked with an * below are Lara’s most highly recommended resources, and “NEW” means newly added, not necessarily newly produced.

Lara’s Work

Lara is a passionate advocate for people with persistent “structural” symptoms and change agent in her field. She has several insights for the field about its blindspots, all of which are based on her own 34 years of experience with pain and that of her clients. Both Lara and her clients have decidedly “structural” conditions (e.g., post-stroke dysautonomia, cancer, Parkinson’s, etc.).

  1. WE MUST BREAK DOWN the BINARY of “STRUCTURAL vs. NEUROPLASTIC”: Lara was the first in her field to argue from her own experience that structural and neuroplastic is not a binary but a spectrum. The field’s focus on this binary has harmful ramifications not only for people living with persistent symptoms, but also for the field itself. The vast majority of practitioners will not work with someone unless they have “ruled out structural conditions.” This population is Lara’s niche, and she is Curable’s expert on the topic. See Lara on Dr. John Stracks’ podcast (2021 and 2022) or her talk “Living with Structural AND Neuroplastic Pain” (among others) on Curable for more.

  2. PEOPLE with PERSISTENT and/or “STRUCTURAL” SYMPTOMS BENEFIT FROM THIS WORK TOO: Although the ultimate outcomes may be different for different people depending on their circumstances, everyone can reap profound benefits from doing this kind of work. It is just not one size fits all.

  3. HEALING LOOKS DIFFERENT FOR DIFFERENT PEOPLE: Based on her own experience with severe, persistent, and disabling pain, Lara has had to reimagine Hope and redefine Healing for her own sake. Her clients have found her reframe to be very refreshing and more helpful to them than the traditional model, which can be quite harmful to anyone who has symptoms that just don’t budge in spite of their best efforts. We need to move past the idea that ‘success’ means symptom free and “safety” is only available to those without anything ‘structural’ wrong in their bodies or life circumstances they cannot change. If you are stuck, it’s not your fault and Lara has a better way forward.

““I listened to your Live Event on Curable which I found incredibly helpful and now I am making my way through all the free resources on your website. My new mantra is “I am not afraid of the storms….” Thank you — this is profound and transformational and makes me feel I can sail my ship with confidence and skill.” — Janey Mallin

Terminology

Please Note: First, when Lara says “pain,” she is usually using this as an umbrella term for all kinds of chronic symptoms (fatigue, dizziness, IBS, migraines, etc.).

Second, there are many terms for the kind of pain & physical symptoms we are talking about here, and there are also several that overlap with one other but are not always identical. It can be quite confusing! Here’s a quick primer:

  • *Neuroplastic Symptoms - the term most frequently used in the field today; again, neuroplastic symptoms are different than structrural (see above)

  • Neural Pathway Symptoms - a synonym for neuroplastic symptoms

  • *Nociplastic Symptoms - coming out of recent neuroscience research, seen as a synonym for neuroplastic symptoms

  • Primary Pain - the new classifications of chronic pain coming out of the WHO in the upcoming ICD-11, synonym for neuroplastic pain. Secondary pain is pain that is subsequent to an injury, illness, or disease.

  • Mind-Body Syndrome - Dr. Howard Schubiner uses this interchangeably with “TMS”

  • Neural Circuit Disorder - Dr. Howard Schubiner’s more recent term, instead of MBS or TMS

  • Psychophysiological Disorder (PPD) - developed by Dr. David Clarke (Dr. Clarke also calls this “Stress Illness”) - in September 2024, Dr. Clarke renamed his organization from PPDA to ATNS (Association for the Treatment of Neuroplastic Symptoms)

  • *CSS (Central Sensitization Syndrome) - a diagnosis given by some medical doctors for a nervous system that has become hypersensitive (can overlap with CRPS)

  • CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome) - CRPS is thought to be different from but overlapping with neuroplastic pain. CRPS Type 2 is following an injury to the nerve and is the new term for Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), whereas CRPS Type 1 is for those without an originating injury to the nerve and is therefore thought by many in the field to be the same as neuroplastic pain or primary pain

  • AMPS (Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome) or Myofascial Pain Syndrome- diagnoses given by some medical doctors for chronic pain in the muscles, joints, or other parts of the body, without any originating injury or underlying inflammation

  • Psychosomatic Illness or Somatoform Disorder - terminology stemming from the work of Sigmund Freud (and Charcot and others) on “hysteria” in women in the late 19th & early 20th centuries

  • Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) - “TMS” is neuroplastic pain’s original name, coined by John Sarno, M.D. in 1999.   But please note that while the new neuroscience research on chronic pain has taken us well beyond Dr. Sarno’s original ideas, people still widely use the term “TMS” to refer to a wide range of mind-body symptomatology. Sometimes people call it “Tension Myoneural Syndrome” attempting to bring the TMS term more up to date. This is not a term Lara uses given how it does not reflect current neuroscience and neuroplastic symptoms are only on occasion due to from “tension” or “myositis” (muscle inflammation)

New IASP Definition of Pain

For the first time in over 50 years, the IASP (International Association for the Study of Pain) updated its definition of pain to include the notion that pain can come from the brain without any tissue damage and that this kind of pain is just as real as pain which stems from tissue damage.  As of July 2020, IASP’s new definition of pain is:  

“An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage.

  • Pain is always a personal experience that is influenced to varying degrees by biological, psychological, and social factors.

  • Pain and nociception are different phenomena. Pain cannot be inferred solely from activity in sensory neurons.

  • Through their life experiences, individuals learn the concept of pain.

  • A person’s report of an experience as pain should be respected.

  • Although pain usually serves an adaptive role, it may have adverse effects on function and social and psychological well-being.

  • Verbal description is only one of several behaviors to express pain; inability to communicate does not negate the possibility that a human or a nonhuman animal experiences pain.”

Lara’s Free Library of Somatic Tracking & Guided Meditations

Here they are roughly in order of creation. If you’d like, you could also purchase a Personalized Audio Recording. (Lara will weave in your favorite mantras, messages, metaphors, etc. Email Lara to get started.)

Lara’s Other Free Offerings

Audio Recordings (by Other Practitioners)

Educational Videos about Chronic Pain and Other Chronic Symptoms

Podcast Episodes (Pain-Specific)

Podcast Episodes (Related Topics)

Academic Articles (Pain-Specific)

Articles organized in chronological order, with most recent first:

Articles or Videos (Related Topics)

Book Recommendations (MindBody or Pain-Specific)

Organized in somewhat random order:

  • NEW: Minding Your Body (2025) by Nicole Sachs, LCSW

  • NEW: The Pain Reprocessing Therapy Workbook (2024) by Vanessa M. Blackstone, MSW and Olivia S. Sinaiko, LPC

  • NEW: Outsmart Your Pain (2021) by Christiane Wolf, M.D., Ph.D.

  • *The Pain-Free M.I.N.D.S.E.T. (2021) by Deepak Ravindran, M.D.

  • *Explain Pain (2003) by David Butler, Ph.D. and G. Lorimer Moseley, Ph.D.

  • *The Way Out (2021) by Alan Gordon

  • The Pain Management Workbook (2020) by Rachel Zoffness

  • *The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in Healing Trauma (2014) by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk

  • *The Myth of Normal (2021) by Gabor Mate

  • *When the Body Says No (2003) by Gabor Mate 

  • Unlearn Your Pain (2010) by Howard Schubiner, M.D.

  • Unlearn Your Anxiety and Depression (2016) by Howard Schubiner, M.D.

  • Freedom from Nervous Suffering (1973) by Dr. Claire Weekes

  • Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness (2022) by Meghan O’Rourke

  • They Can’t Find Anything Wrong (2007) by Dr. David Clarke

  • You are the Placebo (2014) by Dr. Joe Dispenza

  • The Last Best Cure (2013) by Donna Jackson Nakazawa

  • The Mindbody Prescription (1998) by John Sarno, M.D.

  • The Divided Mind (2006) by Dr. John Sarno, M.D.

  • Back Sense (2001) by Ronald Siegel, Ph.D.

  • Writing to Heal (2004) by James Pennebaker, Ph.D.

  • Back in Control (2012) by David Hanscom, M.D.

Book Recommendations (Related Topics)

Organized in somewhat random order:

  • NEW: Beyond Anxiety (2025) by Martha Beck (HIGHLY recommend and easily applicable to pain and other physical symptoms))

  • NEW: The Complex PTSD Workbook (2017) by Dr. Arielle Schwartz

  • *NEW: The Let Them Theory (2025) by Mel Robbins (empowerment strategy that comes closest to Lara’s personal emphasis on Agency)

  • *NEW: The Next Conversation (2025) by Jefferson Fisher (empowering communication strategies / having tough conversations)

  • NEW: The Internal Family Systems Workbook: A Guide to Discover Your Self and Heal Your Parts (2024) by Dr. Richard Schwartz

  • NEW: The Self-Led Internal Family Systems Workbook: Learn IFS Skills to Understand and Love All Your Parts (2025) by Tanis Allen, LMSW and Cece Sykes, LCSW

  • The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Transform Your Life (2022) by David Robson

  • Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma (1997) by Peter A. Levine

  • Burnout: The Key to Unlocking the Stress Cycle (2019) by Amelia Nagoski

  • Radical Compassion (2019) by Tara Brach, Ph.D.

  • Self-Compassion (2013) by Kristin Neff, Ph.D.

  • Hardwiring Happiness (2013) by Rick Hanson, Ph.D.

  • When Things Fall Apart (2006) by Pema Chödrön

  • Radical Acceptance (2003) by Tara Brach, Ph.D.

  • Heart Minded: How to Hold Yourself and Others in Love (2020) by Sarah Blondin

Poems

Poems that are inspiring for this work.

Charts & Illustrations

Illustrations & charts related to this work.

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” — Viktor E. Frankl